The Esper Devil ( Esper OC X Highschool DxD )

by Esper-from-beyond

The era of heroes is over, with the hero association almost extinct and espers now living in secrecy, the talented son of a legendary esper couple starts attending a school which is under the control of devils. Raised with the mentality that all demons and evil spirits are enemies and carrying an enormous power that is still unknown to most devils, how will he fit in this new life?

68. A relationship with the sublime

Part 1

After leaving the youkai capital, we decided to get back to the hotel and gather with our friends.

In the end, I couldn't say a word about what I did to Kunou's father and both of us remained mostly silent for the entire trip back

"Hey, Tatseyo, are you okay?"

Issei asks, causing the others to look in our direction as well

I simply nod

"Yeah, my head is just... full right now"

Ayumu glanced at me with a worried expression

We were both unsure if we should tell them about my suspicions regarding Kuriko.

Mostly because, in way, they didn't made a lot of sense.

"Ahh, don't even mention it, I'm already feeling beat with all this stuff with the youkai world. You and Ayumu who are waist deep with the Hero Faction must be exhausted, huh? Sorry you have to trouble yourselves with that"

I shook my head

"No, no, it's alright."

I say, still with my head someplace else

Why would Kuriko be using the Hero Faction?

Why do any of this?

My head was filled with conflicting thoughts

"Those scumbags at the Khaos Brigade will have to pay for this."

"Tatseyo, are you sure your plan to rescue the Kyuubi will work?

Why would she trouble herself with people like Cao Cao...

"Tatseyo?"

Why use them for this when she could have done all of it on her own or at least without outside help?

"Tatseyo?!"

Azazel calls my attention and I jolt up in surprise

"A-ah! Sorry, I was just thinking about... something else..."

He looks at me with a confused expression

"Everything alright, kid?"

I wave my hand and answer

"Yeah, I'm okay... but don't worry, our plan will work. By the way, Rossweisse-san"

The silver-haired Valkyrie looks back at me

"M-me?!"

She asks surprised, her eyes large like two discs

"Georg said he'll use a brainwashing spell to control them, I'm confident that I can break it, but just to be sure could you teach me more about those spells?"

Rossweisse nodded frantically

"R-really?! Okay! You can leave it to me! I'll show you everything I know about those spells"

She replies enthusiastically

"Good thing I brought my books for this trip, fufufu~"

Azazel sighs

"You brought a suitcase just for them..."

He says, clearly worried with her obsession

"Ehh, why do you sound so disappointed?!"

Suddenly another quarrel began between the two, Rossweisse scolding Azazel's lack of responsability and the fallen angel giving jabs at the valkyrie's lack of social life

"That has nothing to do with having a boyfriend!"

However, this time, neither me or Ayumu joined the laughter of our devil friends, as our minds were busy with something else.

After arriving at the hotel, Issei and his group joined their human friends while me and Ayumu stayed behind

"Tachan... what are we going to do now?"

I scratch my head

Warning about Kuriko sounds important, but if I'm not right, it would just alarm them.

"Right now, there's no way to be sure that it is Kuriko"

Actually, it barely makes any sense

"If it was her, she wouldn't have to do all of this."

Ayumu tilts her head

"You're right, but if there's even a chance of being her, don't you think we should at least... ya k'now, give a warning?"

I close my eyes and sigh

"If I tell them my suspicions, I'll have to explain why I think it could be her, and then..."

I place a hand on my forehead and Ayumu seems to understand

"Sorry... this must be hard to talk about..."

She apologizes, but I shake my head

"This is not your fault... you are right"

I look up

"If there's even a chance of Kuriko being involved in this, we have to warn someone..."

In the end, we decide to talk to Azazel

As a teacher, governor and the adult responsible for the ORC, he's the one we should warn first just in case something happens.

"So kids, what do you two wanna talk to me about?"

I sigh and give Ayumu a long look, she just looks down with a sad look. Azazel's expression immediately turns sour

"Ah, crap, whenever you make that face it's always bad news. What the hell happened now?"

I scratch my head

"Well... remember that mural, in the capital?"

Azazel nods

"The one with the youkai king? That your father killed?"

I shrugged

"Yeah... kinda, but that's not about it... it's something else... about Kunou's father"

The fallen angel frowned, his eyebrows with a deep furrow

"Oh crap... what happened?"

I sigh one last time, before starting to speak

"It was a night in Kyoto, my first large scale battle..."

I continued talking, explaining to Azazel how I killed the Guardian of Kyoto and my suspicions of Kuriko.

In the end, Azazel's face had a drop of sweat running down.

"Holy shit, Tatseyo... I don't..."

He wipes his forehead

"I don't even know how to respond to that..."

Placing a hand against forehead, he asks

"That could very well ruin the negotiations with the youkais, you know that, right?"

I nod

"Of course I know, do you think I would even be telling you that if I wasn't actually worried about what could happen?"

Azazel pinches the middle region of his eyes

"I get it, sorry kid... you were talking about this... Kuriko, right? What's up about her?"

It's my turn to put my hand against my forehead

"Well, honestly, what is not up with Kuriko"

I attempt to explain my history with her, but at the end I can only come up with things I don't know about her

"So let me see, there's this incredibly powerful girl in your organization, which you think might have lead you to kill Yasaka's husband, but you don't know why she would be doing this, you don't know what she could be gaining from this nor do you know why she would be working with the Khaos Brigade in the first place?"

I nod awkwardly, realizing how absurd my suspicions sound.

Aside from suspicious behaviour I truly have nothing to acuse Kuriko with.

"Don't you think it's a little far fetched? I mean, glad you told me about it, if it does turn out to be her this will be a huge deal, but causing panick without any proof is just..."

Ayumu nods, a bit confused as well

"He's right, Tachan... I totally trust you, but if Kuriko was working with them wouldn't she have let them know about our disguise a long time ago?"

"I know, but I can't think of anyone else at the moment... it could still be a lot of other espers and the reason I'm telling this to you and you alone is because... if it is Kuriko, then something big is brewing. Something huge."

Azazel scratches his goatee

"You think so?"

I nod

"Like Ayumu said, if it is Kuriko, she could have killed all of us a long time ago. You, me, even Serafall-san, we don't hold a candle against her. She could also have reduced every single youkai in Kyoto to dust, she could have warned Cao Cao that we are acting behind his back, but it looks like she didn't."

"And what would be the reason?"

Azazel asked me and I frowned

"Kuriko isn't a simple minded person, far from that. Cao Cao's goals are way too easy, simple, condensed to actually be what Kuriko wants from him. If she is really behind this, then there's something we don't know... a huge piece of the puzzle we are missing and if I'm right, Cao Cao must be on the dark about this as well. The Hero Faction is somehow a means to an end for whatever Kuriko is planning"

I sigh

"And we need to find out what it is... fast"

Part 2

I, Issei Hyoudou, lied awake at my bed

After a while of thinking whether I should try to peek on the girl's bath again with Matsuda and Motohama I decided against it

With Rossweisse and the Sitri group there it won't happen and that scary redhead Ayumu won't let us go if she catches us...

I sigh, missing deeply Buchou, Akeno-san and the other members of the club that couldn't come on the trip

I rememeber Buchou's kiss at the train station, but something else that happened in the train also comes to my mind

"Hey, Ddraig..."

[Yes, partner? Is something troubling you?]

I nod

"Yeah, about my potential, do you still have no idea where it went?"

During the train ride I met with Elsha and Belzard in my mind and they gave me the box which held my potential, but just as I opened the box... it disappeared

I have no clue to where it could have gone, but it's starting to get me anxious

[Sorry partner, no idea. But trust me, it will come back to you eventually]

Azazel-sensei also said that...

"You think I'll be able to defeat Cao Cao?"

I asked without thinking too much

Ddraig laughed

[Even the ultimate weapon of God is only as strong as it's user, I have no doubt that once you have grown enough even the Hero Faction won't be a match for us]

I nod, feeling a little happier, but not totally satisfied

"I see..."

As if catching up on my anxieties, Ddraig speaks up

[You're worried you won't be strong enough to protect the people around you, right?]

I give a bitter laugh

"Am I that obvious?"

[You are always worrying about your friends and with the way things are now it's not difficult to see this is something that would trouble you.]

I close my eyes and nod

Vali, Tatseyo, Sairaorg-san...

There are so many people I'm yet to reach

And now with the espers involved we are going to be fighting a massive power

I extend my left hand up high and close my fist

[Partner, I think it's good that you care so much about the people in your life, I believe that your caring and ingenuity were part of what allowed you to come this far when most of my hosts had fallen in the path of domination, but be careful, the fear for your loved ones can also do terrible things to oneself]

"I know... I'm not going to do anything stupid, there's no point in becoming strong if I become tyrant to those I love"

[That's good, as long as we are together I believe there's no hurdle we can't overcome. I have a pride as a Heavenly Dragon after all, I'm not gonna let a bunch of psychics get the better of me]

I laugh

"Thanks Ddraig"

I feel my resolve become even stronger now, that's right, I can't let things like that keep me down. Whether it's Tatseyo, Vali or Sairaorg-san, I'll become strong enough to fight by their side, no matter how much blood and sweat it takes!

I stand up out of bed and declare

"Now I'm in the mood to see some tits!"

Right after that I hear Ddraig shouting inside my head

[WHY DO YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO RUIN THESE MOMENTS WITH THINGS LIKE THIS!]

I laugh and shake my head

"Sorry, sorry, I'm just joking, it's not like the Student Council would let me anyway..."

[Sounds like that's the only reason you won't go snooping...]

After Ddraig says this I hear a tap at the door

"Huh? Who is it?"

[I really hope it isn't the esper boy coming with another batch of bad news...]

I open the door and standing there is Asia, with her pajamas on

"Oh, Asia! Why are you here...?"

"I came to play. Xenovia and Irina are coming shortly as well. Kiryuu said she was busy gossiping with the girls from other classes, so she's not coming."

Really! Three beautiful girls coming to my room to play! This is wonderful!

"Can I come in?"

I nod enthusiastically

"Yes! Of course!"

Asia walks in and I watch her

My most precious Asia-chan...

Buchou

Akeno-san

Xenovia, Irina, Kiba and everyone else.

I'm going to become even stronger! For the sake of our lives together!

Part 3

For our tour on the next day Kunou offered herself to be our guide as a way of repaying us for trying to rescue her mother.

We went to Tenryuu-ji, Nison-in, the Bamboo Path, Jojakko-ji and later had lunch at a tofu hotpot restaurant recommended by Kunou before heading to Togetsukyou bridge

Kiba's group was also at the restaurant and they were also planing to head there so we ended up joining our groups

When I invited Tatseyo's group to come with us he and Ayumu refused though, I guess he still has complicated feelings over his mother helping to kidnap Yasaka-san.

That traditional style wooden bridge, full of historical feeling, must be Togetsukyou. By the way, the view of the mountain from here was really great! The red all across the mountain gave a heavy sense of autumn!

"Did you know? It's said that you shouldn't turn back in the middle of crossing Togetsukyou."

Kiryuu said.

"Why is that?" - Asia asked

"Asia, it's like this. If you look back while crossing the bridge, intelligence granted by the heavens will be taken back. If the pervert trio looks back, it will really be over for them. They will become utterly braindead."

"Shut up!"

Matsuda, Motohama and I retorted simultaneously.

Kiryuu was unfazed, and even continued:

"Another legend says that if you look back, lovers will be separated. Hmm, but this one's a bit inauspicious-"

"I will never look back!"

Asia interrupted Kiryuu's explanation, and tearfully grabbed my arm.

"It's okay, Asia, it's just a legend."

Though I comforted her, but Asia shook her head and went "unacceptable", grabbing my arm tighter. So cute! That's my little Asia! Ah - I am so happy!

As we started crossing Togetsukyou, Kiryu pointed forward

"Hey! Who is that?"

Sitting in the edge of the bridge was a person that seemed to be melancholic looking towards the water

"Can he even sit on the bridge like this?" - Motohoma questioned

"Could that be a suicidal?!" - Xenovia asked, such a morbid guess!

But all of a sudden, that person started... to sing?

"Aloooone

At the edge of a universe, humming a tune

For merely dreaming we were snow"

We all stopped on our tracks when we heard the boy's voice

Beautiful!

His voice could only be described like that

"It's amazing..."

"Is he an artist?"

Asia and Irina asked looking with sparkling eyes towards the boy

"A siren sounds like the goddess

Who promisses endless apologies of paradise

And only she can make it right..."

Even just by singing it was as if we could hear the instruments playing around him

Slowly, the crowd of turists also stopped and gathered around to hear the singing

"Is it english? I can't understand it..." - Matsuda complained

"Does it matter? Just shut up and listen!" - Kiryuu scolded him

Since they weren't devils, the three humans of the group didn't had the ability to understand all languages, but I think that even if I couldn't understand his words, this music wouldn't sound any less incredible.

"So things are different tonight..."

The boy stood up at the edge of the bridge, the crowd still watching in awe

"We'll go together in flight!"

He declared while jumping off the bridge!

"Oh my God!"

"What the hell?!"

"Call emergency!"

The crowd screamed and swarmed to look where the boy would have fallen at

Before I realized, my body had moved on it's own and I was charging between the crowd in order to reach the boy

...

But just then... a warm slippery feeling enveloped my entire body.

...What was that, just now...? I thought surprised, and looked around - other than me, Asia, Xenovia, Irina, Kunou and Kiba over there, everyone else had disappeared.

Matsuda, Motohama, Kiryuu and all the other tourists were gone!

What? This is!? What's happened?

The entire group was was as shocked as I was, and we prepared ourselves. Though we surveyed the surroundings, but there were no suspicious characters nearby.

Was it... did that boy did this?

After a while, a strange mist seemed to be floating up from under our feet.

"This mist is..."

Seeing the mist, Asia was very surprised.

"This! When I was taken by Diodora, the device deep in the temple that imprisoned me had this exact kind of mist."

"... Dimension Lost."

Said Kiba as he walked over.

"One of the Longinus, didn't Sensei and Tatseyo mention it? I fear this is..."

Kiba knelt down and tried to touch the mist with his hand. Longinus... That's something just as amazing as Vali and my Sacred Gears.

Something like that was activated here?

"Hey, are you all okay?"

A voice from the sky. Looking up, Azazel-sensei was flying in the sky, flapping his black feathered wings.

He landed where we were, and put away his wings as he spoke.

"Everything except us has disappeared completely. Most likely we were forcefully transferred to an alternate dimension and sealed within it... From the way things look, this is an alternate dimension that is an exact replica of Togetsukyou and its surroundings?"

Really? There were no signs of transfer beforehand. Once I felt that warm feeling it had already turned into this - transferred here.

"So this is made of something like the devils' game field?"

I asked Sensei. I couldn't feel there was anything similar between them.

"Ah yes. The techniques of our three factions were most likely leaked. This place likely applies game field methods. -So, the power of the mist should also be transferred to this replicated territory. Can Dimension Lost's mist transfer anything that it wraps itself around? Tatseyo warned us about this... but to be able to transfer me and Rias' servants all together at once to this place without any warning signs... A Longinus truly is terrifying."

Sensei explained. I see, so this kind of dimension really was an application of the game field technique. Their reproduction of it seemed to be just as good as the devils.

Beside me, Kunou spoke in a trembling voice.

"... These are the people that kidnapped mom, aren't they?"

This phenomenon was... by what Tatseyo told us the person using this should be Georg, one of the Hero Faction's executives

So they have finally come to us...

My ominous premonition seems to have come true.

Over at Togetsukyou, the appearance of several new presences could be felt. From the light mist, figures approached and revealed themselves to us.

"Pleased to meet you for the first time, Governor Azazel and Sekiryuutei."

The one who greeted us was a black-haired youth wearing a school uniform holding a spear.

So this is Cao Cao...

Wrapped around the uniform was something resembling Han Chinese clothing and the spear gave off a most unpleasant feeling, as expected from the True Longinus.

His other executives were also around him, also dressed in strange clothes, they all have an aura much different from everyone else I've seem before.

Sensei stepped forward.

"So we are finally meeting, members of the Hero faction"

The youth in the middle patted the spear on his shoulder as he answered Sensei's question.

"I am Cao Cao, the descendant of the famous Cao Cao, Cao Mengde, recorded in the Records of the Three Kingdoms. But I take it you have already heard about me."

Everyone in the group took a battle stance, ready to jump into combat, but sensei warned us

"Listen well, everyone, be careful of that man's spear, True Longinus. The most powerful Longinus said to be able to pierce through God. I have not seen it for a long time... But to think it has now fallen into the hands of the terrorists."

We all nodded, no matter how many times we had heard of it, seeing the real thing is just... incredible? Terrifying?

"That is the holy spear that the Seraphim of Heaven fear..."

Irina spoke, unable to contain her trembling. Xenovia continued, whispering.

"I also heard about it ever since I was a child. The spear that pierced Jesus. The spear carrying Jesus' blood - The absolute spear which pierced the body of God!"

The overwhelming aura of that weapon could be felt even from here, it exceeds even my expectations of what the ultimate weapon of God would be. The legendary spear that pierced Christ. Come to think of it, this spear is intimately related to the roots of the religion that Irina and Xenovia belong to. To those involved with the church, perhaps it wouldn't be wrong to call it the ultimate existence.

"That is the holy spear..."

Beside me, Asia's gaze seemed to be drawn to the spear as if her consciousness was being sucked out, mesmerised -

Clap.

Sensei quickly covered her eyes with his hands.

"Asia, people of faith should not stare at that spear. They will lose their sanity. After all, it is one of the holy relics amongst the True Cross, the Holy Chalice, the Holy Nails and the Shroud of Turin."

Kunou angrily yelled at the spear-wielding youth - Cao Cao.

"You boy! I have questions for you!"

"Arara, this little princess, what's the problem? If I can, I will try to answer all your questions."

Though Cao Cao sounded calm, he clearly knew something.

"What are you planning to do with my mother?!"

Kunou asked, even after Tatseyo told us about their plans he didn't made clear what they would do after summoning Great Red in Kyoto, could they plotting to kill her after they are done?!

"We wish to have your mother cooperate in our experiment to grant the wish of our benefactor..."

He then shrugged

"After that, what happens to the Kyuubi is their concern"

Hearing that, Kunou bared her fangs, extremely angry. Her eyes glimmered with traces of tears. It looked like she was furious. Not only was her mother taken away, but they seemed to not care at all what was gonna happen to her.

"Benefactor... Is that Ophis? Or..."

Sensei hesitated before shaking his head, but Cao Cao proudly stated

"Haha! Believe me governor Azazel, our current benefactor is someone even Ophis should be afraid of."

He said boastfully, so there is someone dangerous from the Esper Community backing these guys

"Tsk..."

I hear sensei clicking his tongue, likely frustratred that we can't interrogate him anymore than that under the possibility of exposing Tatseyo and Ayumu

"Was that boy in the bridge a trick too?"

I ask and he nods

"Ah, yes. You see, that person doesn't really like you, Sekiryuutei-kun, in fact he blames you for what's about to happen. So if I were you, I'd be careful"

The expression on Cao Cao's face changes, almost as if he's nervous

"... Even I wouldn't mess with this guy"

I frown, who is this person? An esper? And what is about to happen that he blames me for?

Cao Cao then taps the spear on his shoulder

"Anyway, we only came here to invite you all to our little experiment. But why not take this opportunity to also meet with Governor Azazel and the legendary Sekiryuutei?"

...This bastard sure has a way with words.

By the way, am I really that famous? Ah, though I did beat that Old Maou leader during the effects of Juggernaut. Only I don't really remember much about that scene.

Sensei formed a spear of light in his hand.

"Let's keep this simple. Please return the leader of the kyuubi. We are trying hard to join forces with the youkai."

Seeing Sensei prepared for battle, everyone gathered into formation and prepared themselves. I also called out Boosted Gear and started the Balance Breaker countdown. And then, summoned Ascalon -

"Xenovia!"

"Appreciated!"

Xenovia caught Ascalon, and readied her stance.

...By the way, Rossweisse-san wasn't here.

"Sensei, where is Rossweisse-san?"

Sensei made a long sigh at my question.

"That fellow was also transferred here, but she is still sleeping at the restaurant. I placed a strong barrier over her, so it should be fine for now."

S-so that's what happened... T-true, it would be unthinkable for her to battle in her drunken state.

In contrast to our state of alert, the other side made no signs to prepare.

...Are they that confident? Or they have some sort of secret weapon? After all, the Hero faction has gathered many Sacred Gear users. Or maybe there was an esper among them? Damn, at this point I don't even know which would be worse...

Anyway, we can't show any signs of weakness!

-A short boy stood next to Cao Cao. Cao Cao said to him.

"Leonardo, I'll let you handle the devils with your monsters."

Only one request, but the boy remained expressionless, and lightly nodded. -Instantly, shadows appeared from under his feet and rapidly expanded.

...I felt a sensation as if something cold was crawling on my back. How should I put it, a certain fearfulness could be felt from the shadows.

As the shadows grew, it reached the level of covering the entire Togetsukyou. And then they expanded and gradually took form!

Arms, legs, heads, eyeballs, wide gaping jaws, separating - not only one! But ten, no, hundreds!

"Guuuu..."

"Chomp!"

"Gobble!"

With a deafening roar, these monsters appeared out of the shadows! ...Shadows with monsters appearing out of them oh! Rather than appear, perhaps created or "made" was a better description! Monsters with black skin and standing upright on two legs. Their bodies were solidly built with rough and thick hides. They also had very sharp claws and bared their teeth. These monsters formed a line and stood in the forefront.

...What was this, the boy's power was...?

I couldn't help making swallowing sounds in my throat as I was shocked by the boy's power. Sensei spoke softly at this time.

"Annihilation Maker..."

Annihilation...? Maker? Maker meant creation... right?

Cao Cao laughed in response.

"Correct, this child carries one of the Longinus. A different threat compared to my True Longinus, but a most deadly Sacred Gear nonetheless."

Longinus- This kid also owned a Longinus, a Longinus user...eh?

What the heck! Is this a Longinus free market now!? I basically knew nothing about them other than Vali's and my own, Tatseyo and Ayumu also didn't saw this boy's sacred gear so all these new developments are just a real pain...

And then, the countdown finished and I entered Balance Breaker! The red aura enveloped me and formed into armour.

Now I can have a good fight, but...

"S-sensei, I have something I don't understand..."

Completely confused, I asked Sensei. Sensei began to explain.

"Like you, that boy possesses one of the Longinus. Currently, there are thirteen confirmed Longinus - Amongst the Grigori, there are also Longinus possessors. And amongst all these Longinus, the properties of that one over there - in other words, its abilities, are deadlier than Boosted Gear or Divine Dividing."

"S-stronger than me?"

"In terms of pure power, of course your Boosted Gear and Vali's are far ahead. However in terms of abilities... Kiba's Sword Birth can create countless demonic swords, this you can understand, right?"

"Yes, yes."

"Annihilation Maker is the same. It can create countless demonic beasts. For example, those massive fire breathing monsters over 100m tall you see in movies can be recreated by sheer will. The ability to create monsters from imagination. Isn't that a disaster? This ability, depending on the user's capability, can create on the scale of hundreds or even thousands. Like Dimension Lost, this is one of the worst bugs in the Sacred Gear system. Dimension Lost is also extremely dangerous depending on the user. Once the mist reaches the scale of countries, it can transfer an entire country and its people into the dimensional gap to be destroyed."

-! U-unthinkable...!

"No matter which one, aren't they the worst Sacred Gears!"

Sensei could only force a laugh.

"Well, up to now, none of them have reached such levels, there were a few close calls in the past. However, it is unprecedented to have gathered three of the four top tier Longinus - True Longinus, Dimension Lost and Annihilation maker. From birth, these possessors should have been under surveillance by the fallen angels, angels and devils... But twenty years have passed, were we too careless... Or someone deliberately hid them... Compared to the past, almost all current Longinus possessors have been very difficult to find."

Sensei looked towards me.

...So basically, I was also one of those who were successively classified as "dangerous Sacred Gear, kill him" and then "actually it's not" and finally "no, it really is a Longinus!"

Was it related to this? Sensei continued.

"...There must be some kind of cause and effect relationship going on in the current age? It could be said that the first Longinus Sacred Gears were bugs or errors of the system. In turn, these Longinus have their own tumultuous developments beyond our expectations? Though this is just a hopeful but not far-fetched hypothesis... Watching Ise's development, makes one feel like all the current Longinus as a group are undergoing incredible changes... Bugs, errors, no, evolution? No matter what, though it includes me, perhaps those in charge of researching and maintaining the system have been too naive? Michael, Sirzechs."

Sensei seemed to have started an endless dialogue with himself...

But no matter how you look at it, wasn't a Sacred Gear to create monsters truly strange and dangerous? And it was described as more dangerous than my Sacred Gear! That is to say, depending on the user, it can create monsters like dragon kings - Tannin-ossan and Fenrir that monstrous wolf on a mass produced scale! Annihilation! The world will be annihilated!

"Sensei, what weaknesses do these deadly Sacred Gears have?"

If Boosted Gear and Divine Dividing have weaknesses, then surely...?

"Target the user's body - Of course, there are also cases where the body is extremely strong, but it still doesn't compare to the threat of a Sacred Gear. The current Annihilation Maker user is still under a developing phase. If he already mastered it, then they would have been sending demonic beast armies to every faction by now. - The only way to defeat him is to take him out now before he matures."

Cao Cao laughed wryly as he heard Sensei's words.

"Arara, it feels like Annihilation Maker has been figured out. It is as you say, Governor of the Fallen Angels. This child still has not matured his imagination or productivity - except he has focused on one specialty. Monsters that target the opponents' weaknesses - the antimonsters. The current demonic beasts are ones which counter devils."

Cao Cao pointed his finger at a shop in the area.

A monster opened its mouth-

Bzzzzzt!

A beam of light appeared. And in that instant-

Boom...!

The shop was blown away by an intense explosion!

"An attack of light - this fellow is!"

Amidst the strong wind of the explosion, Sensei snarled angrily.

"Cao Cao you bastard! You sent assassins to all the major factions to collect data for the antimonsters!"

"You are half correct. Weren't there black clad members amongst the Sacred Gear we sent out?"

Yes! Those black combatants! Those hateful things which dispersed into mist when hit!

"Those are also monsters created by this child. These things deliberately took on the attacks from the various factions - angels, fallen angels, devils, dragons, and gods from all mythologies. Though they were wiped out, they have gathered plenty of good data for us."

"-Those strange black men were for collecting data!"

"Not only were the number of Balance Breaker users increased, but the development of the antimonsters also advanced. Thanks to that, antimonsters targeting devils, angels and dragons have been created. -At maximum output, the current anti-devil antimonsters can produce light equivalent to a mid class angel."

Collecting data to make antimonsters at the same time as increasing the number of Balance Breakers amongst Sacred Gear users.

...Is he trying to show how well prepared or smart they were? These guys, they are dangerous without bound!

Sensei glared with contempt but immediately began to laugh.

"But Cao Cao, that means you have yet to create god-killing beasts."

"..."

Cao Cao smirked

"Is that what you think?"

Sensei frowned at this reaction

"What do yoou mean?"

Cao Cao shook his head

"You probably think that we don't have access to such beasts because otherwise we'd just send them to all factions to score a decisive victory, right?"

Sensei furrowed his browns

"But you... no, your sponsor doesn't want that, right?"

The spear wielding youth gave a bitter laugh

"Indeed, our benefactor does not desire for that to happen, the reason... I guess they just don't need that."

Sensei laughed again

"The proud descendant of Cao Mengde from the three kingdoms reduced to a puppet for a higher force, don't you think it's a bit shameful?"

Cao Cao didn't reply immediately, he looked bitterly at sensei for a moment

"To reach our goal a power greater than our own is necessary, if that's what it takes, then I'll gladly take a bow. Also..."

He then pointed his spear at us.

"If a god stands in my way, then I will kill it with this spear. Let's go, the battle begins - now!"

This was the declaration of war-!

"Gobble!"

Making terrifying roars, the antimonsters charged at us! Kiba and Xenovia went and stood in the front-lines.

"Kiba, please make me a holy sword."

"Understood. After all, you're more suited to a two sword style."

Kiba quickly created a sword in his hand and aimed it at Xenovia who had already begun to advance.

Catching the holy sword in mid air, Xenovia wielded it along with Ascalon and dived straight into the ranks of the enemies!

Slashed by Xenovia's sweeping attacks, huge numbers of antimonsters were easily vanquished! True to a power type Knight! This penetrative power was unbelievable!

Ah, a monster opened its mouth to release a beam of light-

Bzzzt!

The beam travelled to just before Xenovia, but Kiba deflected it with his holy demonic sword, sending it into a building in the distance, causing it to collapse.

"If it's this level of light, it's fine as long as we don't get hit."

What a cool and handsome Knight! That's right! Possessing god-like speed, there is no problem as long as Kiba doesn't get hit!

"No, let's just kill them all before they hit us."

Slicing and pulverising the monsters with Ascalon and the holy sword, Xenovia answered like that.

Though both were Knights, their battle styles were entirely different! And both their philosophies sounded so right!

"Cao Cao, would you like to be defeated by me?"

Sensei took out the dragon gem - Fafnir's jewel, and then his entire body was wrapped in the golden armour of the artificial Sacred Gear. At the same time, he extended his twelve black wings and rushed at Cao Cao with high speed.

"That would be a great honour! To be able to fight the Fallen Angel Governor recorded in the Bible!"

Cao Cao landed on the shore of the Katsura River, his face smiling fearlessly as he raised the holy spear - The front portion of True Longinus opened to release a golden aura which shaped itself into the blade of a spear!

The instant it opened, it was as if the entire air shook.

...It could only be described as holy and solemn! Just gazing at it made my body feel tense and suffocated! Even for a nonbeliever, the influence of that spear was that strong?

Crash...!

As Sensei's spear of light clashed against Cao Cao's holy spear, violent shockwaves were created! This impact created waves and disturbances in the Katsura River, splashing water everywhere! Water droplets fell upon Togetsukyou like a violent rainstorm.

As Sensei and Cao Cao attacked each other and carried out their battle, they gradually moved downstream along the shore of the river.

I will leave Cao Cao to Sensei, let us take care of the rest!

The first priority was the key to our group battles - setting up the defensive wall for Asia who was responsible for healing. Normally our team had Buchou commanding with Akeno-san supporting her and providing suppressive fire, Koneko-chan providing offense and support, and Gasper in the role of scouting and support. Even long range bombardment from Rossweisse-san was not here.

Sensei was holding Cao Cao back so we can't rely on him right now, and despite Irina providing super powerful offence, the balance of the team has been broken by the absence of those five. We needed a new formation.

Kunou also needed to be protected at all costs. In this place, she was more important than us. She should be placed behind Asia.

Crap, if Tatseyo or Ayumu could help us in this situation they could...

No.

I grip my fist, tight

...Think Issei, think

I can't rely on those two! I want to surpass them! I'll never get stronger if I keep relying on people stronger than me.

Words like "I don't get it" or "I can't do it" are unfitting for a future King!

If I want to be stronger, if I want to protect those I love, then things like this have to come naturally!

If it was Buchou, how will she act? What would she do in a time like this? I'd better think carefully!

At the end of my wits I finally came up with my strategy!

"Xenovia! You will guard Asia and Kunou! Also, use the holy aura to blow away any enemies who get near!"

I gave orders to Xenovia! Even though I wasn't Buchou, but please, Xenovia, listen to me!

"-Acknowledged!"

Oh oh! Xenovia answered me, and quickly retreated to protect Asia!

Think again! What would Buchou do if she were here? Though it was a sudden encounter, this is a real battle! I have to make full use of the second years here!

Spurt! My nose is bleeding from thinking too hard! ...Eh? Nosebleeding, it was possible to have those in situations unrelated to erotic things!

Our opponents have arranged anti-devil antimonsters. No matter how we deflect their attacks, damage would be huge if a hit connects.

Suddenly, Kiba's ability flashed in my mind.

"Kiba! You can make those light-devouring demonic swords, right?"

"Eh? Yes. -I see!"

Kiba quickly understood my question. How impressive, Kiba!

Under Kiba's feet appeared several of those swords of darkness he used against Freed in the battle against Raynare, and he tossed them at his devil teammates!

"These swords have only a hilt in their normal state! You have to channel demonic power into them to form the blade of darkness!"

Kiba supplemented. At the same time, I continued giving orders.

"Xenovia, in times of danger use this as a shield to absorb light. Asia, even though you're not used to swords, hold on to it! It's better than nothing!"

"Got it, Ise!"

"Yes, yes!"

Xenovia and Asia both answered me! Xenovia put the sword hilt into her skirt pocket. She will use it in emergencies!

I held Kiba's sword.

"Hey Ddraig. Let's apply this sword's power to the gauntlet."

[Reckless actions like that could endanger your life... But in this case, it should be fine for a short while. Don't overdo it.]

"That's good enough. I'll plug it into the gauntlet where Ascalon was extracted from!"

I placed the light-devouring sword of darkness into Ascalon's socket! Immediately - something like a dark shadowy shield appeared over the left gauntlet. -It worked!

This should provide a fair degree of defence. Next-!

I turned to Irina.

"Irina! Sorry, but could you take Xenovia's place in the frontlines with Kiba? As an angel, light isn't a weakness for you, right?"

"Though angels can still be hurt by light, but it is not a critical weakness like for devils. -Got it! I-I will go! I am Michael-sama's Ace!"

Irina flapped her pure white wings and flew to Xenovia's former vanguard position.

Summoning swords of light, Irina charged left and right from the air, breaking apart the formation of the antimonsters, and then looked for opportunities to slaughter them in one fell swoop.

...Great! Though the tactics were a little complicated, I have given everyone orders! I haven't wasted my time by Buchou's side watching her command! Next was me! The position between Kiba's group of forwards and Asia's group of defenders - the midfielder position!

"Asia, promote me to Bishop!"

"Yes!"

As I spoke and Asia consented, I became the Bishop! My dismal demonic power limit was raised. The reason I chose the Bishop was to focus on Dragon Shot!

Come taste it! I knew what was well within the abilities of my demonic power, clumsy attacks of pure concentrated magic - in terms of pure power they were not bad at all!

"Let's go! Dragon Shot unleashed!"

Doooo! Doooooonn! Doooo!

As I used the shield of darkness, I bombarded the antimonsters and the Hero faction with a barrage of medium scale masses of demonic power!

Though the members of the Hero faction all dodged, many of the antimonsters were hit by my attacks and destroyed! At the same time, the shield of darkness absorbed the light firing from the enemies! Excellent!

A beam of light aimed at Kunou was also deflected by a dragon missile.

"Kunou! Please step a bit further back!"

"S-sorry."

If the Kyoto princess got hurt, things would be serious. After all, she was just a young girl, it wouldn't do for her to enter the battle.

Xenovia also attacked from the back, using holy sword pulses to snipe at the antimonsters in front.

Suffering Xenovia's and my attacks, the antimonster squad rapidly disappeared.

However, the shadows stirred beneath that kid and created new monsters again and again. Damn it! Was there no end to this? But we cannot give up!

To mass produce these things, there must be a limit to stamina and concentration! But the rate this kid is going is way too fast!

The occasional attack from the antimonsters hit our group but Asia can heal them instantly, so it wasn't a problem.

Yes, Asia was our life line! Really, Asia-chan is too wonderful!

...Only sending antimonsters against us. Up to now, those Hero faction bastards have done nothing other than dodging our attacks. It makes me mad! Are they just going to let the monsters fight and just watch?

-Just as I was thinking that while firing Dragon Shot, a few shadowy figures suddenly advanced towards me! Uniform wearing girls. Were those clothes the uniform of the Hero faction?

"Let us handle the Sekiryuutei!"

Spears - as well as swords flashed with chilling light as they attacked me.

"-Stop. Women cannot win against the Sekiryuutei."

Warned a gentle looking man with white hair and several swords hanging at his waist.

Hmph, that was right. Girls cannot defeat me! I quickly concentrated magic in my brain, this was one of the few types of magic I can manage -

"Breasts, liberate your words! Bilingual!"

I released magic in the direction of the girls, and instantly a mysterious space deployed with me as the centre! This technique was too perfect!

"Come, breasts of the ladies! Let me hear your thoughts!"

The breasts began to speak in a voice that could only be heard by me and Ddraig!

"Use a feint to make a mockery of him and then attack all at once."

Ah, so they are planning on a joint attack.

"I will attack from the right."

This one is from the right!

"I will attack straight."

This one will come at me straight!

Muahaha! Hearing the voices of breasts, I had a feeling of omniscience! Hmph, let me read your breasts well!

"Yo! Ho!"

All their attacks were evaded!

"Impossible! How could he know all our movements!?"

One of the girls was very surprised.

"Impossible, how can we be read! Our joint attacks should have no openings!"

I showed an extremely bored smile towards these surprised girls.

"Of course it's possible! Let me reveal it! Your breasts! Go! Dress Break!"

I yelled out the name of the move! Yes, while I dodged their attacks I had already made contact, with your clothes!

With the sounds of "papaba", their clothes were blown apart most spectacularly!

"I-iyaaaaaaaah!"

"He cast a spell on our clothes... They're all gone!"

The girls screamed as they attempted to hide their naked bodies! Woohoo! Everybody trained well, what golden proportions! Oh, nosebleed... a nosebleed came again...!

Overcome with shame, the girls escaped into a nearby house.

Hmph, as long as the opponent is a girl, neither my hand nor my delusions will rest! Where else could you find such an exhilarating time defeating enemies with these spectacular godly skills! Bilingual and Dress Break are invincible!

"W-what a vulgar technique! I've never seen anything so despicable..."

Kunou was completely shocked by my moves. Described by a little girl that way, I felt a great hit to my self esteem.

"Truly, it is impossible for females to win against the Sekiryuutei. Unless they have an iron will and the ability to ignore shame... It's truly difficult for young women. True to the name of the Chichiryutei, I now witness the legendary breast skills. But these are useless against males."

The elegant gentleman spoke. Even though... it was a calm analysis, it still made me feel embarrassed.

"Who would want to use them on men!?"

I retorted forcefully! The man smiled as if very much amused!

The man smiled and turned to the rest of the Hero faction to speak.

"Everyone be careful. He is the Sekiryuutei. The least talented in all history and lacking in strength - however, he doesn't indulge in power and is a dangerous Sekiryuutei who doesn't lose control. A person who holds great power but does not fall to arrogance is one who has nothing to fear. Do not be careless."

...

Really, this is embarrassing, so much praise.

"...to be described that way by enemies."

Yes, it was the first time to be praised this way by enemies. No, it wasn't really praise, but more like a reminder... Still, it was the first time.

The man tilted his head slightly, hearing my words.

"Is that so? Current Sekiryuutei, in our view, you are far more dangerous than you realise. Similarly, your companion - Vali is the same."

I-it felt like sitting on a pincushion! What is going on, this was the first time! Though Sairaorg-san also praised me, but even for the terrorists to say so...

These fellows who don't look down on me, are especially tricky!

"Next, I guess it's time for me to act."

The man made a step forward, and released his swords from his belt.

"A pleasure to meet you for the first time. Gremory servants. I am Sig, the descendant of the Hero Siegfried. My companions call me Siegfried. What you choose to call me is up to you."

The frail looking gentleman - Siegfried's face, made Xenovia realise something as she showed shock and surprise.

"...I've felt I've seen you before somewhere. It was true after all?"

To Xenovia's question, Irina nodded.

"Yes, it must be. From the multiple demonic swords at his waist, there is no doubt."

...? What was going on? Since he had white hair, I could only be reminded of that person - Freed.

"What's going on, you two? You know something about that handsome guy who's like a White Kiba?"

"White Kiba... That's going a bit far, Ise-san."

Don't say it like that, Kiba. It's just an example.

Xenovia responded to my query.

"That man is an exorcist - a former colleague of Irina's and mine. A top warrior in the Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox Churches. 'Demonic Emperor Sig.' He has the same white hair as Freed because they were trained by the same organization. It seems to be the side effect of some kind of experiment..."

-! Exorcist! Someone related to the Church! By the way, then he's similar to Freed? Thinking of that guy makes me sick.

"Sig-san! You betrayed the Church - betrayed Heaven!?"

Irina screamed. Siegfried's lips curled happily.

"I guess you can call it betrayal. I now belong to the Khaos Brigade, that's why."

Hearing those words, Irina became angry.

"...Why! Betraying the Church and joining an evil organization leads to eternal damnation!"

"...This is making my ears hurt."

Siegfried laughed.

"What's wrong with that? Even in my absense, the Church still has the strongest warrior. As long as that someone stays, the loss of me and the Durandal user Xenovia can be covered. However, who could have expected that person to become the Joker candidate for the Brave Saints? -Anyway, enough of the chitchat, aren't you sword wielders very capable? Xenovia the Durandal user, Shidou Irina the Ace of Michael the leader of the angels, and Kiba Yuuto of the holy demonic sword."

Challenging the swordsmen - no, the three who were related to the Church, Siegfried's sword in his hand began to gather demonic power.

...This sword gave off a very unpleasant pulse. Demonic sword? It felt quite similar to Kiba's created swords.

-! Suddenly, Kiba's holy demonic sword slashed with god-like speed.

Blocking the holy demonic sword directly, there was no damage at all to the unpleasant demonic power gathered upon Siegfried's sword.

"Demonic Emperor Sword Gram. For the strongest demonic sword, a strike from the holy demonic sword was nothing."

The two entered close-quartered combat... It has been quite a while since the last time I witnessed Kiba fighting so intensely with someone!

The two swiftly retreated and readied their stance. Immediately they began clashing violently, creating sparks everywhere.

"...A match for Kiba... No!"

Gradually, Kiba was being suppressed, and a rare serious expression could be seen on Kiba's face! God speed Kiba's movements were - being captured! With movements and slashing attacks faster than the eye could follow, the opponent was still keeping up in a composed and matter-of-fact manner. Can he clearly see through that kind of speed...!

Even when he pretended to attack, none of Kiba's feints were successful in baiting Siegfried!

On the other hand, he used the minimum necessary movement to evade Kiba's attacks. When he thrust the demonic sword in his hand, Kiba had to dodge with his full attention, there was no room for counter-attacking!

...Even Kiba in Balance Breaker was being dominated...!

Crap! Even giving our all we can't hold a candle to these guys? Are we that pitiful?!

One of the Hero faction members explained to the stupefied me.

"In our organisation, though they reside in separate factions, 'Holy Royal Sword' Arthur and 'Demonic Emperor Sword' Siegfried are equally renowned. Holy demonic sword Kiba is not their match."

Equal to that Arthur? That guy, who easily toyed with Fenrir's child! T-then Kiba now-

Though I worried, someone appeared to join in their duel - Xenovia.

Slashing without hesitation from the side, she began to assist Kiba.

"Xenovia!"

"Kiba! You cannot win alone! Even against your wishes, I have to participate!"

"...Uh, thanks!"

At this moment, Kiba set aside his pride as a swordsman, and attacked simultaneously with Xenovia.

"I will join in too!"

From the outskirts, Irina also entered the battle, forming a three on one situation.

Xenovia's dual wielding, Kiba's holy demonic sword, Irina's sword of light, the three of them attacked at once!

It was no longer possible to capture the speeding blade tips with my eyes as the four of them battled with intensity... But even against three opponents, Siegfried only used a single sword!

Kiba's god speed created afterimages as he repeatedly tried to disrupt Siegfried's attacks from blind angles. From above, Xenovia was slashing down with a massive holy sword aura! Furthermore, Irina was gliding through the air rapidly as she thrust her sword of light towards the back of Siegfried's hand!

This simultaneous attack-!

I was certain of victory. However, Siegfried flipped his hand and casually blocked Irina's attack without even turning his head back!

At the same time, he drew another sword from his waist using his free hand.

With a flash of silver - one of Xenovia's downward slashing swords was broken!

That was the holy sword Kiba created! With a fantastic sound like that of glass shattering, it was destroyed!

Siegfried calmly spoke.

"-Balmung. This is the power of one strike from the demonic sword of Norse legends."

-! Another demonic sword! However, Kiba's dead angle attack still hasn't ended! There was an opening and it shouldn't be possible to evade, for both of Siegfried's arms were already wielding demonic swords! With a horizontal flash, Kiba sliced towards his abdomen. In that instant-

Clang...!

The sound of metal.

Kiba's holy demonic sword was just stopped by the demonic sword Siegfried drew out from its sheath!

"Nothung. This is also a legendary demonic sword."

The third demonic sword! No, what was even more surprising was that Siegfried's two arms were already wielding swords, and couldn't possibly hold a third sword. His two arms were occupied.

However, a third arm has grown from his back to draw that sword, blocking Kiba's attack!

...W-what was that arm!? An arm covered by things resembling silver scales. It was almost like my left arm when it became the arm of a dragon's!

This arm grew out from Siegfried's back!

Siegfried laughed at our immense surprise.

"This dragon arm? It's Twice Critical, a very common Sacred Gear but mine is a little different, a subspecies. It grows something like a dragon's arm from my back."

-Twice Critical! I've heard of it! An inferior Sacred Gear ranking below my Boosted Gear? A Sacred Gear that should be in the shape of a gauntlet... A subspecies! Growing an arm out of one's back!

Siegfried held two demonic swords in each hand, with the arm on his back holding a third. ...A three sword stance!

Witnessing this scene, Kiba's expression became even more serious.

"...We are both Sacred Gear users. However, even ignoring the attributes of his swords, am I unable to surpass him even in the use of the Sacred Gear...?"

"By the way, I haven't entered Balance Breaker yet."

- A harsh reminder! Constantly repeating their experiments, members of the Hero faction could not possibly be unable to use their Balance Breakers.

Dominating Kiba, Xenovia and Irina all at once in just his normal state! This guy is too strong!

With a rustling thud.

Sensei landed in front of us who were caught in a crisis. At the same time, Cao Cao returned to the centre of the Hero faction. As their attacks repeated, they circled back to their starting point? I took a glance downstream at where they had come from - the ground has turned into a smoking wasteland!

Waaaaaaaah! From a while back there had been loud crashing noises which made me suspect dramatic occurrences. Arashiyama's scenery has been entirely destroyed!

Sensei knew this was an artificial space, so he mercilessly used his biggest spears of light...

A few spots on Sensei's armour had shattered... The black wings were also in a messy state.

Cao Cao's uniform and Han Chinese attire was also torn in many places... However I find it more amazing that a human did so well against the legendary Fallen Angel Governor! ...Was this the Hero faction... heroes. ...True Longinus...

"Don't worry, Ise. Neither of us went all out. We were just testing each other out a bit."

Sensei's so-called little testing, resulted in the complete destruction of the area downstream!

Cao Cao cracked his neck audibly, and said:

"What a great devil servant team. No wonder that person is interested in you."

Cao Cao said, placing a hand on his chin

"I guess these are the servants of Rias Gremory. We were intending to have a fight without exerting ourselves, but you guys turned out with a great performance. If my theories are correct, the one who gathered this unnaturally strong group is Hyoudou Issei - your power. Despite your lack of natural talent or demonic powers, I believe your ability to attract others by holding dragon powers is topnotch amongst all the past Sekiryuutei."

"..."

I have never considered such things. Everything that has happened so far... was because of me?

"At first I thought it was the power of the dragons that allowed such a thing, but that person seems to believe... if they don't already know, that there is something else about you, something different that allowed you to go this far"

Cao Cao then pointed at me

"That's why I believe our benefactor is interested in you, but see, we are not going to underestimate you like the Old Maou Faction did"

Is that how they saw my, no, our developments? It was true that there was a fundamental difference in the way they treated us, unlike the Old Maou faction who saw us as a bunch of stupid kids.

...Frustrating! How do I handle opponents like these! Up until now, I've only faced opponents who treated me as a fool, thus providing openings...

I could hear sensei questioning Cao Cao from a distance

"One more question. What are the motives of your Hero faction? Why are going along with what a more powerful benefactor asks of you?"

Cao Cao narrowed his eyes

"You may find it unfit of me to be going along with what someone orders. But believe me, Governor of the Fallen Angels, it is incredibly simple, we just want to know the limits of what it means to be 'human' and challenge it."

The leader of the Hero Faction looked at his spear with what I could tell was a somber expression

"When I met that person... everything I believed about humanity was blow out of the window. Such immense power... compared to them, this spear could as well be a toothpick. Me, you, the Sekiryuutei, if they so desired all of our lives would be finished in an instant"

I felt a shiver on my spine as I heard this, who is this terrifying person that the user of the True Longinus seems to be scared of?

"If I can push this feble human existence of mine into something that resembles even a shadow of that person, I'd be more than happy. Furthermore, they told me that as long as I go along with their plan, they'll help us to fight the inhumans, the evil existences. And isn't that what being a hero means? Humans will be the ones to defeat devils, dragons, fallen angels and other supernatural races. - Definitely, it is humans who will win."

"You want to be heroes? After all, you are the descendants of, cough, heroes."

Cao Cao raised an index finger and pointed to the sky above his head.

"-This is just a little challenge presented by frail humans. Under the heavens, how far can humans go, that is what we wish to try."

Sensei sighed and said to me.

"...Ise, do not be too careless. This guy is an enemy worse than the Old Maou faction - Shalba Beelzebub. All your opponents here are very strong, especially this guy who is just as dangerous as Vali."

The same as Vali... Vali also gave off this feeling of having no bottom line.

Possessing the ultimate holy spear was also quite a threat...

As Sensei gathered our group, the Hero faction has also shifted their formation. All this time, they have endlessly created more antimonsters. It really seemed limitless. Also, the Hero faction held back without attacking.

However, our opponents seemed to be ready. -It looks like the second wave will be the real battle. They have more Sacred Gear users, right? And there were also many who could enter Balance Breaker.

I keep getting swept into these crises. Will that goddess show up to save me again? No, it's not right, I sure don't want to receive direct protection from the great God of Breasts...

Just as I was thinking-

Clap.

Right in between us and the Hero faction, a shining magic circle appeared... A crest never seen before.

"-This is."

Sensei seemed to know. Who? A fallen angel? As we watched with surprise at the light before us - an extremely cute foreign girl appeared, dressed like a mage.

"Le Fay?!"

Arthur's sister suddenly appeared out of nowhere in this dimension! What is she doing here?

Azazel sensei looked at the girl with a curious glance

"So you are Le Fay. Like that legendary witch, Morgana Le Fay? It has been said that Morgana and the hero king, Arthur Pendragon were blood related..."

"Hi Oppai dragon-san! Rias Gremory's servants! It's good to see you all again!"

The Hero Faction side was also shocked and puzzling over the matter, very much troubled... Finally, it was Cao Cao who scratched his head and asked.

"So it's Vali's team, what's the matter?"

Without any hesistation, Le Fay responded to Cao Cao in all smiles.

"Yes! I came to bring a message from Vali-sama! 'I thought I told you not to disturb me!' - that's the message oh -You need to be punished for trying to put us under surveillance~~"

Crash...!

But befere he could finish, following Le Fay's adorable announcement, the ground began to shake violently!

What was this shaking! An earthquake? It was already hard to keep standing! Asia and Kunou were unable to maintain their balance and fell onto their bottoms.

Crack!

It was the sound of something sliced open! Looking towards there, the ground had swollen up, as if something huge was about to burst through! Tearing the ground apart and creating clouds of dust, what appeared was-!

"Guuuuuuuuuuutz!"

A massive giant-like thing was roaring!

What what what what what what what what what was that thing! That huge... enormous thing like a giant!? Stone? Rock? It wasn't clear what kind of material but it was definitely constructed out of inorganic material. Its arms and legs were also huge!

At least ten metres! Sensei looked up to the giant and yelled!

"-It's Gogmagog!"

Le Fay answered Sensei lightly.

"Yes. This is one of the strong characters in our team, Gogmagog or Gogz-kun "

Gogz-kun , there's such a cute nickname!?

"Sensei, that moving rock giant is..."

Sensei explained to me. Sorry Sensei, I keep needing clarifications from you today!

"Gogmagog. Something like a gargoyle that was placed in the dimensional gap. Floating in a state of suspension in the dimensional gap. It seems to be a mass produced weapon of destruction created by ancient forgoten gods... They should all have been deactivated by now."

A golem! I see! So that's why it felt so inorganic!

"That kind of thing exists in the dimensional gap!? Wait, did you say deactivated? Then why is that guy moving?!"

"Ah, this is the first moving one I have encountered, I have too many questions. Though it was said that they were deactivated and placed in the dimensional gap... But to be moving! This makes me so interested...!"

Oh no, it's here again, Sensei's eyes were shining like a child's... Sensei keeps getting delighted by things like divine creations, ancient weapons and such stuff.

However, he immediatly recovered and started muttering to himself.

"I see. Last time what Vali was checking out when hanging around the dimensional gap was not just Great Red..."

Le Fay answered Sensei's concerns.

"Yes, it was Vali-sama who detected Gogz-kun's existence. Ophis-sama once mentioned discovering this giant that could move in the dimensional gap, so we went there again to search for it."

Vali! What's the problem with that guy?! He keeps gathering all these criminals and forbidden existences on his team!

"But Sensei. If Great Red is there, why would the dimensional gap have that kind of giant?"

"The dimensional gap is quite troublesome to handle, but there is actually quite a bit of leeway. All Great Red wants to do is swim around freely in the dimensional gap, and does not pose any real threat. He is a special existence so none of the factions place Great Red in their rankings and categories. All he cares is to swim freely unhindered in the dimensional gap..."

Just as Sensei spoke to this point, the golem raised its giant fists at the Hero faction.

Roar!

Accompanied by an incomparably loud sound of smashing, the golem smashed Togetsukyou in one hit!

The golem's attack slaughtered massive numbers of antimonsters while the members of the Hero faction retreated, hiding on the other side of the river.

"Hahahaha! The Hakuryuukou is really angry, huh?!"

Cao Cao jumped out of the way and just after the huge golem's punch had demolished part of the bridge, the scenario started to twist into a strange form

Georg made a painful expression

"Ugh... Cao Cao-sama, someone's hijacking the dimension... I think that he is here"

I frowned at his remark, who is "he"?

[Good job Cao Cao, it seems you did not waste our time after all]

A voice echoed around the dimension, that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time

Suddenly, the sky started to change, the famous sight of Arashiyama began to twist into something that was completely surreal, what the hell is this place?

"Cao Cao! What are you doing?!"

Sensei asked and the spear wielding youth smiled

"I'm sorry governor... but it seems that our time together is over"

The sky started to distort as if the painting was shaking

"Wo-woah! What the hell?"

I exclaim, looking at a sudden distortion that appeared mid-air and slowly took the shape of a human

T-that person!

"It's the singing suicidal boy!"

Xenovia exclaimed, what kind of nickname is that?!

"Who is this kid?"

Sensei pointed at the figure that emerged from the... sky? Canvas? Painting?

I don't know! He just came out of a hole that seemed to open up on the weird sky of whatever dimension we ended up in now!

"H-he was singing at the bridge before we were teleported here and then... he jumped? I almost forgot about that"

"What? He jumped off the bridge?"

I nodded, who was this fella anyway?

That person was strangely... handsome? Pretty? His appearance is very androgynous.

Despite having long, ocean blue hair, their loose clothes didn't indicate much of a chest... though Koneko-chan barely has it too.

They have long eyelashes... but so does Kiba...

Ah, who is this guy anyway?!

As if answering my question, Cao Cao screamed from the other side of the bridge

"Caretaker, sir, is everything according to plan?"

The mysterious boy turned to him

"You did well Cao Cao, my muse is pleased... although you did take way too long and the fallen governor still stands"

His voice while talking to Cao Cao was smooth yet surprisingly commanding

"You did not get distracted playing around and forgot your true mission here, did you?"

Cao Cao gulped down and I could almost see his body jolt in fear

"I-I'm sorry..."

He apologized?! Also, did Cao Cao just called him 'sir'?

"Regardless..."

The strange boy turned towards Le Fay

"I have business with you."

The blonde witch girl pointed at herself

"M-Me? I don't even know you, who-"

Before she could finish the boy suddenly disappeared

"You... and your boss"

He reappered standing upwards right on the edge of Le Fay's broom!

"Kyah!?"

The magician girl yelped in surprise

"Vali got to deliver his message to Cao Cao, then I also have a message for the white dragon"

He places a white envelope on Le Fay's hands

"Be sure to deliver it to the white dragon"

The blonde witch looks down at her hands

"W-what's this?"

He puts his hand over the envelope again

"It's for his eyes only, so be sure to not open it before he does."

Hearing the boy speak about Vali, Azazel pointed his spear

"You! What is your relation with Vali?"

The boy looked down at us, seemingly displeased

"You, governor, I'll speak with you in a minute, just hold on for a while"

Sensei is taken aback from this

"T-this kid!"

Azazel sensei props his black wings and flies towards him

"Didn't you hear me? I'll deal with you later."

The boy pointed down and suddenly sensei fell down!

How?! How did this happen!

"Believe me darling

The stars were made for falling~"

The boy sung with a smirk, as if mocking sensei

There was no attack, it didn't seem like anything had hit him!

"What the hell was that?!"

I shout, rushing to help sensei

Kiba also hurries over and helps me lift sensei up

"Where did that come from?!"

Xenovia shouts and sensei clicks his tongue

"I think I do know what this is..."

The boy looks at Le Fay and swings his arm around

"Now if you don't mind, I'll be taking... this"

Without warning, the water beneath Gogmagog began to swirl and engulf the huge giant, who despite that did nothing to escape or fight back, thinking of that, the mass produced monsters have also stopped moving completely, did Leonardo somehow made them stop was it this guy's influence?

"Gogz-kun!"

Le Fay screamed to no avail as the stone giant disappeared, the blue haired boy then turned to sensei

"And... this"

One of the jewels in sensei's armour was pulled out

"Hey!"

Sensei shouted and threw a light spear at the boy

"Not in here"

He just moved his hand and the spear turned into a liquid and fell down to the ground!

The jewel flew from sensei's armor to the boy's hands and he seemed to admire it for a moment

"Condensed power from the Gigantis Dragon..."

It then suddenly disappeared from his hands and he shrugged

"Even such a thing is minuscule when compared to the glory of my muse"

The boy then turned his head to look in the direction of the Hero Faction

"Your job here is done"

And then turned to glare at us once more

"This is now my performance"

Cao Cao nodded his head

"Understood, then we'll be taking our leave"

Wait? What!?

"Hey, where do you guys think you are going?! This isn't over!"

I shout in his direction, but Cao Cao just points his spear at us and declares

"You are correct, tonight, under Kyoto's moon, we will use the city's special leylines and the kyuubi leader to turn Nijou Castle into a great massive experiment! In order to stop us, please come and participate!"

He declared while mist surrounded the group and they disappeared without a trace

The mist surrounding us was gone too, but we were still stuck in the strange dimension

Now that I'm paying more attention, this place looks a bit like Van Gogh's Starry Night, but a more twisted version... and it's moving, just trying to keep up with it makes me feel dizzy.

"Why did you take Gogz-kun? And what even is in this letter?!"

Le Fay asks with an angry pout, the boy looks up, uninteresed

"You're still here? Didn't I tell you to go deliver the message?"

He waves his hand

"Stop wasting my time and go, you're not useful to me here"

The space around Le Fay starts to twist

"H-hey! What's happening?!"

Le Fay screams as the sky itself seems to engulf her and she disappears

"You! What have you done to Le Fay?!"

The boy sighs

"Don't worry, that girl is not dead, she's just... out"

He says and starts walking towards us

The boy started to approach, our entire group promptly surrounded Kunou and prepared to fight, which caused to boy to wave his hand

"Calm yourselves, I'm not here to fight"

He stated, his voice calm and soothing

"Then what the hell are you here for?!"

I ask, the boy looks at me, head to toe with an indifferent expression, but the pressure coming from him tells a different story

The mere look in his eyes sends shivers down my spine

I remember being able to compare Sairaorg-san's and Vali's fighting spirit, those two had no malice, only sheer fighting spirit

This boy is exactly the opposite

No fighting spirit, only pure killing intent, he doesn't seem interested in battle at all, he'd likely kill us at the slightest movement

"So you are the one responsible for all of this mess..."

He says, I can only look back at him, confused

"M-me? What did I even do?"

Sensei puts his hand in front of me

"Watch out, Issei... this guy is an esper"

Azazel-sensei answers, pointing a light spear towards him

E-e-esper?!

"This guy?! He's like Tatseyo?!"

He looks at Azazel sensei with a broad smile

"Correct, I believe he has warned about me?"

But sensei shook his head

"Well, he didn't say anything about you, but he did mention a girl... Kuriko"

When sensei said this name, the expression on the boy's face changed completely

His stoic expression turned into a broad smile and he began to laugh

"Hahahahaha! Of course! He would definitely talk about my muse first!"

I felt myself shiver at his reaction, suddenly the aura around this guy turned to outright frightening

"So... you must know that we already know"

Sensei nods

"He warned me... so this girl can read minds and see the future, right?"

Everyone in the group looks at sensei, Tatseyo didn't told us anything about this! What is going on?!

"S-sensei, what do you mean?"

I hear Kiba sigh

"It means that this guy... he must already know about that"

The boy shakes his head

"Those Hero Faction simpletons aren't here anymore, you know? You can just go ahead and say it"

He shrugs

"Tatseyo was never on their side, he's just pretending while feeding you info untill he can betray them in Nijo castle"

T-that much?! They already know about everything!

Sensei then frowns

"But you haven't told them yet..."

The blue haired boy nods

"And why do you think is the reason for that?"

Sensei seems to be thinking for a moment, before he smiles to himself

"Heh... the Hero Faction thinks they are on your side... but that's not truth, is it?"

That intensely creepy smile returns to the boy's face and once again he laughs in a derranged manner

"Hahahaha! Close, fallen angel! Almost there! But the truth is that we are on Cao Cao's side... and your side... and Tatseyo's side"

Sensei frowns

"What does that mean?" - I ask

The boy tilts his head

"Did you understand? Fallen angel governor?"

Sensei now has an annoyed expression

"This is your own experiment... isn't it? Cao Cao, Tatseyo, us... there's something more to this, isn't it? Something you're not telling us"

The boy tilts his head

"Uhm, so you still haven't realized? That's a disappointment, are you really worthy of being kept around I wonder?"

"Kept around?" - I ask

"What do you mean by that?" - Xenovia questions, irritated

The smirk on sensei's face disappears as he looks back at us

"Issei... this guy, he and the girl Tatseyo warned me about were the ones that killed the Nurarihyon"

?!

"This guy?!"

Everyone in the group looks at him, the boy slowly claps

"Right again, good work, Mr. governor."

He says it like it's nothing! This guy... he's even worse than Cao Cao!

"Unforgivable!" - Xenovia shouts

"You'll pay for this sin!" - Irina declares

"Nurarihyon-dono... even if we were rivals..." - I hear Kunou say with a teary voice

I feel the anger rising inside of me and raise my fist towards him

"You! Why did you killed him?!"

The boy looks at me, his expression turning dull

"What makes you think I'd answer any of your questions?"

"W-what?"

"You heard me, I'm not here to satisfy your curiosity. As far as I'm concerned..."

The boy's gaze sharpens, and I can feel his killing intent being directed at me.

"All of this is your fault"

I gulp down, the pressure coming from him is crazy! It's almost like I could drown on it

By instinct, I raise my guard and everyone on the group raises their weapons, ready for an attack

But before we can do anything else, sensei extends his hand, signalling us to stop

"None of you move!"

"Huh?"

We stop on our tracks and sensei says with a nervous expression

"No one here, tries to attack this guy"

The boy nods

"Wise decision governor..."

The boy smiles

"After all... if I had come here to fight you would all be dead already"

I frown at his statement

"Then what are you here for?!" - I ask

Without saying anything, he stretches his hand towards me and I can see a faint glow starting to shine on it

"To bring you a gift"

"W-what is this?"

Despite my fear, I also start feeling a... a familiar sensation?

"Nothing that didn't already belong to you."

The bright light pulses into the boy's hand and Ddraig shouts.

[Partner! That light! It's your potential!]

My eyes go wide when I realize what Ddraig said

I-it really is! The thing that flew out of the box that Elsha-san gave me! It's in that boy's hands!

Sensei turns to me, looking as surprised as I am

"Issei, is that true?"

I can only nod amidst my confusion

"Y-you! Why did you stole my potential?"

The boy raises an eyebrow

"Steal? This was flying around Kyoto when my muse picked it up, you should really be more careful with your things. Who knows what it could have happened if this thing had run rampant through the city."

D-did I just got scolded by this guy?! I mean it's true that it escaped from me at the train... m-maybe this really is my fault?!

"What are you planing to do with it?" - Sensei asked

The boy tilted his head

"Didn't I just told you that I'm giving it back to him?"

I furrowed my eyebrows confused

"T-that's it? You are just giving it back to me?"

The boy nodded

"Yes, here, it's all yours"

The orb of light started to float away from his hand and in my direction, as it got closer, the jewel on my gauntlet began to shine even brighter

I extended my hand and the light was immediately absorbed by my gauntlet!

"D-did I get it?"

I don't feel particularly different, but Ddraig reassured me

[You absorbed your potential partner, though it's yet to be awakened]

I nod, so I still need to awaken my potential... of course it wouldn't be that easy

"You really absorbed it without question..."

I look up and the boy is staring at me with a confused expression, the first time he showed any surprise in front of us

"W-what happened? I wasn't supposed to?"

I ask confused

"Ku-kuhu-hahahahaha!"

The boy suddenly starts to laugh

"Like my muse said, you are indeed naive to a fault, aren't you?"

Xenovia frowns at this remark

"What have you done to Issei?"

"Issei-san, are you okay?" - Asia asks

"Y-yeah, I'm feeling alright, what about you Ddraig?"

[Hmm... I don't feel anything too different, but this boy... you did something, didn't you?]

He shrugs, suppressing his laughter

"You really a stupid individual whose main power comes from his perversion don't you?"

"Hey!"

Okay, now I'm definitely being insulted! But the boy continues

"Has it occurred to you that we had that thing ever since before you stepped out of the train station?"

"W-what?"

I take a step back

Oh crap, maybe I really shouldn't have taken it so brazenly?

"What did you do to me?! Is my potential alright?"

The boy shakes his head

"Your potential is as great as it always was... actually, it's greater than before"

I frown at his answer

"Greater...?"

He shrugs

"A hidden sea buried deep, we just used my bliss in order to enhance the connection you have"

"Again with that, what connection are you talking about?!"

I ask him, the boy turns to me with an annoyed expression

"You still haven't noticed? You really are as sharp as a marble, aren't you?"

He raises his arms and the canvas-like sky began to shine in a gorgeous way

"A relationship with the sublime! The beautiful bliss both of us are connected to"

He puts his arms down and looks at me

"When my muse told me you were the only other person on earth blessed with this gift, I couldn't wrap my head around it, I'm an artist and you are... well, you."

"Hey!"

I yell out, why does it feel like I'm being insulted here?!

"Anyway, no matter how much I despise this situation, I think I might understand the reason why we were both chosen, or maybe I don't, after all..."

He looks up to the painting-like sky

"The sublime is disappointingly elusive"

A somewhat sad expression appears on his face

As I considered the next step, a figure entered my view on the shore. In front of us, there was someone shaking and staggering, unable to walk properly.

"...Hey. Itsh sssooo noisshy people can't ssssleep (hic!) properly here!"

Rossweisse-san!

-Still drunk!? And angry!

The boy looks away from the sky almost as if pulled out of a trance by Rossweisse-san's drunken screams and narrows his eyes

"Why is this valkyrie drunk?"

He states, wait, he already knew Rossweisse-san too? How far do these people know us?

Seeing the boy that's staring right at her, she shouts back

"Whatssh the matter? You want a fight? Sho! I'll ssshhhow y'all the power of old man Odin's former bodyguard valkyrie!"

As Rossweisse-san yelled, an unbelievable number of magic circles appeared all around her. It wasn't just ten or twenty! There were dozens of different magic circles all around!

"Tassste my Norssssh magic which countersssss all attributessss, all fairiessss, and all divine exisssstencessss!"

The magic circles shine with a dangerous glow and magical attacks with all kinds of differents attributes are sent forward

W-woah! This was unbelievable! Fire, light, water, thunder and magical attacks with all sorts of attributes swept everything aside, and approached the blue haired boy!

I don't care who you are, if something like this hits you, it's bound to leave at least some damage

However, he doesn't seem to care in the slightest

"I can't let you ruin my beautiful work"

*Clap*

"W-what?!"

The boy smacks his hands together and all of Rossweisse-san's attacks disappear!

All the magic circles seem to have been cancelled and the magic attacks that looked powerful enough to obliterate this entire place disappeared like they were smoke!

"H-how did you do this?!"

I asked, by my side I could see that sensei and everyone else in the group was nervous at this tremendous demonstration

"The key for the answers you seek are within yourself"

He places a hand on his chin

"If my muse is correct and you are indeed like me, you'll find them"

I grit my teeth at his answer

"I am nothing like you!"

I retort, angered by his remark, but the boy simply stared back with a blank expression

"Then you will die."

He answers me in a cold and crude manner that sends shivers down my body and I find myself unable to answer.

"And I'll be back to being the only one."

He turns his back to us

"I'd love to not have to share this connection with you. But my muse is never wrong, if she believes you are the right person to cause this bliss to awaken then I have no doubt this is what you will do."

The boy starts to walk away

"Hold up?! What the hell do you mean by bliss? Why do I have to awaken it?! Wait!"

I shout and fly in his direction, I can't let this guy get away

"Do you really think this will work?"

I attempted to hit him, but suddenly, Asia and Xenovia appeared in front of me?!

"WATCH OUT!"

I yell, Xenovia jumps in front of Asia to protect her before I finally crash on them

"Ouch!"

"Kyah!"

We two shout while dropping to the ground

W-what the hell even happened?!

"Are you two okay?"

I ask

"Y-yes, thanks Ise"

Teleportation? What the hell was that?!

But before I have time to think about what just happened, the boy walks up to me and I feel his hand around my neck

"Before I leave, there's one thing I want you to understand"

My armour suddenly disappears and I can feel his grip directly around my neck

"Issei!"

I hear my friends scream, but the boy raises a hand and they find themselves being sucked into the ground

"A-ahhh! What is this?!"

The boy looks me deep in the eyes and I feel as if death might come at any moment

"All of that will happen, this is all your fault. And I can't wait to see the face you make when it all crumbles onto you"

He lets me go and I fall to the ground, gasping for air

As he leaves, sensei clicks his tongue and yells towards the boy

"You! What is going to happen to the people in the bridge who heard you singing?"

The boy shakes his head

"They aren't going to remember a thing, in the end, all things disappear"

The space around him distorts and the scenario around us starts to melt like wet paint.

"Like a distant, fadding, burning memory"

He says before finally disappearing for good.

In the blink of an eye, the scenario fadded away - and we were back at the crowded streets next to Togetsukyou. Other than us, the tourists crossed the bridge as if nothing had happened.

...The bridge was intact. Things were back to the original world.

"Hey, Ise, what's going on? You're making a super-scary face?"

Matsuda stared at my face. I-I see. We had just crossed Togetsukyou.

"...Nothing, nothing at all."

Having answered, I exhaled deeply. All the other servants had serious expressions as well. The battle just now had been far too dangerous. It was impossible to revert our moods so easily.

Crash!

Sensei angrily struck an electrical pole.

"...Shit! Shit! Shit! The situation is somehow worse than Tatseyo said!"

Wow... Sensei was really mad! I haven't seen him this angry for a long time.

"...Mother. Mother and Nurarihyon-dono didn't do anything... but why..."

Kunou's body trembled. I could only stroke her head, unable to do anything else.

Cao Cao's sudden attack, and his announcement of the experiment at Nijou castle.

The Caretaker's appearance and he doing something to my potential, along with all the weird talk about this bliss

Sensei looks at us with a deep frown on his face

Buchou, looks like our school trip has come to a totally unexpected climax.

Part 4

[UNDISCLOSED LOCATION]

"My muse, I have returned"

The Caretaker, spoke as he kneeled next to Kuriko

"Welcome back, Kouta... and it seems your mission was sucessful"

Kuriko said, glancing at the gargantuan stone golem by his side

The pink haired girl stood up from her chair and traced her fingers across the rock-like surface of the giant

"I can't understand what you are thinking... you really are a machine after all. But in the end, even we have one thing in common"

She looked up to the golem's face

"We both have been abandoned... weapons without a purpose..."

When Kuriko said this, the stone giant finally moved, looking down at her as if it had been activated by her words

Kuriko smiled

"So you do understand me."

She turned around to look at a large screen in the room where she was standing

"Sealing you and your comrades in the Dimensional Gap, cutting up Vritra's soul into pieces and distributing in several sacred gears... the God of the Bible was awfully cruel, was he not?"

Her eyes came to rest upon the images of several ancient tablets from different civilizations all written in different languages

"I wonder if he ever considered how we would feel..."

A bitter expression appeared on Kuriko's face

"I wonder if the gods ever really think about how we feel"

With a hand swap Kuriko changed the image on screen

"But things will change..."

Kuriko placed a hand on the Caretaker's head and played with his hair

"I believe the Sekiryuutei received well our little gift?"

The blue haired boy nodded

"My muse... are you sure he's the best one to deliver the awakening? I have the bliss as well, if we-"

Kuriko raised a hand and the boy immediately went quiet

"No, it has to be him."

Kuriko stroke carefully his cheek

"I know how you feel Kouta, about the Sekiryuutei, about what will happen, but you need to understand that the connection he has reached is essential for this. It has to be him"

The Caretaker nodded

"All of this... if it wasn't for him..."

Kuriko shook her head

"If it wasn't happening now, it would occur eventually and perhaps you and I would not be here to stop it. I know if it's difficult for you, it's not easy for me either, but understand that this is a blessing. This is what we were made for"

The Caretaker did not answer, but the look in his eyes was all Kuriko needed to understand.

"I know... but in the end, it has to be done."

She gave a light tap to his cheek and smiled

"Now cheer up Kouta, this was a victory! We are going to save this world! And in the process..."

Turning away from him, Kuriko placed a hand on the stone giant's leg as if trying to comfort the creature.

"I might not be able to bring back the one who created you, but the one who created us..."

Kuriko smiled

"Never really left"

Afterword: Thanks for reading, hope you liked the confrotation between Issei and the Caretaker.

Now to the readers questions:

1) Damn, honestly thinking about it now I can't believe I have never talked about the inspiration for this story. I think no one ever saw this coming, but the first spark that planted the idea for this story was a fanart of Mob as a devil.

Yes, that's it, a fanart.

When I saw this art (unfortunately I do not remember the artist's name, if you know please tell me) I thought: "Hey, Mob has exorcism powers and one of the first antagonists in DxD was an exorcist, how cool would it be if there was a crossover between these series?" So yeah, the whole concept of an Esper in DxD was first born from that time I saw a fanart of Mob as a devil.

2) I posted the first chapter in november of 2018 but began the drafts months earlier. I believe I had the first 10 chapters already drafted before I posted them, but even so I did not post them all at once because I seriously edited them. In the first versions Ayumu was not a childhood friend, but a rogue middle scholer who couldn't control her powers and was taken by Tatseyo as an apprentice. Liliana was named Lilly and would be the real secret antagonist who would stab Tatseyo in the back well later in the series, Tatseyo went through multiple different names and personalities, at first instead of being iophobic he was a germophobe who refused to even touch inhumans because they were "impure", in others he had a seal that neutralized his emotions if they got too strong, in another one he was addicted to a drug that made him feel absolutely nothing, which he needed to control his powers, he would also face the ORC way earlier in the story, almost killing Akeno in their first duel. That is all to say that even though I have an skeleton for the story A LOT of things change before I actually post them, I have the direction and crucial plot points solid, but the way things get there I come up as I write.

3) I can't really say from exactly where I take inspiration because I believe that every work of fiction I read or watch influences me somehow. Jojo, Baki, To Aru, Akira, Taimanin, Medaka Box, Kill La Kill, Gurren Laggann and even non-anime works like Invincible, Avengers and Supernatural helped me to craft this fanfic one way or another. Even SCP lore and some youtube analog horror series heavily influenced me like Local 58 and the Mandela Catalogue.

4) Like I said before, a lot of things changed, but I believe for the better. Sometimes I receive a suggestion that really helps me create a plot point or even solve a situation that I've been planing to do way later into the fic.

5) I think the novel you are refering to is the To Aru series?