High School DxD - Re:Incarnation of Malevolence

by LoneTaker

In one corner of the infinitely-vast universe, there lies an unfinished story of a first-year high school student burdened with the powers of the seven of the most evil creatures of yore. Now it is rewritten anew, as the shadows of both past and future begin waiting in this thorny road of self-actualization. (adopted from dvdryms' original story canceled in 24th of January, 2024)

6. Ride 5: Re:View

Ride 5: Re:View

---

It felt soft.

It felt firm.

It felt moist.

That last sensation causes Takeshi to snap open his heavy eyelids, now introduced into a world without light.

"... Where the fuck am I?" he grunted as the teen got up to his feet, still feeling the squishiness below, causing him to look down. "And what am I stepping on-FUCK!"

It was a pale face frozen in its death mask, causing Takeshi to recoil back in horror and fall onto the ground, still feeling the uncomfortably soft sensation, right down to his hands registering the dampness of the floor.

"... Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck," he grimaced as he now looks down where he was standing at a bit closer, and found that the whole ground was literally made of dead bodies.

He begins to chuckle deliriously, unable to wrap his head around the grotesque imagery of which he found himself at.

"Okay... standing on... Castlevania's Legion..." he nervously chuckled to himself as reality set in. "... Am I in Hell?"

*RUMBLE*

Then the whole floor begins to oscillate like an ocean's wave.

From the corner of his eye, Takeshi then saw a bulge of corpses rising out from the cadaver-strewn world, and emerged a giant creature akin to a Dragon covered in ash-black scales that were jagged and ridged like sawtooth, slithering upwards with its serpentine body around twenty-meters long in length adorned with two pairs of limbs to walk with and two pairs of wings that looked like ragged sails too worn to even lift this creature up into the air, and waiting at both tips of its long body were a prehensile set of grabber claws akin to one where it can be found in a crane game, and its head was a arrowhead-like visage, hissing its forked tongue as both miasma and corrosive fluids seeped from its maw.

Takeshi's instincts flared up, warning him that this creature was dangerous.

"... Hell?" The monster snickered as its tail plunged into the pile of bodies it resided in, pulling out a pack of corpses where an Arachne, a Gargoyle, a Lamia, and a Dark Elf could be seen sticking out of the mosh pile. "... Trust me, whelp. The Helvíti you perceive is nothing compared to my home."

Takeshi then sees the Dragon engorging on the ball of corpses as if it were tackling a hamburger, messily stuffing it into its maw like how a snake devours its prey whole. Juices of the composite bodily fluids sprayed onto Takeshi's face, causing him to cover himself out of his instinct's natural reaction to disgust.

"Hmm... a little too fresh for my tastes," the Dragon scoffed before spitting out a bone. "... Should've let it sit for a while to ferment."

"Hey, not to be 'that guy,' but I... have several questions," Takeshi spoke, catching the monster's attention, as evident by its violet-red eyes locked onto him unflinchingly.

"... Ask away," it replied. "... Might as well get to know me now that we're stuck with each other indefinitely."

Takeshi sighs, releasing his bundled stress to compose himself to ask his questions.

"... First, who are you?" asked Takeshi.

The Dragon snickers. "I am Nidhogg," it answered. "Also known as the 'Abyss Rage Dragon', 'Extrajudicial Death Dragon', 'Eater of Yggdrasil's Roots', 'Wyrm Waiting at the World's End', 'Dweller of the Refuse Pit', and 'Primordial Parasite'. ... Flattering, I know."

Takeshi then looks at the corpse-ridden world and makes the connection from there, right down to Nidhogg's initial claim of this place being worse than contemporary definitions of what is considered "Hell."

"... So am I in a Nordic version of the Underworld or something?" he asked.

"Close enough," the Dragon then moved around Takeshi, circling him like a predator sizing its prey, completely surrounding him with his length. "... Welcome to Náströnd, Helheim, whelp. This is where all oath-breakers and traitors are sent to rot. Or at least, a recreation of my own home within my prison."

Takeshi then looks down onto his waist. "... Prison?!"

"Ah, a quick learner," nodded Nidhogg. "... Good. Perhaps you're one of those who'll last longer than my previous occupants."

"And we're already moving onto implied death threats..." sighed Takeshi. "... Tell me, why did you try to kill my friends?"

"Why not?" replied Nidhogg, his malice foremost and present in its tone. "... Better to let power go to your head and wreak havoc than to rot away after accomplishing nothing. And frankly, 'friends'? That's overly generous for a group of people you've only met a short while ago."

Takeshi tried to protest, but the whole world around them began to distort itself before he could refute.

"... Visiting hours are over," the Dragon scoffed in disappointment. "... Not that it matters. We'll have plenty of time to talk soon after."

Takeshi then felt as if he was being ejected from this world where Nidhogg called home.

"... Wake up, Ryuugamine," mocked Nidhogg as he saw Takeshi off as if the latter was being abducted by aliens. "Wake up... and smell the ashes-"

---

17th of March, 2019 AD

---

YOU CAN COUNT THE MEDALS: ONE, TWO AND THREE!

LIFE GOES ON ANYTHING GOES COMING UP OOO!

Takeshi then found himself scrambling out of his bedsheets before hitting his head on the floor.

"Oww..." he grunted as he turned off his phone alarm. "... I need to kick that habit or I'm gonna lose brain cells... provided if the Pervert Trio's collective brainrot doesn't get to me."

What in Hel's name was that sound, whelp?! a familiar voice echoed in Takeshi's head.

"Oh brilliant, you weren't joking," he grimaced to himself.

I may or may not have neglected to mention that we're sharing the body, whelp, growled Nidhogg. Keep that in mind.

"Noted," Takeshi deadpanned as he went about his morning routine, but with a twist.

Today was Sunday, meaning only one thing.

"A giant bowl of Cornfrost from Costco, add some milk..." he recited as he then took the bowl of cereal before parking himself on the couch in front of the TV, "check the clock... it's almost time..."

It was 8:30 AM as he turned on the TV, switching to the TV Asahi channel, and just in time for Star Twinkle Pretty Cure.

... By Fenrir's Gleipnir, what the fuck am I watching? groaned Nidhogg as Takeshi bobbed his head in the opening theme of this Magical Girl show. ... And why are there so many colors?!

Evil Dragon or no Dragon, nothing, and I mean, nothing, is going to stop me from enjoying my Sundays, Takeshi firmly replied as he ate his cereal, as Episode 7's title: "Exciting! The Grand Strategy to Repair the Rocket" showed itself on the screen.

Nidhogg tries to protest, but the taste of Takeshi's food distracts him.

AND WHAT IS THIS TASTE?! Nidhogg cried out.

"Uh... sugar?" Takeshi answered as he saw the Cures trying to repair AI while Hikaru was stuck on cleaning duty. "... Never had one before?"

... I didn't tell you to stop, did I?! Nidhogg barked as Takeshi ignored him, partially humoring his request by eating his cereal as shenanigans ensue on the screen during the Cure's attempt to repair the rocket. ... Wow, those stelpur are dumb if they can't do their tasks without falling into boredom.

"Eh, it's one of those 'turn your brain off'-episodes, with no major villain fights save for filler. No need to take it so seriously," replied Takeshi as he finished his cereal during the show's commercial break, seeing his mom Shiori walk downstairs. "Morning."

"Mornin'," his mom greeted back as she headed out the door. "Gonna be at the community center, hanging out with some old ladies from around town. Dad left earlier on for a conference call. I'll be back by lunch with takeout, so don't pig out while I'm gone, okay?"

"Take care!" Takeshi waved her goodbye as she left.

... Wow, she's not even questioning it, snickered Nidhogg. ... So, how does it feel lying to your parents?

Been lying to them since I was first ambushed on my way home back at Ishinomaki, Takeshi mentally deadpanned. ... They're busy taking care of me. Gotta be less of a burden to not over limit their workloads.

Right, because you're so good at doing that, Nidhogg deadpanned. ... Guess those Devil "friends" of yours are quite the beneficiaries, aren't they?

I won't deny that they are, Takeshi admitted as the commercial break finished, before speaking his thoughts out loud. "... But don't you dare hurt them ever again."

Fingers crossed, Nidhogg then cackled as he and Takeshi continued watching Star Twinkle Pretty Cure, the episode ending with the Cures seeing Earth from outer space, along with the Libra Star Color Pen signaling to the main cast. ... That's what the world looks like?

Bigger than you assume, Takeshi smirked. ... Been to outer space before?

Tch... you got me there, scoffed Nidhogg, bitterness accenting his dismissal. ... Every time I looked up, all I saw was darkness.

As the show's ending credits roll, the doorbell rings.

"Coming!" Takeshi then opens the door to see Rias Gremory once again. "... Oh, senpai."

"Good morning, Ryuugamine-kun," she greeted back, dressed in casual clothing as she entered his house once again. "... It's just you in here?"

"Sundays equal Super Hero Time, and even if Ragnarök was happening right before my doorstep, I refuse to leave the house before 10 AM!" Takeshi obstinately huffed as he plopped down on the couch before the TV.

Rias chuckles at his childishness, finding it amusing to look at contrary to his public bearing at school. "Well in that case..." she then plops next to Takeshi, causing the latter to flinch in surprise. "... Mind if I stay?"

Just as Takeshi's brain was about to fizzle out, the TV screen then depicts a scene of two Kamen Riders fighting each other.

"Zi-O's starting!" Takeshi chimed in as all of his attention was towards the TV screen.

Rias and Nidhogg watched along side with Takeshi, confused at what was happening right now before the fight scene was interrupted by a young man dressed in ragged robes of a wasteland prophet straight out of a post-apocalypse movie, holding a tome titled "Great Calamity Advent Calendar" in hand. Said man begins narrating on what had happened in the prior episodes in the vaguest terms possible, all the while the fight was still continuing in the background.

"... I feel as if I missed something," Rias remarked, catching Takeshi's attention.

"Oh, y-yeah, this is Episode 27," he sheepishly remarked as the narration continued. "Kamen Rider Zi-O is about the main character who's destined to rule the whole world in 2068, and a bunch of time-travelers are trying to stop him from becoming said ruler, inadvertently or accordingly making the time paradoxes that might cause even worse damage in the long run."

You humans love aiming high with fictitious concepts... deadpanned Nidhogg as his host continued watching this show with childlike fascination. ... Wasn't the Poetic Edda enough?

Screw you. Once you figured out how to cure mankind's chronic boredom, then we'll talk, Takeshi irrelevantly replied, his whole being now invested in that show, much to Nidhogg's embarrassment and shock.

The episode goes about as how Zi-O was; convoluted and full of time-travel-paradox bullshit, of which Takeshi enjoyed every second of the building tension that led up to the big reveal.

"... So one of the time-travelers was responsible for setting up the main character's trajectory to rule the world in 2068 in the first place?" Rias commented at the twist regarding the bus explosion. "I... fail to comprehend the logic of his plans."

"Trust me, Schwarz's plans are the definition of being on 'need-to-know'-basis, and he's been extremely tight-lipped about it since the beginning," Takeshi pointed out. "And if anyone starts asking too many questions... well uh, generously, he'll let you off with a beating."

Admittedly, Nidhogg was also finding himself intrigued at this fictional character's covert ploys. ... Consider me invested.

Then before the conversation can go elsewhere, the final program for today's Super Hero Time begins, opening with a passing of swords between three masters and their respective charges.

"It's here...!" squeed Takeshi as his mind was solely locked onto the debut of Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger.

After the opening intro, the show wastes no time with showing off a fight scene between two Red Rangers (the master and student) and the footsoldiers of this season, who resembled Spanish Conquistadors with a distinct Chess motif on their shields they carried on their back.

The two saw the Red Rangers make quick work of the enemy mooks all in heroic fanfare, saving a YouTuber who was filming herself in Aokigahara (while bullshitting that she was in the Amazons) from the villains' clutches.

"I can see why you're a fan, Ryuugamine-kun," Rias spoke with praise.

"I know, right?!" Takeshi gleefully replied as the villains of this season were introduced, the Druidon Tribe, represented by Kleon, a mushroom humanoid oozing with green slime, and Tankjoh, the hulking elite commander who was a cross between a walking castle and a tank turret.

The later scene then shows the masters and elderly sage delving into the series' settings before their charges.

65 million years ago? commented Nidhogg as he saw planet Earth being pelted with meteorites during the show's depiction of the KT Extinction Event. ... Once again, you humans sure love to aim high, don't you?

Imagination is fun, defended Takeshi as the background for the show has been further elaborated. ... Curious, but how old are you?

We're moving a little too fast, aren't we? deadpanned Nidhogg. ... Kind of like this "episode"?

As the Evil Dragon pointed out, the Druidon Tribe wasted no time attacking the main characters' main base after ascertaining its location, even going far as to sic a giant-ass Dragon Minosaur on them to leave no survivors at the same time when Tankjoh attacked the Red Rangers after encountering them during his survey.

They don't mess around, Nidhogg complimented the Druidon Tribe's performance right out of the gate. ... I respect that.

"And this is just the debut episode?" Rias blinked with awe.

"Yep, the writers are aiming high for this season," Takeshi continued watching with undivided attention.

The next scene then shows the master Red Ranger's death along with Blue and Pink's, the former taking the brunt of Tankjoh's finishing blow in his pupil's place, while the latter pair were incinerated out of existence by the Minosaur's fire breath.

... Not bad for a fictitious Dragon, Nidhogg commented, enjoying himself at the sheer carnage presented. Although given its size, I expected the flames to be way bigger.

After the students' loss, the heroes then turn the tables, with Red morphing into his Ranger form and dueling Tankjoh in a show of his rekindled power, even going as far to make the mighty evil general take a step back.

It then escalated further, with the Red Ranger awakening his Kishiryu, who then transformed into a humanoid warrior form to engage the Dragon Minosaur and avenge their masters' deaths in an epic brawl ends with the monster's death.

Huh, guess the Talos and Golems made their way to the modern day zeitgeist, deadpanned Nidhogg as he saw KishiRyuuOh's victory. ... Not going to lie, I enjoyed myself.

"My heart's beating a little faster than usual," Rias remarked before she faced Takeshi. "... I think I might be bit hooked."

Takeshi beams. "Tokusatsu is an artform that can be enjoyed by people from all walks of life," he boasted. "... Including corpse-eating Dragons."

Rias then looks down at his waist before looking back up with a confused look.

"... He and I share senses together, specifically mine," Takeshi elaborated. "... I think he might like overly-sugary cereals now."

"I see..." Rias then chuckled nervously.

Don't get used to it, growled Nidhogg, refusing to admit that he found the taste of sugar semi-addicting (after having eaten nothing but dead bodies for Odin knows how long).

With Super Hero Time now over, Takeshi then springs out of his couch and goes upstairs to freshen up properly, going about his post-morning routine like a robot before coming back downstairs with fresher look and neater clothes.

"So, uh..." he stammered as Takeshi began to register on what had transpired during his weekend ritual, "... how's today treating you, Gremory-senpai?"

Nidhogg cackles to himself as its host makes an ass of himself during his attempt at an apology.

"Oh nothing of sorts, I just finished turning in my after-action reports," Rias answered. "I just came here to check up on you after... well, you know. That, and I came here to drop off your repaired motorcycle."

Takeshi's stammering then gives way to a quieter show of shame, remembering that he almost made an attempt on their lives after Nidhogg lent him a helping hand, enough so to make him completely disregard the latter.

"... I'm so sorry," he bowed his head.

"No harm, no foul," Rias pointed out. "That said, you look spry for someone who had their body possessed by one of the most evil creatures to have ever walked this planet."

I know, it's even weird that the whelp could even get out of bed after he was inflicted several fatal wounds and injuries, of which I had to mend with my powers, Nidhogg commented internally. ... You're welcome, by the way.

Takeshi then looks down where he got stabbed (again) before raising up his shirt, finding that there wasn't even so much as a single scar besides the one he'd received earlier last week.

"... So, I'm assuming powers like this kind of run on an 'equivalent exchange'-principle?" asked Takeshi.

"On the bare minimum, yes," Rias answered. "... I would go over more, but I think it's better that you hear it from me tomorrow when all of my requested findings come in. And, I don't want to ruin your weekend."

Takeshi's feelings were that of confusion, in that he fails to comprehend that Rias coming into his house was a bad thing, but also that he needs to expect bad news on Monday after school.

"... I understand," Takeshi nodded before he turned off the TV. "... Are you busy today?"

"Sadly, yes," nodded Rias as she headed out the door. "I have to meet with a few people regarding our completed assignment, go over the collected evidence, arrange and schedule a ton of upcoming appointments, and do other things that keep ORC running."

"Well, good luck, senpai," Takeshi saluted as Rias headed out the door.

"Enjoy your weekend, Ryuugamine-kun!" she then leaves through the front yard before leaving through a hidden teleportation array around where the house was.

... Yes, enjoy it while you can, Nidhogg snickered in the back of Takeshi's mind after he was left alone in his house. By the time I'm done with you, you'll be begging for Hel's frigid embrace.

You're not gonna leave me alone, aren't you? asked Takeshi before he was met with a guttural cackle from the Evil Dragon.

His curiosity about his new powers was paired with a coming sense of dread.

---

18th of March, 2019 AD

---

"I got your text, Gremory-senpai," Takeshi said as he came into ORC's clubroom after school, finding Rias sitting on one of the couches by herself. "... It's just you today?"

"Koneko's at her various clubs for their recruitments strategies for April's new batch of Junior High students before she moves to First Year, Akeno's at the Student Council Office on my stead, and Yuuto's at the optometrist to get his eyes checked," she answered as he came in. "... Fret not, I'll fill all of them in tomorrow."

"What happened to Yuuto?" asked Takeshi as the Sacred Gear then manifested onto himself on its own. "Also, how did this happen?!"

"This place is full of magic, so I can show myself freely," Nidhogg spoke from the central gem of the belt's buckle, now ash-gray in coloration. "Granted, I can only attempt to take you over within the heat of battle, but otherwise, I'm only allowed to express myself through my words and shared senses."

Rias then cleared her throat before explaining. "... He had an eyeful of a Dullahan's blood splashed onto his face, and no one in ORC is proficient enough with healing magic to do anything further besides removing the planted curse," she answered. "... He's in need of a, shall we say, a gentler touch."

"I see," Takeshi then sits himself across Rias. "... So, before we start-"

Suddenly, Rias then gets up and bows her head towards Takeshi.

"Eh?" he remarked.

"Thank you for your assistance with last week's assignment, Ryuugamine-kun," Rias spoke earnestly. "Without your involvement, there may have been Strays running around to this day and unleashing untold havoc. Without your assistance, ORC's reputation with the Underworld would've been irreparably damaged."

"I.. eh... Takeshi nervously stammered, causing Nidhogg to sigh.

"... You're beyond awkward," the Evil Dragon deadpanned. "At least this stelpa knows who her superior is."

"Oh shut up!" chided Takeshi as he then came up with the words to reply to Rias' gratitude. "... Really, disregarding what he said, I did what I thought was right. You saved my life back then, so I couldn't leave that unanswered. I may be just a normal human, but I'll do everything within my power to honor my word."

"If you say so, then I accept," Rias replied with a smile before sitting back down. "... I suppose we're even, then?"

"After seeing everything last Saturday? Hardly," Takeshi shook his head. "To say what I was about to say eariler, I'm staying in this world I found myself in, Gremory-senpai. No ifs, and, or buts."

"That and he's thirsty for the kind of power you have in your hands, stelpa," commented Nidhogg. "... He's an addict now."

Rias sighs. "... Normally, I'd explain everything I found out about your Sacred Gear," she spoke to Takeshi before looking down at said Sacred Gear, "but given that you made yourself known, I suppose that you're willing to explain everything in my stead due to having firsthand knowledge?"

"Gladly," snickered Nidhogg as he began to explain himself in a self-aggrandizing display. "This Sacred Gear you wield is none other than [Cataclysm Zone], where my kin, the Seven Deadliest Evil Dragons, are imprisoned within due our ability to reincarnate ourselves after each death, sealing our souls from the cycle of rebirth by first creating seven individual Sacred Gears before putting said Sacred Gears within this belt. All of it thanks to the collaboration of every single one of this world's pantheons that each lent their knowledge to Deus Trinity's Sacred Gear System to create the perfect prison for the likes of us."

"And I suppose you know enough about Dragons and that you know that they're real, given that you're talking to one right now?" Rias asked Takeshi, to which the latter nodded in acknowledgement. "... Very well, I'll cut to the chase. The Seven Deadliest Evil Dragons sealed within your Sacred Gear are the following."

"First there's me, Nidhogg," the Evil Dragon introduced himself. "In Norse, I am called 'Níðhöggr,' meaning 'He Who Strikes with Malice,' but nowadays, I am mostly known as the 'Abyss Rage Dragon,' bearer of the Deadly Sin of Envy."

"Then there's Grendel, the 'Crime Force Dragon,' bearing the Deadly Sin of Wrath," Rias spoke. "Apparently, being killed by King Beowulf twice in a row wasn't enough to sate his need for violence."

"Then there's that pervert, Yamata-no-Orochi, the 'Venom Blood Dragon,' bearing the Deadly Sin of Lust," grimaced Nidhogg as it spoke its name with its own venom. "... I don't like him."

"Then there's Ladon, the 'Stalwart Insomniac Dragon,' bearing the Deadly Sin of Sloth," Rias continued before sighing, the recounting of her world's evilest creatures known taking a visible toll on her. "... Only Satan and Lucifer know how he even died in the first place to record his reincarnation cycle, or if he died even once before he was imprisoned."

"Then there's the nerd, Azi Dahaka, the 'Diabolism Thousand Dragon,' bearing the Deadly Sin of Greed," growled Nidhogg as it spoke of that name. "... You can tell that I have an issue with multi-headed creatures. Seriously, HOW MANY HEADS DOES ONE NEED?!"

"... There's also Apophis," Rias remarked after the Evil Dragon's outburst, "also known as the 'Primal Eclipse Dragon,' and the bearer of the Deadly Sin of Gluttony."

"And finally, the greatest among our peers," Nidhogg spoke in both praising and resentful rue in his tone, "Crom Cruach, the 'Crescent Circle Dragon,' and the bearer of the Deadly Sin of Pride. His name equates to fear among even the gods. He slew thousands of them along with millions of each of their followers in his rampage across the world, all to prove that he's the mightiest being in all of creation."

"... And there you have it," Rias remarked as Takeshi sat there in awe. "... That's the story of [Cataclysm Zone]. The Sacred Gear that acts as a storage for other Sacred Gears sealing those monsters' souls within... and Deus Trinity's greatest folly."

Takeshi could surmise a guess on why such elaborate measures were taken to begin with. "... If death's not enough... then the only other way to get rid of them... is to destroy the world itself!"

"That just proves that we're the strongest, whelp," snickered Nidhogg. "That stelpa and the rest of her Peerage has every right to fear the mere mention of our names. We've ushered in death unparalleled to even the Underworld's most twisted Strays and Devils throughout recorded history. Evil itself worships the very ground we stepped upon because we showed them all the true meaning of power."

Takeshi then sits down before trying to collect his thoughts while giving Rias a much-needed mental break and Nidhogg to bask in his flattery.

"... Wow," Takeshi spoke with a shrug. "Almost makes me wonder why the world wasn't destroyed because of them."

"This world we live in is made of tougher stuff than we thought," Nidhogg complimented. "I'll give it that much."

"That aside..." Rias grumbled before handing Takeshi a leaflet depicting an illustration of a wide-headed Dane Axe, "... this was one of the auxiliary Sacred Gears you managed to awaken last Saturday."

Takeshi leans down to see the image better. "... That looks a lot like Kamen Rider Chaser's [Signal Ax]. What is this?"

"My personal cell, the [Mayhem Striker]," explained Nidhogg. "It allows the present wielder to emulate some of my signature abilities, mainly ash manipulation. Remember how I turned that Gargoyle into a skeleton and that Dark Elf into a pincushion mid-air? That's only a mere fraction of what I could do during my halcyon days. Some of those corpses that you saw weren't just the ones that washed up ashore, if you know what I mean."

"Great, so what does that have to do with you playing doctor on my body?" Takeshi asked the Sacred Gear.

"I just shaved off five years of your lifespan to repair those injuries, which by the way, were lethal, thank you very much," the Evil Dragon pointed out. "By the way, you have 88 years left in your warranty. So try not to get yourself killed prematurely in the meantime, okay?"

Takeshi groans as he hangs his head in defeat. "... Things cannot get any worse."

"Um..." Rias looked towards the side, awkwardly trying to hide something from him. "... You know, I might hazard a guess on why your 'predisposition' existed in the first place."

Takeshi then looked down at [Cataclysm Zone] strapped around his waist.

Then the realization struck his brain like a runaway truck upon realizing that he was housing seven of the world's most evilest and dangerous beings within the recesses of his very soul since birth. "... MOTHERFUCKER!"

Nidhogg begins laughing himself sick as the gem on the buckle glimmered with each decibel. "... I-AHAHAHAHAHA! I ADMIT!" the Evil Dragon spoke between his fits of laughter before calming himself down enough to speak clearly. "... You managed to tame our collective presences and make it your own within a span of a few years?! That was all you, which, in it of itself, is genuinely impressive."

"Thanks for the consolation prize," deadpanned Takeshi.

"Okay, Ryuugamine-kun, I have to be blunt with you; the way you are right now, you're not going to live for long," Rias explained without warning. "Recorded users of this Sacred Gear tend to have worryingly short lifespans, whether it's because of their side effects wreaking havoc on their bodies, or living long enough to succumb to their infectious madness and go on rampages that results in thousands of casualties."

"... And I take it that the latter half is not treated kindly by the world's divinities?" Takeshi asked.

"It's a universal policy that all wielders of [Cataclysm Zone] are to be killed on sight," answered Rias. "... Every pantheon in the world is going to be after your head should they learn of your existence."

"It's a self-fulfilling prophecy, to have those cursed with our shared burden to be marked for death by the flimsy fact of them being 'dangerous' by association," Nidhogg pointed out. "Obviously, that kind of persecution would drive most of our past users to madness akin to ours... but who am I, an Evil Dragon, to judge the actions of gods? I'd say keep it coming. It makes for good entertainment."

Takeshi groans as he now found out what made his whole three years in Junior High Hell in the first place, and the fact that his time on Earth wasn't for long. "Great..." he grumbled before looking down at his Sacred Gear. "Now because of you assholes, I now learned that I have the world's biggest 'Kick Me'-sign on my back. Thanks a lot."

As Takeshi mentally curses himself for his predicament, Rias then comes and sits next to him before taking his hand.

"... Senpai?" he remarked as he stared into Rias' unflinching eyes.

"... Ryuugamine Takeshi, the way I see it, you have two choices," she said. "Either give up and live the rest of your life on the run, or defy your destiny by becoming a Devil yourself."

That latter option catches Takeshi by surprise. "... M-me?!" he choked. "... A Devil?!"

"I have to be honest, Ryuugamine, but your mere 88 years of human life won't be enough to stave off the Evil Dragons' voracity for your suffering," she pointed out. "At minimum, it'll grant you an additional ten-thousand years to your overall lifespan as fallback, and at best, not only you'll have the means to gain the power to survive in our world, but when you become a Devil under me, you'll officially join not only my Peerage, but also House Gremory as my close associate, with all the powers, privileges, protections, and even opportunities that comes with my family name. Not even the gods are willing to stir up shit with one of the Underworld's most influential Noble Houses, I can assure you that. And even if they do so, well, then they'll have to answer to me, and I for one, am pretty strong."

Takeshi's whole life now had a fork in the road before him. Either live out as a victim to higher powers, or risk losing what made his life normal in order to gain a fighting chance against the fate that was placed onto his shoulders.

"Do it, do it, do it, do it," chanted Nidhogg. "We've always had weak humans as our previous hosts, and even their strongest barely lasted past a decade or two. And I for one, am starved for some proper, long-term entertainment."

Takeshi sighs before getting up. "... Can you... give me until tomorrow?" he requested. "... I know it's an easy choice in hindsight... but I need to clear my head first. Make sure that when I make my choice... I'll have no regrets when I cross that bridge."

Rias nods. "You promise?"

Takeshi then takes her pinky finger before crossing with his own. "Cross my heart and hope to die should I lie."

With those words, Takeshi then goes back home with his mind burdened with this fateful decision.

To become a Devil... he thought as his shadow sank with the sun. To forsake my humanity in the name of survival...

Just do it, Nidhogg hissed within Takeshi's mind. That way, you'll stick around long enough for the others to awaken. And who knows, maybe you'll be able to master all of us if you're lucky.

... Never took you for the one to be looking out for my well-being, deadpanned Takeshi.

Not really, the Evil Dragon hissed back. I just enjoy prolonged suffering. It's part of my balanced diet along with souls, death, and secondhand resentment. Like the ones coming from those three dumbasses you also consider as friends.

And there it is... Takeshi rolled his eyes as he rang the doorbell before letting himself in. "I'm home."

"Welcome back!" Hiroto replied as the rest of the family got onto their table for their dinner. "It's hamburg steak tonight!"

The family finishes their meal, and once night settles over Kuoh Town, Takeshi found himself in daze as he faceplants into his bed.

"This, is, the, worst..." he groaned into his pillow, with Nidhogg admittedly enjoying its host's anguish as his dessert (he found the dinner that Takeshi ate bland and greasy). "Either die at some asshole god's wrath or live on at the cost of my humanity... both of those choices are just as rotten as my guest's choice in food..."

I take offense to that, whelp, scoffed Nidhogg as the sounds of the Evil Dragon munching on dead bodies could be heard in his mind, presumably making these sounds out of pure spite on his part.

Then he heard a knock coming from his door. "Takeshi? It's me," Hiroto's voice called out through the door. "... Can I come in?"

"Dad?" he then wills himself off of his bed. "... Just give me a sec."

The son then opens the door for his dad before the two of them can be found sitting next to each other on the same bed.

"... You're looking a bit paler than usual," Hiroto noted. "Is something the matter?"

Takeshi's eyes widened, tempted to tell him the whole truth just to get this sickening feeling off of his chest...

... But you don't want to, taunted Nidhogg. Like you've always done for the past 4 years.

Trying to keep it in and hold himself together, Takeshi sighs to regulate his stress before speaking.

"... Yeah," he nodded. "... Something big. Like, really big."

"Let's hear it then," Hiroto replied. "No matter what, I'm here for you."

Not for long, snickered Nidhogg as Takeshi tries not to lose his shit at his guest's provocations.

"... So, here's the thing," Takeshi remarked. "... Gremory-senpai has recommended me to her family's conglomerate after seeing my academic performance right after my future consultation. Now I am stuck between two choices, dad. Do I choose prosperity over liberty? Should I risk my life for freedom?"

Hiroto then crosses his arms before getting up in contemplation.

What in Hel's name is he doing? asked Nidhogg as he and Takeshi saw Hiroto do a handstand with his eyes closed, holding that position for a while, showing off his athleticism despite him pushing past his 40s.

Takeshi couldn't help but smile, seeing that his dad literally learned how to do handstands for him ever since he saw it on TV with him when they were watching Dekaranger together.

... Gross, gagged the Evil Dragon. Wake me up when you guys are done.

With Takeshi's mind now quieted, Hiroto then reorients himself back upright before settling down next to his son.

"Well son, for me, I'd say the choice is strictly personal," spoke the father. "People often choose the choice that is best for what they believe in. Some choose life to have a chance to do more things while they're still alive, while some choose freedom to risk everything they have for that one dream that they're willing to die for."

"... So dad," asked Takeshi. "What would you choose?"

"Me personally?" he snickered as he leaned back and looked up towards the ceiling light. "... I chose life. Because while the whole motto of 'live fast, die hard' may sound cool like they show in those American Wild Speed movies... I have to be real here. As long as I'm alive, I still have a chance to make things better. Dying ain't gonna solve shit, no matter what one accomplishes or sets out to do."

It was so simple. Takeshi punched himself in the head mentally for overcomplicating this problem.

"... I know that look," Hiroto remarked. "I went through the same shit as you did when I was your age. Just some brat from Aomori Prefecture who wanted to be 'number one.' Then reality struck me hard after I ended up hospitalized after overworking myself for some Tokyo U application that no one in my family was really wanting. In fact, all of that pressure? All of that excessive hard work? That was all on me. No one was pressuring me to do anything, and yet I chose to do it because I felt compelled to not be mediocre."

"... Did you go to Tokyo U in the end?" asked Taksehi.

"Ha! Hell no," Hiroto shook his head. "I swallowed my pride and went to Aomori University, got my degree in Business Administration, got hired for a real estate and development firm as one of their paper pushers before getting promoted to one of their frontmen, met your mom at Osaka while she was smoking behind a convenience store, shared a few drinks over the course of few months, fucked like rabbits when both of us got super-plastered, got married with her afterwards, and well... we had you."

Takeshi couldn't help but chuckle at hearing his dad's life story.

"Point is, being 'number one' doesn't mean going to the best universities or getting the best positions in the best-paying companies in the world," Hiroto remarked. "For me, being 'number one' means making the choices that are best for you and ones that you can be proud of. So Takeshi, no matter what choice you make, as long as you're proud of it, I will be proud of you."

Upon hearing those words of affirmation, a huge weight was lifted from Takeshi's soul. "... Thanks dad," the son nodded. "... I think I know what to say to senpai tomorrow."

"Awesome!" Hiroto pumped his fist in victory. "... So, speaking of Gremory... how far did you two go-?"

The father stops upon seeing Takeshi's face go from pale to blue, his eyes staring towards something behind himself.

Hiroto turns around, and spots his wife Shiori standing behind him, arms crossed and smiling while her eyes were shaded like Hel's visage herself, mentally noted by Nidhogg.

"Honey, did you really have to mention to him our little love life during the late 90s?" she asked menacingly while cracking her knuckles. "Did you forget the dos-and-don'ts of our marriage we agreed on twenty years ago?!"

"I... uh..." Hiroto then looked towards his son for advice, only for Takeshi to give him the salute before leaving through the door that the father had neglected to lock, let alone close.

"NO EXCUSES!"

*WHAM!*

By the time Takeshi returns to his room after getting a glass of water, he spots his mother arching his father over into a perfectly-executed Bridging German Suplex.

"... I love my family so much."

By the time the clock struck 10 PM, Takeshi was now in his bed, his resolve fully realized and hope burning in his heart as he stared up to the ceiling.

I made up my mind, thought Takeshi. I'll become a Devil to fight against my fate.

That's Helvíti you're walking into, whelp, Nidhogg warned. You know, how about I propose my own third option: let me take you over and spare you the pain that came before your predecessors. Because any way you slice it, the world will reject us. No matter how much you struggle for your sake, you are just one whelp in a world where millions are more than willing to cut you up like a succulent piece of meat simply because you're considered "evil" by those who write the rules.

Sorry, but I like being me too much just to let you live my life in my stead, retorted Takeshi. And going the villain route just because the going gets tough? That makes for a horrible story progression.

So you willingly choose pain then? asked Nidhogg.

I choose to carry this cross of fire with me until the very end, answered Takeshi as he looked at his various Tokusatsu merchandise for inspiration, before ultimately settling on Kuuga's Ultimate Form figurine. Because if I must use the power of evil to become the hero that I can be proud of, if I must use the power of evil to rewrite the rules to my own image, then I'll do whatever it takes, even if it means taking the Devil's hand at the cost of my own soul!

Rather than be furious at Takeshi's show of persistence, Nidhogg instead laughs bellicosely, sounding almost impressed at his host's sheer brazenness.

THEN I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU BURN, RYUUGAMINE TAKESHI!

---

19th of March, 2019 AD

---

"You wish to become part of my Peerage, then?" Rias asked Takeshi as the rest of the ORC were present in the clubroom.

"To be honest, I'm legit scared of no longer being human," Takeshi confessed. "... But still, dying is going to suck even more."

"Obvious facts are obvious," Koneko nodded as she whittled down her Pocky like a woodchipper.

"I understand where you're coming from, Ryuugamine-kun," Akeno nodded. "I would object... but given that you've taken your time to think about this choice you're making, I won't stop you."

"Nor shall I," Yuuto remarked as he applied his prescribed eyedrops onto his right eye.

"The whelp has a death wish regardless of the choice he makes," interjected Nidhogg as he spoke through Takeshi's manifested [Cataclysm Zone]. "... By the way, nice to meet you krakkar."

The entirety of ORC frowns, causing Takeshi to wince a little.

"... I sort of know that those death stares aren't for me, but what is saying to elicit such a reaction?" he asked.

"Thanks to our magic, we can auto-translate all spoken languages," explained Akeno, her smile being anything but soothing. "... Icelandic is no exception."

"Blow me, stelpa," huffed Nidhogg before he quieted down, as evident by the ashen-gray gem turning back to black.

Takeshi sighs before approaching Rias. "... Senpai, I have a request to make before my inauguration."

"Let's hear it," she nodded.

"... If, and I mean, a huge, if, I somehow end up dead as a Devil... I want you to not only erase all memories related to me, but have some orphan take my place within my family in case of my untimely demise," he requested, the demand catching everyone's attention for how heavy it was. "... It's not enough to spare my parents the pain of losing their own child. I also don't want them to be torn apart just because I'm not there anymore. They're good people, so they should at least live normal lives as a normal family, regardless of my fate."

Rias looks on with sorrow of his request, essentially being his way of writing a will. "... I'll do whatever it takes within my power to make sure that I never have to fulfill that promise," she vowed. "But that will also depend on your efforts, so no leaping into the jaws of certain death, understood?"

"Yes, senpai," Takeshi nodded.

"Good," Rias nodded as she stood up. "... This way, Ryuugamine-kun."

Takeshi was then set upon a glowing magic circle as Yuuto brought out a small case before handing it to Rias.

"Now lay down, Ryuugamine-kun," Akeno instructed as Koneko helped him lay down on the circle.

"President, I got what we need," Yuuto said as he handed Rias the case.

"Thank you, Yuuto," Rias nodded as she then opened the case, revealing it to be a fold-out Chess board/carrying case. "Now we can begin."

"Huh, I assumed something gorier," Takeshi remarked. "... This a recent development?"

"Depends on how you would classify 'recent'," answered Rias as she began arranging the red crystalline Chess pieces on the board in their positions. "As you already know, the great war between the three races incurred a lot of casualties. After which, neither side had the means to deploy legions when conflict would arise... an alternative was proposed by House Beelzebub's current Lord."

"Hence, the Evil Piece System was born," Yuuto interjected. "Based on the human game of Chess, this system allows a noble to have a set of servants to act as their personal troops, with each piece having their own designated specialties, and limiting how many servants they can have at once."

"Pawns are the weakest, but the most numerous and unpredictable," Koneko began to explain as best she could. "Rooks specialize in defense and bulk. Knights are speed demons. Bishops are long-range support. And Queens are a little bit of everything before."

"... Wait," Takeshi remarked. "... Where's the King piece?"

Rias chuckles. "... I am the holder of the King piece," she answered. "It's role is to act as the holder of the contracts within my Peerage, and to prevent anyone from becoming King, it has a high magic threshold requirement to be even registered."

"Noted," nodded Takeshi before he looked around the rest of ORC. "... Curious, but with the exception of Gremory-senpai, who's which piece?"

"Rook," Koneko raised her hand.

"Knight," Yuuto answered.

"And I am Queen," Akeno pointed out.

"And yes, we do have a Bishop registered," Rias acknowledged. "... But due to the holder's... personal reasons, I'm afraid I can't disclose any further."

"Not complaining," Takeshi nodded. "... Alright, hit me with your best shot!"

Rias nods as she then takes all eight Pawn Evil Pieces from the board.

"Judging by your latent powers coming from [Cataclysm Zone], this is the appropriate amount," she pointed out. "... Asking you for one last time, but are you ready, Ryuugamine Takeshi?"

He nods with a confident smile. "... Devil me up, senpai."

"Very well!" Rias then extended her hands as the ritual began. "I order you, Ryuugamine Takeshi, in the name of Rias Gremory! Thou art shall be reborn as a Devil serving as House Gremory's arms and legs! Thou art shall be my Pawn, and rejoice in thy rebirth!"

Upon the declaration, the pieces then flew out of Rias' hand before they began sinking into Takeshi's chest one by one, causing the recipient's body to fluctuate in temperature before it settled on new equilibrium.

After the eighth and final Pawn piece entered Takeshi's body, a strange tenseness began being felt from the back of his shoulder blades. At that next moment, a pair of chiropteran wings sprouted from his back, the leathery sheets now connected with the rest of his nervous system as he laid on the floor.

Yes... YEEEEESSSSS! Nidhogg cheered as he felt his host's increasing vitality. Finally! A meal that'll last beyond a mere appetizer!

"... And we're done!" Rias announced as the light and bolts of energy beneath the magic circle subsided. "... So, Ryuugamine-kun, how do you feel?"

Takeshi grunts as he is helped up by Koneko and Yuuto, his newly-grown wings now drooping down to his waist. "... No different, save for a new set of limbs," he answered as he moved his wings up and down. "... By the way, was that chant part of the ritual?"

"It used to be," Rias shrugged. "I just felt like setting up the mood."

Takeshi snickers. "... I would've done the same too," he answered before facing Rias with a grin, "... President."

"And with that, welcome to ORC!" Rias replied before she then brought out a small conical party popper.

*POP!*

Confetti and streamers rained onto his auburn hair before more party poppers burst around him from the rest of the club.

"... Thanks everyone!" Takeshi beamed, letting the confetti and streamers stick on his head for a while. "... Thanks for believing in me."

"It's the least we can do," Koneko replied, her stoic demeanor still present. "... For someone risking life and limb along with us while he was a human."

"I am so sorry for doubting you," apologized Akeno. "I'll do what I can to amend for our rough start."

"Regardless, we all look forward to working with you," Yuuto nodded before he checked on his phone. "President, the food's here!"

"I'll come with," Takeshi raised his hand. "I mean, now that I'm with you guys, gotta pull my weight and whatnot, right?"

"Eh, we're all coming anyway," Koneko remarked as all of ORC left the clubroom. "... We bought a lot."

After reaching the school's gates via the teleportation array, their order was the following.

"... That's a lot of sushi," Takeshi remarked as he then picked up a few platters of said food stacked atop of each other. "... I think I count... ten?!"

"Twenty, and most of them are mine," Koneko deadpanned as she picked up over half of the share before said burden was taken by Akeno.

"Now now, Koneko-chan," she remarked after taking her load of the burden. "We can't eat sushi if they're on the ground, you know."

Everyone in ORC chuckles as they all return to their clubroom before enjoying themselves in their celebratory meal.

"Toujou-san, that fatty tuna was mine!" Yuuto complained as she snatched away the sushi from his sight.

"I call salmon!" Akeno declared.

"Save the sea urchin for me!" Takeshi declared, now feeling as if he's one of them.

"There's plenty for everyone, so no need to be greedy," Rias remarked as she took a mackerel. "... I'm looking at you specifically, Koneko."

"Yeah," she nodded before snatching a yellowfin for herself.

As ORC enjoyed themselves with their new member, Nidhogg could only scoff in disgust within [Cataclysm Zone]'s depths as the merriment sickened him to his very stomach.

"... Go ahead, enjoy yourself," the Evil Dragon grumbled as he felt his host's sensation of joy wash over him like an acid bath. "Because sooner or later, they'll face the inevitable consequence of being associated with the likes of us-"

"Ah shaddap and just eat," Takeshi then slathered his sea bass sushi with an ungodly amount of wasabi.

"WAIT, TAKESHI! DON'T DO IT-!" Yuuto warned before Takeshi ate the whole thing, seemingly with no ill effect. "... You're okay?"

"Eh, I had spicier," he shrugged before looking down at his manifested Sacred Gear. "... So, how does it taste?"

"... So this is 'spicy,' then?" Nidhogg answered as he smacked his lips at this strong sensation that was foreign to his palate. "... I didn't say that you can stop, whelp. Feed me more of this 'wasabi'!"

Takeshi shrugs as he humors his request of eating sushi with ungodly amounts of wasabi slathered onto it, much to ORC's collective horror.

"... What is spicier than wasabi?" asked Koneko while instinctively picking out a fatty salmon from the platter.

"Apparently, Hot Ones on YouTube," deadpanned Yuuto as he picked out a herring roe. "... Remind me, why is Nidhogg the sin of Envy and not Gluttony?"

"Apophis is bigger," answered Rias as she also stared in horror at Takeshi's appetite for extreme flavors that rivaled Koneko's voracity. "... Allegedly big enough to try and eat the sun itself according to myth."

"Still though, I'm shocked by Takeshi-kun's way of taming an Evil Dragon through spicy food..." Akeno nervously chuckled as she picked out a piece of squid sushi. "... Ufufufu, it appears I've underestimated him."

"Don't get used to it," warned Nidhogg as he refuses to admit outright that he's enjoying himself on this new tastes of spiciness and brininess akin to the fermented flesh of his corpse pile back at Náströnd, not knowing that it's coming from the soy sauce paired with the wasabi. "... Are you letting up now? JUST EAT THE DAMNED GREEN PASTE!"

As the sun set, ORC managed to finish all twenty platters of sushi, with Takeshi, by some infernal miracle, somehow managing to out-eat Koneko.

... Albeit, at a terrible cost.

"... Someone... carry me home," grunted Takeshi as he felt stuffed to the gills with rice and raw fish slathered in wasabi and soy sauce.

"Everyone... just rest up... and wait for digestion to pass," Rias instructed as she laid back on the sofa where Takeshi and Koneko were sitting.

"I think I'm going to be sick..." Yuuto's stomach then began to gurgle.

"I'll... go find some antacids..." Akeno then slowly walked out of the door.

Koneko burps out loud while looking the least discomforted, but stuffed enough to render herself temporarily immobile. "... Amateurs," she smirked slightly, the curl directed towards Takeshi in particular. "... Not bad, senpai."

Takeshi groans as he's too stuffed to talk any further, leaving Nidhogg to talk in his stead.

"... Thank you all for fattening yourselves up for me," the Evil Dragon spoke from the Sacred Gear around his host's bulging belly. "And I have to admit, watching you all make utter fools of yourselves was slightly amusing."

Takeshi burps purely to spite Nidhogg before turning to Rias. "... So, President."

"... Ryuugamine-kun," she spoke back, trying not to vomit. "... Actually, can I call you Takeshi?"

"... Sure," he nodded, keeping a bare minimum on his speech and not testing the limits of his new physiology.

"... So, Takeshi," Rias began, "now that you're part of my Peerage... you might be thinking... when is your first job going to be."

He nods.

"... Truthfully speaking... you're still green," she pointed out. "... So, starting tomorrow... I'm gonna put you through a crash course... of how magic works... along with any supplementary training... That way... you'll be able to do... the kinds of jobs we do... and learn why... people request us over regular handymen."

"... Noted," Takeshi grunts out before Akeno comes back into the clubroom.

"I found the antacids!" she announced.

"Yaaay," everyone drones in lethargically.

Takeshi made sure beforehand to text his parents that he's not eating dinner tonight, evidenced by the mountain of empty sushi platters stacked next to their coffee table.

---

20th of March, 2019 AD

---

Another day of school passes, with the typical song and dance that Takeshi himself has settled into.

Endure the Pervert Trio's brainrot (with Nidhogg getting his daily calories of the secondhand disgust coming from the other student body), meet up with Yuuto (Koneko was a one time exception, and Rias and Akeno being spotted out in the open would trigger a riot that even Takeshi's "predisposition" wouldn't be able to dispel), and head to ORC.

"Alright, my body's ready, President!" Takeshi struck his fist into his palm to pump himself up for the upcoming crash course set outside the ORC clubhouse and the surrounding forests.

"Everyone changed into their P.E. clothes?" asked Rias, to which all of the ORC present nodded. "... Good. Now then."

Rias then manifests a set of three training dummies made of steel from their own magic circles.

"First, a demonstration," Rias remarked as she and Akeno then extended their hands towards the dummies. "Takeshi, watch closely."

The two of them began concentrating demonic energies into their palms before releasing it, destroying the two of three mannequins in an instant.

"The first is the basics," Rias explained. "Mainly, you'll be learning how to control and shape your internal and external demonic energies through your own will."

"Ah, kinda like those basic ki blasts from Dragon Ball Z, got it," nodded Takeshi as he then stepped up before giving it a shot.

He then emulates the steps that both his senpais had performed prior, feeling the flow for his surrounding energies before concentrating into this palm.

A small orb of black magic is then shaped before his hand. But just before he could release it, it suddenly swells up to an uncontrollable size and output...

*KABOOM!*

And Takeshi immediately finds himself sent flying back by an explosion of his own making.

"Takeshi!" Rias cried out as she and everyone else ran to where he'd landed.

"... I'm okay," he groaned as he sat back up, his face covered in soot and his hair spiked up from the blast. "... That wasn't supposed to happen, wasn't it?"

The entirety of ORC then hears Nidhogg cackling like a lunatic at his host's plight.

"... How did you like my little present?" he taunted before continuing his cackling fit from within his prison. "And don't bother putting on any seals. I'll brute-force through all of them."

"I knew it..." sighed Rias. "... Of course [Cataclysm Zone] is going to be a huge interference in your magical development."

"Please elaborate," requested Takeshi.

"Ryuugamine-kun, you literally have two different sources of energy on your person," Akeno explained. "Your latent demonic energies and your Sacred Gear's draconic energy. Not only are they two different and incompatible sources of power, but the latter is also disproportionately more powerful."

Takeshi then looked down on his manifested [Cataclysm Zone]. "... So you're saying that as long I have this thing on me, I can't do basic magic without having it all go boom on me?!"

"Logically, the only way to solve this problem is to have your innate demonic powers become strong enough to override the Evil Dragon's interference..." Rias pointed out. "... That'll have to be your long-term project. Am I clear, Takeshi?"

"Crystal," nodded Takeshi as was then handed a cold towel from Yuuto before wiping his face with it.

As he cleaned himself up, an errant thought crossed his mind as he recalled what he might have done wrong during his process.

"... President," Takeshi said as he then handed the towel back to Yuuto. "... Give me another shot. I wanna try something."

"... Uh, okay," she nodded reluctantly before muttering the following to everyone else. "... Everyone, prepare to intervene in case something goes wrong on his end."

Takeshi then sets himself before the metal dummy once again, but this time, rather than concentrate the energy within his palm, he instead opts to use his fingertip as a conduit for his magic.

The process was slowly stabilizing on itself, even with Nidhogg's direct interference of adding his own latent energy into Takeshi's well of power.

Process is stabilizing because there's less surface area, he observed, as the ball of compound energy was now the size of a ping-pong ball. ... Don't get too greedy. Even a 9mm bullet is enough to kill a person, so who's to say that my iteration of the Rei Gun isn't enough to put holes through a metal wall?!

Takeshi then releases his small payload, shooting the black projectile through the dummy's head and boring a clean hole through its forehead. However, the projectile didn't stop. It kept breaching through tree after tree, piercing through several acres worth of wood and foliage until it dissipated on its own through wear and tear.

"... Someone measure its distance," requested Rias as Takeshi fell onto his butt in relief. "... What did you just do?"

"... Just... modified your example to better fit my predicament," answered Takeshi. "... I figured that my palm was too wide of a surface area for proper energy stabilization, so I took a page out of Yu Yu Hakusho and well... did that."

Koneko returns to Rias while holding a large roll of measuring tape in her hand. "... 666 meters," she reported. "... It almost breached our displacement barriers."

"Like akin to a sniper..." Yuuto commented as he peeked his eye through the hole, seeing everything that the magic shot had pierced through in a perfectly straight line of sight.

Rias then looked back at Takeshi's feat. "... Well done!" She praised him. "This is a good start to your education!"

"Hell yeah, President!" Takeshi beatifically cheered before raising his hand. "C'mon! Give me a high-five-WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO MY FINGER?!"

Takeshi's right index finger now resembled a curly fry made out of a bright purple ube sweet potato, all of its joints unaligned and twisted beyond all human or Devil logic.

Upon seeing his injury in full, the pain began to register into his brain.

A scream was heard resounding throughout the surrounding woods in unison with a cackling laughter.

---

Back Inside the Clubroom...

---

"Well..." winced Rias as Takeshi's distorted finger was being healed (miraculously enough) by Akeno's healing magic realigning the joints back to their proper orientation, "... at least this is a good segway to teach you how healing magic works?"

Takeshi was too busy wincing in pain to talk as he felt his finger snap back into their proper place while having all of its damaged internal muscles repaired fiber by fiber.

"Welcome to the world of pain, whelp," snickered Nidhogg. "... And frankly, you asked for it."

Soon enough, Takeshi's finger is then fully recovered. He tries to flex it, but the joins felt a tad sore. "... Going off pure conjecture, I suppose healing magic only helps the body accelerate its natural recovery or does it actively undo the injuries via a miracle?"

"... A little bit of both, actually," Akeno answered. "... Magic in general can be described as 'testing' the current reality."

"The more advanced the magic, the more of that said 'reality' is tested," Rias added. "Take for instance, our innate demonic energies are a 'natural' part of us, akin to how humans breathe oxygen in order to live. So ergo, molding and shaping our internal energy is like using an appendage."

"... Going off by that logic, I assume that the more advanced the magic is, the more of said reality is 'tested'?" Takeshi pointed out.

"To use magic in general is to fundamentally change the world around us," Yuuto pointed out as he manifested a sword with his [Sword Birth]. "That's why Sacred Gears are considered 'miracles' made manifest. They act as 'bridges' between the 'possible' and the 'impossible'."

"So a Sacred Gear that specializes in healing..." Takeshi looked at his finger in contemplation, "... is easier to use and master than contemporary healing magic, since the latter is effectively 'undoing' my injuries via warping that part of said 'reality'?"

Koneko nods. "Theurgy, alchemy, divination... all of them defy the natural laws of physics by design."

"Wow..." Takeshi lightly chuckles as he then plops himself on the sofa. "... Magic is quite... a lot."

"The more you use it, the more of your natural threshold of your demonic energy shall expand," Rias assured. "Kind of like how human muscles are meant to develop."

Takeshi nodded. "... So, the proverbial training wheels remain on?"

"Depending on how your progression goes," Rias pointed out. "But given your penchant for learning new things quickly, I am confident in your potential."

"... Hang in there, senpai," Koneko nodded.

"It'll become a natural part of you soon enough," Yuuto confidently reassured.

"Now then then, here's your next test," Akeno then brings out a rock. "Get that image in your head."

Takeshi did as he was instructed before she then grasped the stone before opening her hand to reveal it to be crushed into pieces of its original form.

"Now take that image and realize it," instructed Akeno. "Just as your Sacred Gear acts as a 'bridge,' your innate demonic energy works on the same principle."

Takeshi nodded as he then visualized how the shattered stone looked before it was placed before him. Extending his hand outwards, he then goes about manifesting his demonic energy like how one would first learn how to ride a bicycle.

Slowly. Meticulously. Wary.

No need for power, just keep it simple.

Piece by piece, the fragments of the stone reassemble back to their original form, the fissures mending themselves back to normal, as if they've never existed in the first place.

Eventually, the stone is perfectly reassembled, without a nary of a scratch. "... I did it!"

"Well done," Rias nodded. "Are you getting a feel for it, Takeshi?"

He nods in acknowledgement.

"Good," Rias then turned towards Yuuto and Koneko. "Now we'll do something more in your wheelhouse: supplementary sparring."

"Finally," Takeshi grinned before getting up from his seat. "I've been waiting for this!"

"Let me out and I'll teach them the true meaning of pain," hissed Nidhogg.

"I'll save you for a Stray," Takeshi answered. "For now, I'll do what all Kamen Riders do, and learn how to better fight bare handed! Henshin!"

And so, Takeshi's training goes on for the remainder of the whole week after every finished school day.

The fundamentals of being a Devil were drilled into him through various trials and hard knocks. Takeshi, not wanting to disappoint his new peers, kept up and learned everything he could about magic, combat, and basics of how Peerage contractual work is processed.

Several trees were crashed into, craters were excavated from the earth, and screams paired with explosions could be heard resounding throughout the surrounding woods.

And all the while, Nidhogg snacked on Takeshi's physical and mental anguish.

---

23rd of March, 2019 AD

---

It was now Saturday, after school.

Ryuugamine Takeshi, after painstaking days of training, was now cleared for his first job as a Devil under the Gremory Peerage after Rias confirmed in a meeting with the Underworld's nobles over a video conference with the representative Lords of Houses Bael, Agares, Sallos, (Lady) Paimon, and Vassago acting as the main assembly to screen Ryuugamine and decide fate.

Normally, she would've had to show up in person, but due to the planned meeting being misscheduled by the ones organizing it, the meeting had to be expedited digitally, much to the Lords' dismay (they're still getting used to learning how to use video chat and one of the present Lords has turned their servants into an impromptu camera crew).

In abridged terms, during Ryuugamine's training, the Lords agreed to give Ryuugamine a chance (generously speaking), and that should the "expected" (read, them forced to abide by the universal accord regarding Evil Dragons and users of [Cataclysm Zone]) happened, House Gremory is expected to take full responsibility of that potential fallout.

Rias knew in the back of her mind that with the exception of Lord Agares, the rest of the Lords were basically praying for her failure so they could settle whatever beef they had with her family.

With that all said and done, all she can do is watch over Takeshi's progress, of which he's proven himself to be a proficient asset.

He was able to both reassemble a broken clock back in working order with his gained mastery over his demonic energy, and even managed to increase his combat proficiency by a huge margin, with him being able to keep up with Yuuto and Koneko and managing to last at least four minutes against Akeno before being zapped to a crisp (and healed afterwards).

"And there you have it," Rias sighed as she sat on her desk. "... I apologize for not telling you sooner, Takeshi, but with everything happening so fast, I have to make sure that I don't lose track of things."

"I'm grateful for you sticking your head out for my sake, President," Takeshi then gave her a thumbs-up. "Mark my words, I'll prove those bigwigs wrong!"

"And I for one, look forward to seeing him suffer," cackled Nidhogg.

Yuuto sighs at the Evil Dragon's constant remarks at his host's expense. He wanted to say something, but he and everyone else knew that it was an exercise in futility.

"By the way, senpai," asked Koneko, "every time we spar, why do you always try to do a flying kick as a finisher?"

"You did hurt yourself a lot from trying to pull that off," Akeno pointed out. "... Repeatedly might I add."

"Hey, I look the part, so I might as well act the part," Takeshi answered without a hint of irony or shame before flamboyantly posing like Ichigo. "One day, my own Rider Kick will destroy our enemies in the future with a flashy explosion!"

Koneko rolled her eyes in exasperation. "... Chūni Evil Dragon."

"I'm not objecting to the whole 'explosion' part, though," Nidhogg interjected. "That said, I don't like my food burnt. Or cooked."

"Anyway!" Rias cut the tangent off. "... The assembly of Lords have given you clearance. Takeshi, you can now take your first job."

"Awesome!" he pumped his fist. "... So, how do I get started?"

"This way," Akeno then guided Takeshi towards the prepared magic circle.

Upon stepping into it, Rias then walks up towards him.

"Place your palm onto mine," the President instructed as Takeshi did what she'd told him to do, causing the magic circle to start glowing beneath his feet.

A tingling sensation was felt by Takeshi, the intimacy of the touch from the opposite gender (sans his mother) that he'd never experienced before until now.

"... And we're done," Rias then broke off from Takeshi's hand, the latter now bearing the sigil to her House's Heraldry. "That will be your seal that allows you to use our teleportation arrays, and designating you as one of us."

"The main circle will be your way in and out through your various contracts," explained Yuuto. "Contracts we send out through our website act as one-time teleportation arrays so that we may arrive at their location at any given moment. Don't worry about being lured into a bogus contract. We vet various requests thoroughly and make sure that you won't be taking jobs like insurance fraud or Satan forbid, an ethnic conflict. That and President Gremory has to approve the client's request on her admin page to make it valid. She tends to delete more requests than actually approving them, so you'll be fine."

"Oh good," sighed Takeshi, worried about the various loopholes he found in that methodology. "So, got a job picked out for me?"

"An easy one," Rias reassured before DMing the link to his phone. "Think you can handle it by yourself?"

Takeshi then looks at the request, coming from a man named "Takeru" in need of repairing his instruments before a big concert.

"No sweat," he nodded, relieved at the triviality of said request. "Wish me luck, everyone!"

Takeshi then takes the request before stepping into the main magic circle.

"Ryuugamine Takeshi, taking off!" he announced before disappearing into thin air.

---

At the Client's Location...

---

Takeshi now found himself plopping before a studio-like room stacked with amps, guitars, and other instruments to make noise with.

"Ow..." he grunted. "... Not the most graceful landing."

"Um..." an apprehensive-looking man with bleached hair in his early-to-mid-twenties approached him, dressed in a long-sleeved black shirt with "Unmistakable Fact/The Chevrolet Impala/Is A Traditional/Brand Of/An American Birth/It Is Contributed/To The Progress/Of Society/During About/Half A Century" printed on it with faded white text along with a pair of torn jeans with a wallet chain hanging around his waist, and a pair of red Converse-brand sneakers. "... You're the Devil that I requested, right?"

"Representing House Gremory," Takeshi then showed off his newly-minted seal to his client for confirmation. "So, Takeru-san, I heard you need to fix a few things before the big day?"

"This way," he then led him to one of the equipment that needed fixing.

As soon as Takeshi was putting the finishing touches on the well-used Rickenbacker guitar, his client then receives a phone call before turning towards Takeshi.

"... Is something the matter?" he asked.

"Yeah, about that..." Takeru chuckled nervously, "... one of my guys, Chiaki, can't make it for practice today. That and there's only two days before the concert, and me, Genta-kun, and Mako-chan seriously need to practice so we don't get rusty for the big day. Could you also please act as our drummer's stand-in?!"

Takeshi then freezes up upon hearing that addendum.

"... I'll... pay you extra!" plead Takeru.

Before he knew it, right after Takeshi fixed their equipment, he now found himself standing behind a drum set with a pair of drumsticks in hand, with his client on lead guitar, Genta being on bass, and Mako as lead singer on the mic.

"WE ARE THE SAMURAI SHINKEN!" Mako shouted into her mic as the rest of the band (and Takeshi) prepared to play. "ONE TWO THREE FOUR!"

As soon as Takeshi hit the percussion, only a single thought flashed past his head.

... Oh nards.

---

Back at ORC...

---

"... Ryuugamine-kun's running a bit late, don't you think?" Akeno asked as the windows were now shining the setting sun's rays through the glass.

"Worst case scenario, we'll have to retrieve him directly," Rias pointed out. "... I swore that I vetted that contract properly-"

Then the magic circle shines before Takeshi reappears, stepping out of it, now with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Welcome back," Rias remarked with relief that he was safe. "... How was your first job-"

"A complete bust," Takeshi then plopped face-first into the sofa. "... Apparently, one of the bandmates couldn't make it, and the client requested me to fill in his place. Even tried to pay me extra."

"... Did it go well?" asked Koneko, who was chowing down on some seaweed-and-salt-flavored potato chips.

"... I mean... depends?" Takeshi apprehensively remarked before pulling out an envelope of money from his pocket. "... I mean, I technically fulfilled what the contract said, and I did get paid for said services... but..."

"... But what?" asked Yuuto.

Takeshi's face then turns red with embarrassment. "... I think they might have to cancel their concert."

"What happened?!" Rias asked in shock.

"I played the drums during practice, and all of the sudden, they all started convulsing and foaming at the mouth before all of them hit the floor!" he confessed out loud, confusing ORC more than anything.

"... Surely, it can't be that bad," Yuuto chuckled. "I mean, not all of us are musically inclined at the start-"

"No, it's bad," Takeshi cut him off. "And for the record, no, the Evil Dragons ain't got shit to do with it."

Everyone then looks down at the manifested Sacred Gear around his waist.

"... You wanna know how bad it is?" Nidhogg asked. "And no, that was just the drums."

Suddenly, a wave of morbid curiosity washed over all of ORC.

"... Can you sing for us?" Akeno requested on everyone else's behalf. "Better to have it judge it ourselves rather than take it face value."

Takeshi tried to worm his way out of this, but Koneko had blocked the door with herself. "... No resisting," she ordered. "We must know the truth."

"Don't worry, Ryuugamine-san," Yuuto confidently reassured. "I'm not that musically inclined either. So I won't be too harsh with my assessment."

"Time to present your evidence, Takeshi," Rias ordered. "... Sing. My orders."

With complete defeat, Takeshi sighs in resignation. "... You guys asked for it."

With that, he began singing Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger's opening theme.

---

Outside the ORC Clubroom...

---

"Good grief, all of these digital meetings are murder on my eyes..." Sona grimaced as she walked down the halls leading into Rias' base of operations. "Well, might as well see her in person and see how's she's doing on her end... and maybe have a chess match or two-"

Suddenly, Sona then clutches her chest as the air itself begins to stagnate.

"... Can't... breathe!" she gasped as her ears then heard a haunting, eldritch melody that gnawed away at her very soul.

Coming from the ending turn on one of the halls where Rias' office was at, Sona Sitri, concerned for her colleague from another House and Peerage, steeled herself to power through this unseen force of pure wrongness and see what was really happening in there.

Her legs feel as if they were made of lead. Her lungs felt as if they were being packed with sand. Her vision became clouded as if a blindfold was being tied over her head. And her soul was being chewed up like a piece of gum as she advanced towards the door leading into ORC's clubroom.

Sona tries opening the door, but it was blocked by something.

Gathering up her remaining strength, she then breaks the door down with a full-body tackle, ripping the door out of its hinges before landing face-first onto a mop of white hair-

"... Toujou-san?!" Sona then quickly got up to see that Koneko was unconscious, foaming at the mouth while her eyes were rolled back towards her head.

And finally, the melody stops, with Sona being the witness to a massacre.

Yuuto's entire upper half was now outside of a window he'd broken through, followed up with wet sounds of him vomiting. Akeno had fainted standing up, her expression being that of both pure bliss and pleasure. And Rias was relatively unharmed, but if one would take a close look into her eyes as of this moment, one could see that all light in said eyes has vacated from her pupils.

Only Ryuugamine Takeshi stood as the victor in this scene of carnage. "... Oh," he blinked before turning to face Sona. "... I didn't know we were having guests."

"... What the Hell happened here?!" Sona cried out in panic.

"I... sang?" he answered awkwardly before approaching Rias' desk. "... President? Are you... okay?"

As soon as Takeshi's hand waved over her face, she woke back up, cold sweat dripping from her brows as if she'd awoken from a bad dream. "... TAKESHI?!"

Both she and Takeshi then look down at [Cataclysm Zone], hearing Nidhogg groan in great discomfort.

"... I hate you... so fucking much," the Evil Dragon cursed his host, unable to fathom how his infernal belching that was classified as "singing" was even worse compared to the dumpster fire that was his performance on the drum set.

"... Rias?" Sona spoke up as she set Koneko upright against the wall. "... What happened here?"

Rias then gets up, absentmindedly ripping out a chunk of wood from her luxury desk where her fingers had dug deep into during Takeshi's impromptu concert.

"Whatever you do...!" the crimson-haired Devil then placed both her hands (with the wooden chunk) on her friend's shoulders, "... keep him away... from the music room!"

And no one fulfilled any further requests on that following night.

---

At an Undisclosed Location...

---

"Running myself ragged...!" grunted the cloaked figure as they pulled out their phone with their phone's calendar app with "Meeting Deciding Ryuugamine Takeshi's Fate" shaded for the past week. "... Damn the Underworld and their petty politicking!"

Their time-travel attempt had distorted the sequence of events to happen at an accelerated timetable. They were running around without sleep to ensure that the canon was persevered, even in this compromised state.

It was all for the sake of saving this world. Even if their arms and legs were broken beyond repair, they will save this world as they planned.

"The hypothesized point of convergence is coming up..." sighed the figure as they looked at the digital calendar towards the 31st of March. "... And if I'm correct, they should be here about now."

Climbing up on one of the trees of Mt. Hiba at the Shimane Prefecture, they spotted two horned figures, recognizing them as Oni.

However, they were also accompanied by an old man in an ash-black suit jacket over his kimono, his red-tinted shades gleaming in the moonlight.

"... No," they gasped in horror. "... The canon has been altered?!"

They then click the tally counter to "005."

"... I can't sit on the sidelines anymore," they muttered as they made their retreat from enemy territory. "I must take direct action at the allotted point of convergence!"

---

To Be Continued...

---

And thus ends the reboot's "Chapter 5," and oh boy, did my unintentional messing up of the calendar bite me in the ass.

Not only is the story on an accelerated timetable, but also because of the compacted timeline, I had to make a ton of cuts from the original fic just to accommodate my calendar system I set in place. As a result, I had to amalgamate several parts of both the original's Ch.4 and 5 to keep the "flow" of the story going as I perceive as consistency (to which it may vary on the reader).

One may say that my own inclusions aren't necessary, but I must stress that I don't want to copy and paste the original work. That's dvdrym's own thing. I prefer to keep it as such and respect the work as it is.

That and time traveling is a fickle mistress. Our time traveling stranger's struggle has to do with they keeping up with the altered schedule and making sure that the "canon" doesn't get too derailed.

They're basically Across the Spiderverse's Spider Man 2099, only working with (significantly) less staff.

As for my explanation of how magic works in this fic, I took a couple nods on Silver Quill's "After the Fact: Magical Ethics," in that to use magic is to fundamentally change the world around them (basically specialized reality warping on a case-by-case basis), and healing magic, for instance, is a case of "easy to learn, hard to master," being that if one needs a full-blown replacement organ, they're going to need to pull Orihime's powers to "reject reality" from Bleach to do so, which, for High and Ultimate-Class beings, is doable, but that just shows how powerful magic can be in terms of sheer potential of application.

And for Takeshi's singing... I made it a thousand times worse. Just for the lols. And to recontextualize the failure of his first job as a last-minute adjustment that no one saw coming to offset Rias' more sophisticated vetting process.

---

[Cataclysm Zone]'s Data Entry: [Blank Form]

Punching Power: 1 t

Kicking Power: 2.5 t

Maximum Jump Height: 6 m

Maximum Running Speed: 100m in 13 seconds

---

Tokusatsu References:

- Nidhogg quotes Avataro Sentai Donbrothers' Momoi Jin's catchphrase before Takeshi wakes up.

- Takeshi's reaction to what [Cataclysm Zone] has done to his life has him paraphrase a quote spoken by Kit from Kamen Rider Dragon Knight's Episode 4, "A Riders' Challenge."

- Rias quotes Gotchard Daybreak's catchphrase when offering a choice to Takeshi to either remain the way he is or become a Devil.

- Ryuugamine Hiroto does Enari Senichi/Bridge Carson's "thinking pose" from Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger/Power Ranger S.P.D.

- Takeshi's first client, Takeru, is wearing Shiba Takeru/Shinken Red's one of many shirts, with this one in particular shown in TvTropes' "Gratuitous English" page's main image. Also, his band, the Samurai Shinken is a blatant reference to Samurai Sentai Shinkenger, with the named bandmates named after the main Rangers.

---

OC Fancast:

- Takeru: Kaito Ishikawa (JPN), Stephen Fu (ENG)

- Mako: Tomo Muranaka (JPN), Risa Mei (ENG)

---

NOTE: I messed up on my calendar system. I changed the 24th to the 23rd since the latter is meant to be Saturday and they don't have school then. Apologizes for the error.

ANOTHER NOTE (23rd of July, 2024): I messed up again. Super Hero Time is meant to go in the sequence of Pretty Cure, Kamen Rider, and then Super Sentai, the latter two being switched placed initially before I set it back straight. MY BAD.