Beta read by Shigiya
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-Underworld-
After having lived within this supernatural world for quite a while, it could be said I developed a sixth sense when it came to certain individuals, those who would be far too troublesome to deal with and a guaranteed source of endless headaches, even worse than anyone I encountered in my regular day-to-day life.
And perhaps even more importantly, I developed a knack for sensing when I was standing before someone overwhelmingly powerful.
"Welcome to my humble lair, Black Dragon King. I've been looking forward to meeting you for many years now. It's not very polite of you to spend so much time around my grandson without paying a visit to his father, don't you think? Come, join me for some tea. I brewed it myself. It's not poisoned… or is it? Who knows! Hahaha!"
If I had to describe the sensation I felt in that moment, it would be like being thrown into the deepest reaches of the ocean, one where I couldn't see the end much less even truly grasp the vastness encompassing me, but could still feel the suffocating pressure trying to collapse my entire body. With someone like Grayfia, for example, it felt like standing beneath several weighted blankets, a pressure that was a bit difficult to ignore but still manageable without having to rely on my Sacred Gear or spells. Everyone seemed to experience this sensory phenomenon differently, but in my case, the intensity always served as a warning.
The man in front of me? Dangerous. Enough so that he brought to mind Sirzechs and that comparison alone made my stomach twist.
"Poisoning tea is poor etiquette, you know," the man added with a grin, waving his hand as if correcting himself. "Besides, it ruins the flavor. I've tried those older, less detectable poisons too, flavorless my ass. Even I can taste something is off, bleh. It's not completely tasteless, not really. You get it?"
The only thing I got was that this man was insane. That much was crystal clear. He radiated the kind of chaos you'd expect from someone who could do anything, at any time, without warning or reason.
"Who are you?" Rossweisse asked firmly, her voice cold. She summoned her sword and pointed it directly at the man, causing every bit of color to drain from my face. I was certain that this woman sensed something extremely off about this man, yet she still took this approach!?
"Whatever you've done to bring us here, I demand you stop at once and return us! In the name of the Allfather, I—"
Her bold declaration was cut short the moment I slapped a hand over her mouth and yanked her to the side. "Are you out of your damn mind!?" I hissed at her, barely restraining myself from smacking her on the head at her reckless behavior. "Don't antagonize him like that when you clearly can sense he's powerful, leave that suicidal action to the protagonist! Put that thing away and let me do the talking, okay?"
"You can't be serious. We were kidnapped, and you expect me to just stand here and not apprehend this man? Do not underestimate me. As a Valkyrie, I have been in the service of His Lordship for years, and I will prove it to you!"
Much to my horror, her body lit up in a dazzling flash with what resembled a black leotard forming around her body with some minimal plating on her chest, arms, legs, and waist… as somewhat erotic as it looked, the craftsmanship looked to be of high quality nonetheless.
"No, wait—!" I shouted, my arm half-extended in a futile attempt to stop her. But she either didn't hear me or simply ignored my plea.
With indignation flaring in her eyes, Rossweisse strode forward, the tip of her blade now dangerously close to the man's face. The strange man, unfazed, simply raised his teacup and took a long, noisy sip, as though the blade pointing at his skull were little more than a fly in the room.
"I will not ask this again, whoever you may be. Surrender now and return us to where we came from. Refuse, and you shall make an enemy of the Valkyries and of Lord Odin himself on top of the Devils."
It wasn't that I thought she was weak, far from it. Valkyries had a well-earned reputation in both the supernatural world and among the old tales of men. The sacred guides of fallen warriors, the chosen emissaries of Valhalla, the handmaidens of the All-Father himself. If I had to compare her, she might sit above the likes of Riser in power, possibly even go toe-to-toe with Grayfia. Of course, that was all speculation. I had never seen what a Valkyrie could do at full power.
Even so, some deep-rooted instinct in me screamed that this... this was a very bad idea.
"Oh my," the man chuckled, swirling his tea with a flick of his wrist. "Is this how you treat your host? I was told Odin greets visitors with a strip club, and copious amounts of liquor, and occasionally offers a Valkyrie or two to keep things warm. You wouldn't happen to be one of those, would you?" The moment the words left his smirking lips, Rossweisse went stiff. Crimson bloomed on her cheeks as she visibly trembled, torn between fury and mortification.
She actually fell for that taunt!?
"Shut up! That is completely false! We Valkyries are proud warriors—we would never debase ourselves like that!"
She conveniently skipped over the other two points, and it hit me—this guy had mentioned Odin's "hospitality" before, and given how often he hung around Azazel, I could only imagine the kind of stories he'd picked up. The mental image was... disturbingly vivid.
"You didn't deny the other two parts," I muttered under my breath, unable to help myself. The man snorted into his tea, clearly enjoying the show, while the silver-haired woman gave me a withering glare and turned away, still fuming and pouting.
"Lord Odin may be... eccentric in his hospitality," she admitted stiffly, "but he would never... never use us in such a way!"
Not really helping your case there…
"Really? Well, that's a shame," the man replied, resting his cheek on his knuckles with a grin that suggested he was enjoying himself far too much. "If Valkyries leaned into the hostess role a little more, securing alliances between pantheons would be much easier. Just look at what the Shinto and Greek followers are doing. They've no shortage of beautiful women sent to 'negotiate deals.'"
Honestly, I wasn't even sure if this man was more dangerous because of his power or because he had the conversational tact of a drunken philosopher with a god complex. Either way, I was already regretting being part of this.
Just where the hell was this conversation going? I couldn't read this guy at all. His goals, his tone, his bizarre sense of hospitality, it was like trying to analyze an abstract painting with a blindfold on. All I knew was that he had pulled us here using someone connected to Diodora, which made this entire situation even sketchier than usual. That was saying something.
Rossweisse, in all her noble Valkyrie glory, seemed to be done with the theatrics. "If you don't answer my questions right now, then I will detain you myself!"
Ah yes. The classic "I'll fix this with brute force" tactic. Always reliable. Always predictable. Always doomed.
She lunged forward, hand reaching for his collar with righteous fury in her eyes. I stood back, arms crossed, mildly curious. I could've stopped her. Probably should've. But let's be honest, she wasn't going to listen to someone who ranked lower than a footnote in her mental hierarchy.
Then it happened.
Bam.
A heavy, echoing sound cracked through the room. Something silver shot past me like a meteor, gouging a trench into the ground that looked like it belonged in a post-apocalyptic action movie. I turned slowly—because turning fast would have meant I was emotionally invested—and found Rossweisse embedded in the dirt like a failed prototype of a Valkyrie missile, a trickle of blood rolling down her chin.
"...Shit," I muttered under my breath.
'You want me to take over, partner?' Vritra's voice rumbled inside my head.
I shook my head. 'No. Something's off here. I can't teleport. That's the first red flag. Whatever trap this is, it wasn't half-baked.'
'It is as I feared. He's masking the majority of his power. I cannot form a full profile of his abilities.' Vritra commented, letting out a deep sigh which I mirrored.
'So, the usual then. Someone way above our pay grade doing something with no explanation or logic… just another day in the Underworld. Still, I understand the kind of lunatic you'd have to be to kidnap someone during a tournament with the Four Satans in attendance.'
'Indeed. But there are always people foolish enough to steal meat from a tiger's jaws.'
It took me a second to process that last part, "That's… not how the saying goes."
'Then be grateful I didn't say 'lick a dragon's nostrils while it's asleep.' I remember long ago when a drunk forest spirit went ahead with that and disturbed my sleep.'
Too much information, why even do that in the first place? No wait, I was getting distracted here! '...Probably not a good time to argue about idioms.'
The man, as if on cue, turned toward me with that same infuriatingly calm smile. "Ah, still chatting with the dragon, are we? He's welcome to join my little tea party, though I can't offer him snacks. Spirits trapped inside sacred gears are notoriously hard to serve. Unless you wish to try that neat little trick or years where you create copies of Vritra, though we might need a bigger cup of tea for that."
Of course, he knew. Of course, he did.
This guy was like if Dazai wrote a villain and gave him access to both infinite power and a tea set. Great. Just great. In the end, I let out a sigh, not because it was majestic or dramatic, but because of how profoundly fed up it sounded. Vritra had confirmed what I already suspected, which only made my mood worse.
Just once, just one damn time, I'd like to go a month without getting dragged into someone's apocalyptic PowerPoint presentation on why the world needed to burn or how they planned to start another war. Was that so much to ask?
Okay, he had not revealed anything yet, I was just guessing at this point but it wouldn't be too much of a shot in the dark with how often I have to hear the same song and dance. The tea party lunatic wanted a conversation, and for once I figured words might work better than swords, at least until the swords, spears, and fists started flying again. I inhaled, then exhaled. Then, with the kind of stoicism you'd expect from a man walking to his own funeral, I stepped forward, sat at the opposite end of the table, and stared.
I didn't touch the tea. Not because I thought it was poisoned, I just wasn't in the mood for jasmine-flavored near-death experiences today.
"You made your point," I said, voice flat. "What do you want from me?"
He blinked. Like I'd asked him if ducks had knees. A tilt of the head, a twitch of the lips—oh no, the smile was coming back. Fantastic.
"Now this is curious," he said, resting his cheek on his knuckles. "Why would I want anything from you in the first place, Hikigaya Hachiman? Do you have anything interesting to offer?"
He had a point. Which was annoying, because it was my job to be the one saying the dry, cutting truths in this room, the guy was good… I had to give him that at least. I gave a shrug. "I don't, I doubt you're after anything in my possession like the spear, my wealth is nothing but a speck of dust in comparison to your average Devil clan and I have a storage filled with cans of coffee which I doubt you're after. This leads me to the question of why go through all the trouble of kidnapping me. What's the point? You had Diodora do it, so obviously there was some deal struck between you two, he has much to gain from this. So my guess is that he promised you or gave you something that was worth your while."
That man was in a better position to offer this person something with him being the next heir to the Astaroth clan with access to countless resources.
"Also," I added, "I don't even know who the hell you are."
That part was half true. Something about him was nagging at the back of my head like a song you couldn't remember the lyrics to. The silver hair. The eyes. That smug, punchable face. He reminded me of Vali—if Vali got drunk on power and decided to cosplay as an old man on his off days.
But Vali would never smile like that. Or host tea parties. That man had all the social grace of a microwave.
"Oh right, how rude of me!" the stranger exclaimed suddenly, clapping his hands together with theatrical flair. "With all the chaos and your little girlfriend—"
"Not my girlfriend."
"—over there being feisty, I completely forgot! Please forgive my manners. I am Rizevim Livan Lucifer. Pure-blood devil. The true heir of the Lucifer name and your gracious host. A pleasure to finally meet you, Hikigaya Hachiman."
"…What."
My mind was almost short-circuited at that moment. That was the extent of my reaction. Not because it wasn't shocking—it was—but because my brain had momentarily stopped functioning at the absurdity of what he mentioned.
There was a pause. Then he grinned.
"Now that was the reaction I was hoping for. Surprised, aren't you? Bet you didn't think any of the old Lucifer lines still lived."
Of course, I was surprised. I wasn't that dead inside. From the moment I got dragged into this confusing and extremely perverted world, I made it a point to actually study the devil society. I'd done the reading. The great war between the three factions, the split between factions within the Devil society, and the civil war that gutted the old Satan system. The name "Lucifer" wasn't just big—it was foundational. It was the crown of a long-dead king of the Devils.
And this guy was claiming he wore it.
"…I'll be honest," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "It's really easy to lie when you're insane and drinking your own tea."
"True!" he said cheerfully. "But I do make a delightful cup, don't I?"
I stared at him. He stared back, absolutely thrilled with himself.
Yep. Definitely worse than Vali.
"You don't believe me?" He said while leaning his chin against his left palm.
"It's not that I don't believe you," I replied, pinching the bridge of my nose. "You just haven't given me any reason to believe you. No proof. No logic. Just theatrics.."
Need I remind him that we were, in fact, kidnapped and dragged here against our will? That usually doesn't scream 'trustworthy' in my books. This on top of him blasting away the young Valkyrie earlier on did not help his case. "So forgive me," I continued, "if my current judgment of your character isn't exactly glowing."
I said that with the casual tone of a man trying not to piss off a Powerful devil who could probably erase me with a sneeze. Granted, he hadn't done that yet, but I wasn't particularly eager to test his restraint either.
"Hahaha!"
He threw his head back, laughing so hard he nearly drenched himself in tea. For a moment, I considered that maybe that would improve his outfit.
"True! Very true!" he said, patting his knee like I'd just told a joke. "You have no reason to believe me. And if a glimpse of my power doesn't do the trick... maybe this will." Before I could ask what this referred to, twelve wings burst out from his back with a dramatic flourish, like a magician revealing his grand finale. Not that he was trying to intimidate me, he didn't need to. The sight alone was enough. Twelve devil wings. Neatly unfurled, perfectly symmetrical, and radiating that quiet kind of power that didn't need a spotlight.
Rizevim didn't even release his demonic energy. He didn't have to.
And then, just as casually, he dismissed them, like someone putting away a jacket after a long day.
"Well, if that's still not enough, you're welcome to keep thinking I'm some impostor. Not like I care much either way."
The difference with him was... subtle. No arrogance, no gloating. Just calm, laid-back indifference about the entire thing. And somehow that made him even more dangerous than the egomaniacal types. Arrogant devils were easy—they had buttons you could press. People like this? They wore no masks because they didn't need one.
They didn't want something.
They waited.
I sighed. "Hate to sound like a broken record here, but... what does someone like you want with someone like me?"
He raised a brow.
"I will also sound like a broken record as to why you assume I want something from you at all?" he asked, tone amused. "Are you even capable of offering me anything interesting? I am not even talking about anything related to your influence, at the end of the day you are only just the Black Dragon King, not an Emperor."
Ouch.
But fair.
I didn't answer immediately. Not because I was offended, but because he wasn't wrong. As much as I'd grown, I wasn't exactly some high-level player in devil politics. I didn't have world-breaking power despite what I was able to achieve recently. Unless he was after Ophis… that was the only reason I could think of that would lead a person like him to go this far.
But I could be wrong, so best to take a different approach.
"…My connection to Rias," I answered after a beat, waiting to see his reaction carefully.
His eyes gleamed. A short chuckle escaped him, the kind that said 'I was waiting for you to say that.'
"Ah yes. The Gremory heiress. She and that peerage of hers have certainly stirred the waters lately with the Sitri girl following suit.
Fame, influence, and now even the Red Dragon Emperor under the Sitri girl's wing. As for the Gremory one, she brought in that former exorcist. Friends with the wielder of Durandal and a piece of Excalibur, no less. Her queen is the daughter of Baraquiel and even a Nekoshou."
He leaned forward, eyes twinkling with amusement.
"Then there's that boy with Sword Birth, who managed to reach Balance Breaker without even trying. Their little collection is quite impressive, wouldn't you say? It was only a matter of time before they'd make waves—oh wait, they already have with these Rating Games, haven't they?"
I didn't answer. What was there to say? He was right. The way he listed them off made me feel like I was the NPC who gives out the tutorial quests while they were all endgame bosses. But I've survived this long by being underestimated, by slipping through cracks when nobody was looking. That had to count for something in this mess.
"It was bound to happen," I said, the words tumbling out before I could stop them. "After all the crap they've been through lately, it'd be weirder if they weren't collecting power-ups like trading cards."
Rizevim's comments danced around everyone in Rias's group—but never mentioned me. Not once. It didn't escape me. Most people just assumed I was a full-on member of Rias's peerage, especially after everything that had happened lately. Even Vritra and I were still trying to figure out the full scope of... well, whether or not the Piece truly worked. So for this guy to not even bother pretending? He knew. Or at least, he knew something.
I was halfway through mentally sorting the implications of that when a different thought hit me like a rogue dodgeball in gym class.
"Wait…"
The initial presence of surprise crossed my face as I made sure to act the part, I blinked, and my voice dropped as the realization formed. "If it's not because of my connection to Rias... then the only other reason I can see you wanting anything to do with me is—" My eyes narrowed. "Katerea."
I saw it then, the faintest twitch at the corner of his mouth. Not denial. Amusement. "You're a member of the Chaos Brigade, aren't you?" I said, not really asking at this point.
His smirk widened, confirming what I already knew.
"Hah! Not bad," he said with a chuckle that could curdle milk. "You're sharper than I gave you credit for. Quick on the uptake, even. But you're still wrong about a few things."
Here we go.
"I don't care about the Gremory nor the Sitri. As for Katerea, she was too weak and arrogant for my liking, finding herself getting captured for her own faults. She, just like many from Shalba's little group, can and will be replaced easily in the coming future. You can kill her if subjecting her to humiliation no longer is entertaining, perhaps make it a show for the Underworld to see, I guarantee it will be a hit episode."
And that... well, that threw me off just a bit.
I mean, I should have expected it. Nihilism practically oozed from this guy like bad cologne. But it was still jarring to hear him say it with such brutal clarity. Was he lying? Messing with me? Or did he really just not give a damn about any of it? "I will admit, I half expected you to just be here to recruit me in your group or something."
"Sure," he went on, "it might be entertaining to try recruiting you to my little circle, but we both know that'd be a waste of time."
Agreed. I wasn't exactly known for backstabbing people let alone joining a terrorist group set to cause chaos like their unoriginal name implied.
"And as for your connections to those girls—bah. Couldn't care less about those brats."
He said it with such dismissive disgust that I almost flinched on Rias's behalf. Almost.
"You see, I came here—" he gestured vaguely "—or rather, brought you here, for more than one reason. One of them... is plain curiosity."
His eyes glinted, not with malice, but something worse.
Interest.
"You've been popping up more often, Hikigaya Hachiman. Close enough that I started to wonder—who is this man? Where did he come from? What's his history? I saw your first fight against White Dragon Emperor, it couldn't be more one-sided, yet your recent battle against a Cadre surprised me. And so... here I am."
A part of me wanted to roll my eyes at the whole "I was just curious" excuse. "That glare, you look at me as if I am your enemy. Or are you surprised that I am different from what you had in mind of someone with the name Lucifer? Being so uninterested in matters related to the new Satan Faction and the Old Satan Faction?"
"Are you not?" I asked, voice steady. "You are Lucifer, after all. Wouldn't surprise me if you were unhappy with the one who took your throne and decided to seek a little revenge."
It was a trope as old as time—classic fallen-king-turned-antagonist material. If we were in a fantasy novel, this is exactly the point where he'd start monologuing about betrayal, vengeance, and reclaiming lost glory. So I waited, half-expecting the cliché to unfold.
Instead, he just laughed.
"While it's true that many are confused by my actions," he said, a wry smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, "they weren't made to abolish the new Satan faction or resurrect the old one. That'd be idiotic. Waste of time, really. Let the kids play their game while I focus on my own little pet project in the corner, they'll eventually kill each other off… somehow, not that much remains of the Old Satan Faction. Shalba is a failure."
He waved a hand lazily as if swatting away the entire concept.
"That concern belongs to fools like Beelzebub and whatever sad remnants still cling to that crusty old ideology while failing to truly encompass what it means to be a Devil. Can't even remember who's still in it. Probably dead by now. Not that I ever cared about those stubborn idiots who couldn't see past the tip of their own inflated noses."
Charming.
I hadn't expected to have this conversation. Not with him. And certainly not like this. Worst part? I could tell he wasn't lying. Or if he was… then he was the best liar I'd met so far. And given his bloodline, that tracked.
Still, it begged the question—why lie to me in the first place? What did he stand to gain?
"You've gotten quite close with Sirzechs and his family lately, haven't you?" he asked suddenly. "Even the fallen angels… the Grigori."
I gave a nonchalant shrug, though I knew he'd see right through it.
"Well, I am in a relationship with both Akeno and Rias," I said plainly. "Hard not to form at least some kind of amicable relationship with their families."
He chuckled again, but there was something sharper beneath the humor. "Fair point. Still, I was hoping you'd have kept a more neutral stance. From what I've heard, you weren't exactly fond of the Evil Piece system that Sirzechs and his camp support."
He wasn't wrong.
Back when I was first introduced to devils, I found the whole concept of Evil Pieces revolting. The idea of using them to bind humans into servitude rubbed me the wrong way on a fundamental level. It felt like… slavery, dressed up in chess metaphors.
And in some cases, that gut reaction had been right. Plenty of devils still treated their peerage members like tools. Disposable. Replaceable.
But over time, I'd seen the other side of it too.
Not all devils were the same. Individuals like Sirzechs, Rias, and the Sitri family—they treated their peerage with dignity. Some even saw them as family. Especially in the Gremory household.
People change with time. So did perspectives.
"In the end," Rizevim said, voice soft but cutting, "you became a slave like the rest of them."
"If that's how you see it, then there's nothing I can say to change your mind," I replied, calm but firm. "I made my choice. I knew the consequences and I didn't take it lightly."
I met his gaze evenly.
"But let's cut to the point. You didn't bring me here to debate my life decisions. As much as I'd love a philosophical chat with a member of the Lucifer clan, I'm a bit pressed for time. And I'm sure others are starting to notice I've gone missing."
Because no matter how civil this was, I wasn't about to forget where I was.
Or who I was dealing with.
He nodded, a low hum rumbling from his chest before his gaze flicked toward the other side of the room. With a casual snap of his fingers, a blinding light erupted, so sudden and intense that I instinctively shielded my eyes. Even before my vision adjusted, I heard it: the sharp, pained groan of Rossweisse.
When the glare finally faded, I found her suspended mid-air, arms limp, feet dangling, as if some invisible force had locked her in place.
"No matter how many times you try to lash out," Rizevim said, his tone laced with amusement, "it won't change a thing. Fortunately for you, I'm in a rather generous mood today. So here's your third chance. Don't you think I'm quite forgiving, Hikigaya Hachiman?"
His eyes slid to me with a grin that made my skin crawl. I had no idea what this freak was playing at, but I wasn't in any mood to find out what his version of a fourth chance looked like.
"Let's not escalate things," I said firmly, shifting my gaze to Rossweisse with a warning glare. "Our first priority is finding a way back. Provoking him helps no one."
She tensed, jaw tight—but after a moment, I saw the flicker of understanding in her eyes. Slowly, the invisible pressure around her dissipated, and she dropped onto her feet with a quiet grunt. She didn't speak. Instead, she stepped behind me and leaned in close, her breath brushing my ear.
"Under no circumstances should you trust this man," she whispered, low and sharp.
"I know," I murmured back.
Even if he hadn't made any overt moves to kill me, the sense of danger clung to him like a second skin. My guard hadn't dropped for a second.
'Partner, that light…' Vritra's voice echoed in my head, more cautious than usual. 'Be careful.'
Already clocked that, I thought back. 'It didn't feel holy or similar to Gabriel's magic, so what was it?'
'No... not exactly.' His tone deepened. 'It's neither holy magic nor the typical light magic we're familiar with. It's... something else. Similar in nature, but twisted. If I had to describe it... it's as if light and demonic energy were forced to coexist in a single form.'
A fusion of opposites. Light and shadow are trapped in the same shell. But I kept that reaction to myself, waiting for Rizevim to continue. The area went still for several long seconds, silent enough that I could hear the blood in my ears—until finally, he spoke again.
"Tell me... have you ever been curious about the Dimensional Gap?"
That caught me off guard.
Of all the things I expected him to bring up—Sirzechs, the current state of the Underworld, the balance of power, even her—the Dimensional Gap hadn't even made my mental list.
Still, I answered carefully. "I have a basic understanding of it."
But he raised a finger.
"Ah, ah. That's not what I asked. I said—have you ever been curious about its purpose?"
I paused, then replied, "It's a space between realms. A void that separates the Underworld, the Human World, Heaven, and many other dimensions belonging to different factions including Valhalla. You could call it a fourth realm, a neutral zone of pure chaotic infinite energy."
He began clapping, slowly, with a mockingly impressed look on his face.
"Congratulations! That puts you ahead of ninety percent of the fools I have under my command. Truly, a rare intellect."
"I appreciate the sarcasm," I deadpanned.
He chuckled. "Still, you're not wrong. The Dimensional Gap is a place between places, a world designed to hold the others apart. It's made of energy so dense, so volatile, that even I wouldn't spend too much time in it. It would start to tear me apart, piece by piece. But... there are beings who live there. Who calls that chaos home."
My breath hitched slightly, my previous fears slowly starting to come true and I became more cautious.
Ophis.
He was definitely after Ophis.
Maybe he'd caught wind that she was with me. Maybe he'd tracked her presence through whatever arcane means he had access to. Either way, it added up.
"You're wondering if I came for Ophis, aren't you?" he said, cutting into my thoughts with a casual, unnerving certainty.
I flinched. Not outwardly, my face hadn't changed at all. My poker face was flawless. But somehow, this man read me like an open book. I didn't know whether to be shaken or terrified.
"Are you afraid?"
"No. I'm just trying to figure out how to escape if you try to capture me," I answered coolly.
"Hahaha! You really are amusing. Perhaps I'd have made you a court jester, had I ascended to power. But I digress. You're correct about the Dimensional Gap, but there's something more you haven't considered. Tell me... have you ever wondered if there were other worlds?"
"…"
"Things are not as simple as they seem. I don't mean realms tied to pantheons like Hell or Valhalla. I'm talking about entirely separate worlds. Places that exist outside our ecosystem. Have you ever thought of that?"
Thought of it? More than that, I knew for a fact they existed since I was from one. A world completely cut off from this mess, one devoid of any supernatural element as far as I knew. But why would he care about that? Why would he know?
I didn't like this.
"Of course, you'd be interested," he said, as if reading my thoughts. "After all, that's where your home is... isn't it?"
"—!"
Damn it, I couldn't hide the shock this time. My mouth parted slightly, and the mask I'd worn cracked open. I had no idea how he knew. Not even Vritra or those closest to me had been aware of that part of my past.
'Partner… this is dangerous,' Vritra said gravely, and I felt the same dread crawling under my skin.
"What...?" Rossweisse looked confused, clearly puzzled by the exchange and waiting for some sort of explanation—but I couldn't offer her one. Not now.
"How?" I asked softly, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Who knows?" he answered with a grin that made my blood boil.
I wanted to punch that smug face in. If he knew that, did he know more? Were there others like me? Was he the reason I ended up here? Too many questions, and too little clarity.
"You're just an innocent soul caught in a storm," he continued, voice low and almost sympathetic. "Grabbed by force by a selfish being and then thrown into our world without reason. Forced to face dangers you were never meant to. Stripped of your fate, burdened with political chaos, and hunted by gods and monsters alike. It's not fair, but that's the truth."
I said nothing, the way he worded the phrase and it seemed like he knew what or who exactly brought me here. Then, a thought rose unbidden—and I voiced it.
"I put that part of my life behind me. I moved on."
"Have you really?" he asked, bemused, speaking to me as though he knew me personally. "Can you truly forget your past? Can you really look away from your family and your loved ones, those who must be distraught by your disappearance? Humans were born with the ability to lie better than some gods. But you can't hide from the truth… or even lie to yourself."
'Well I am not certain how someone like him was able to uncover your secret, what you decide next will be completely on you.' The dragon within me said gently, 'at the end of the day, this is your life so I will not force you to make a particular decision with whatever this person will offer to you next. I know you like to use logic with each of your decisions, to a frightening degree at times, but you are still prone to being emotional so be careful.'
Emotional huh… I had my moments. "A lot of time has already passed since the day I left and was reborn, while even if I do have some attachments left of the past, I am pretty certain that everyone has already moved on."
Komachi, my parents, Yukino, Yui, and plenty of others. "All of them have most definitely lived their life perfectly normally with my absence, putting me back there will only disrupt things and complicate everything. They most definitely have already started a family by now, I am nothing but a relic of the past."
"Time is an interesting thing you know," Rizevim added as I said my part, twirling a spoon in his hand. "It is one of the most sought-after powers for both mortals and gods alike, the latter where a few hold control over the concept as their domain but in actuality few of them, rather none of them truly have mastered that power for it is complex beyond one's understanding. It is due to this reason especially that one can assume that certain worlds experience time differently, We can see that phenomenon in our own little ecosystem as well. What's to say that if you were to go back, rather than years it would have been mere moments that have passed. That you would end up where you left off where you lost nothing and could continue on where you left off."
If that were the case, then the offer started to sound even more attractive than I like to admit. If I could just wake up back in class, all of this being nothing more than a dream I had, a very long and intense dream.
But I could not accept that.
This was not just a dream.
Several faces rushed through my mind: Akeno, Rias, Aika, Asia, Kiba—too many to count. They'd all left their mark on me, permanent as ink on paper. I remembered walking into Kuoh Academy for the first time, stupidly thinking I might find some peace and quiet there. Meeting Akeno with that dangerous smile that promised pain disguised as pleasure. The shock when I first encountered devils, the moment Vritra's Delete Field awakened inside me, Asia's tears when she called me kind against all evidence. Every memory felt real. Solid. Mine.
All the ridiculous hurdles. The brushes with death. The weird, chaotic days felt more like an anime plot than real life. I remembered the people who helped me, who stayed, who pushed me forward even when I had no idea where "forward" was. Just like my old life, this one had become something I couldn't easily discard.
So when he brought up the "truth"—whatever grand revelation he thought he was dropping—I couldn't help but scoff inwardly.
"Even if you know everything, why approach me in the first place? If I wanted to go back, I would've done it ages ago," I said. "Let's say I did find a way. A portal. A bridge. A convenient plot device. Why the hell would I bring this world's dumpster fire into mine? I've got enough of a mess up here already."
Vritra was right, my emotions had a say in my decision-making, no doubt. But that didn't mean I was blind. That didn't mean I couldn't use logic when it mattered. And right now, logic screamed one thing louder than everything else.
Why? Why did this guy care about my original world?
It had no magic. No dragons. No devils or angels or Valkyries. Just traffic, troublesome high school kids who always sought after validation from those around them, part-time jobs, and social anxiety. A painfully average world where fantasy only existed behind bookstore shelves. So why would someone like him—a member of the Lucifer clan, no less—care?
"I don't trust you," I said bluntly. "So thanks, but no thanks. I'm going to have to decline your 'offer.'"
"Well said," Rossweisse finally broke her silence with a smile. "While I do have many questions to ask about what was discussed previously, we can do so later… if you're willing of course!" It didn't escape me that she now knew my biggest secret. One of the few people I'd never planned to let in had suddenly gained access to the very core of my existence. A Valkyrie I'd known for all of five days, give or take. Odin would hear of it eventually. That bridge would burn when I got to it, assuming I lived that long.
"What a shame," the man said, his voice laced with mock disappointment. "But really now, I wasn't offering. I was just making conversation before taking you~!"
The smile he gave was the kind you'd see right before a serial killer pulled the trigger. This man was creepy and dangerous beyond words!
My eyes widened. A chill gripped my spine. Instinct took over.
[Balance Breaker!]
Black fire erupted around me as I wasted no time upon bringing out my trump card. Vritra's power surged — cold, consuming, and comforting. But even as my armor formed, a blinding white light flared from the man's palm.
"Hikigaya!" Rossweisse shouted.
She moved faster than I could. Magic circles layered themselves around us like hastily assembled barricades. One by one, they shattered. The impact broke through every defense, every ward, and slammed into me like a freight train fueled by spite.
"Ugh—!"
I went flying. Crashing through boulders, stone, maybe even a couple of unfortunate trees. The world blurred, then went black, then sharp again as my body slammed into a mountain wall. The crater I left behind was impressively large. Too bad my lungs didn't appreciate it. I coughed, spitting out saliva laced with blood.
"Are you okay?!"
Rossweisse stumbled toward me, just as battered, more bruised than I remembered. I checked myself—armor cracked, chest scorched, and part of my shirt burned away. A fist-sized crater on my torso. The skin was charred, but I could move. Nothing broken, miraculously.
"Yeah. Peachy. Just got sucker punched by a nuke, no big deal."
Sarcasm was my only functioning defense mechanism at this point. I looked at the smug devil ahead of us.
"Attacking your guests now? Man, your hospitality's really top-notch."
"Lies. Betrayal. That's the nature of devils," he said with a grin. "You should've known that from the start."
"So the whole 'help you get home' thing was a lie too, huh? Figures."
"Not quite. I can send you back. But of course, there's a tiny catch. Once you're quite qualified to fulfill. You have a link to that world that still resides within your soul, it will be a handy way to test a few of my experiments out and we do get access to a whole new world. So you will come with me whether you like it or not, don't worry, I'll make sure that we will have lots of fun~ Details, details."
There was absolutely no way I would let this man ever reach my world and cause mayhem, over my dead body!
"And let me guess, you made a deal with Diodora. One of those 'get rid of the nuisance so I can go full villain' kinds of deals."
"You could say that. But really, this is all just for fun. You survived the first hit, so I figured, why not keep going? I'm bored. Let's see how long you last. You fought my grandson and lived. Surely you can entertain me for a little while, can't you?"
This world would find new ways to screw with me just when I thought I had the script figured out.
Not that I had time to dwell on the family tree. Another surge of demonic energy came flying at us, no time for witty remarks or existential dread.
[Delete Field!]
My Sacred Gear activated just in time, dulling the force of the blast. But not nearly enough. The explosion spread outward, a dome of destruction that swallowed everything in its path. Wind howled, trees snapped like twigs, the very earth groaned under the pressure.
"Okay. That was regular demonic energy? Seriously?"
"What do we do now?"
"What else do you think? Run!"
This was not the time to face an impossible obstacle and hope for another power boost to come out of nowhere to save the day. I got lucky before but part of me was certain that I had exhausted that luck well long ago by now. Grabbing onto Rossweisse, I pushed myself to move as fast as possible as my figure was practically becoming a blur across the empty wasteland. "Look out!"
Heating the woman's words, my legs nearly broke apart as I took a shop right turn using every ounce of my power to push against the ground and make my way up in the air right as what appears to be a freaking bullet made out of pure demonic energy the size of an entire several stories tall building crash onto the ground.
A pillar of pure demonic energy rising in the air, pushing the clouds apart as it looked like it would tear through the very sky and shatter everything.
The impact was powerful enough that for a brief moment I saw the mountain near us practically get flattened in mere moments. This could not be a power possessed by an ultimate class devil, this was the might that only a superclass devil would possess.
"Shit, what's with these broken people always appearing out of nowhere! Can I just deal with someone who is weaker than me for once!?" I shouted to no one in particular, at this point starting to believe that the world itself had a grudge against me and wanted to end my life to correct the error of having an outsider reincarnate in this place!
Woosh!
As I tried to take flight once again, the space in front of me shifted and before I knew, Rizevim appeared before me while yawning.
"Alright then, you still need some time to get to the same level as me so don't expect to—"
[Absolute Delete Field!]
Why even wait for the villain to finish his monologue? Holding back was a mistake that I would not commit, the Valkyrie was within my grasp so I could make sure she would not get hit by this attack and so I poured all of my energy into this one spell. Several strands of black flame gather around my palm into a tiny sphere, condensing into a single point before expanding immediately and engulfing everything in its path. Pulling all three of us into a world of nothingness which would buy me some time.
With the spell still in effect, I flew away until my figure left the dome, only for something to grab hold of my ankle. "You gotta be kidding me." I looked downwards to find the old man half emerged from Absolutely Delete Field, his clothes in pristine condition without so much as a wound present on his face.
"I will admit, this is a very neat spell."
With a sudden yank, I was thrown downwards, crashing into the ground though not as painful as you would have been since the person next to me used a few spells to cushion the fall this time — but I still felt my bones rattle.
"We can't keep this up, looks like running away won't be an option." I said with a groan escaping my lips. "Unless you have some way to teleport us out of here."
"I-I can't… something is blocking my spell too." Rossweisse looked absolutely mortified and ashamed as she said that there was no need to be like that since I was in the same boat as her. "Wait, I know of a way. I will stay behind, you fly as far as you can until you are out of bounds of whatever trap is set in place, I don't think the spell can cover such a large area."
Stay behind? No way, "You are not going to sacrifice yourself or even attempt to do anything of that sort." While I appreciated the gesture and even felt a bit overwhelmed that a Valkyrie of all people was willing to lay down her life for me, I was not going to accept it.
"Honestly not like it matters, I'll kill you regardless. You weren't even supposed to be here in the first place."
My hands moved as soon as I heard that voice, my spear forming mid-air as I grabbed it and trusted the weapon above right as a blast descended upon us. With the girl also reacting at the same time as I and creating a barrier around us. The explosion fortunately did not manage to hurt any of us but that was the least of my concern when I found the old man standing outside the barrier with his finger tracing the surface.
"Norse magic has always been something that I was interested in trying out myself, so ancient, intricate, and surprisingly efficient. But I suppose that's the boon you get when your chieftain is Odin."
This guy… he was not even taking this seriously. 'Vitra, I may need you to tag in soon. Do you think you'll be able to take on a super-class devil?'
'To kill one? Unlikely. But I have enough in my arsenal to make sure that both of us end up surviving this, so leave this to me. I plan to save this for Ddraig, unfortunately, that old lizard will have to wait.'
At least he sounded positive, so that was something to give me some room to feel relieved. "Rossweisse, I will let Vitra take control so just follow whatever he says, got it?"
"Eh, take control? What do you—"
"Just do as he says!" I did not have the time to explain her my circumstances, so with the hope she would follow my instructions, I slowly let my consciousness drift deeper into the darkness as the dragon within me started to make his move and ascend from the abyss. Only for that sensation to come to an abrupt halt when I felt a sharp pain come from my wrist, which happened to be Rizevim holding onto my hand with a light I could not identify sweeping over me.
"As much as I would like to see firsthand the kind of power your sacred gear possesses, unfortunately, I have to end this quickly before we have other visitors disturb our little get-together." He said something before striking me in the chest, an attack that was not meant to break anything as I felt no pain. But what followed shook me to the core, the armor that surrounded me immediately disappearing and breaking in less than a second, no, it did not break apart actually, it had been forcefully dismissed and whisked away into the shadows.
He turned off my Sacred Gear!?
"So it still does work on you after all, I was a bit concerned that to you in your special circumstances, it would have no effect, but thankfully I was proven wrong."
Holding the power to cancel sacred gears, was perhaps the most broken kind of ability I encountered in this world so far. Individuals who relied on relics capable of doubling their power every second or those who could have the opponent's power all relied on their sacred gears in the end for such a thing to be easily stripped away posed an enormous level of danger.
No wonder he was just laid back the entire time.
"Delete Field!"
I tried summoning one part of Vritra's abilities, only to be met with the same outcome as before with nothing happening at all, further making my heart sink. "Funny how someone who is seen as a powerful individual in the supernatural world to be so quickly turned into nothing but a regular human when their sacred gears are stripped away."
All right, time for plan b then.
My fingers moved quickly, scribbling several runes in the air, All of them glowing a bright yellow light before exploding upon the man's face. This was enough for him to let me go.
"Cough cough! Ouch, you better pray that you did not singe my beard just now, do you have any idea how long it took for me to grow this out?" Rizevim emerged with a wound on his body for the first time which only amounted to a few of his hair being burnt off by my last attack.
I stumbled back, my wrist throbbing like it had just gone ten rounds with a jackhammer—already turning a lovely shade of purple. Yeah, he'd definitely cracked something. Not that I couldn't move my fingers or anything, but it wasn't exactly a walk in the park either. "Hachiman, I know you may not like my plans, but this is the only way for one of us to escape. Just let me handle this man and you take the opportunity to flee as far as you can! We Valkyries are warriors, death does not sca—"
Her words barely were uttered as in the next moment, several large-scale spells surrounded us with an insane amount of demonic energy gathering in the center before taking the shape of the same enormous bullet that nearly struck us before. But now their numbers have practically increased by several dozens and give us no room to escape. I gave her a dry side eye, "I'm sorry, but it seems like we are both stuck here. You'll have to attempt your heroic sacrificial nonsense another time."
While I have given her a sarcastic response, I was still in a full-on panic mode at the moment. I was practically stripped away of my most reliable partner and source of power with my own magic being barely enough to even burn this man's hair. Then there was the suicidal Valkyrie by my side who kept wanting to sacrifice herself to buy me some time. "Your message won't work, even if you were to buy me a few seconds, he would quickly catch up to me."
"There must be something we can do!"
Rizevim approached, his gait unhurried as he looked at his beard with a pocket mirror he got from somewhere, looking at the damage before a cruel smirk tugged at his lips as swirling demonic sigils began to orbit his outstretched hands. "Now then," he said, voice laced with gleeful malice, "where were we?"
"You were trying to capture me and use me as some sort of compass to lead you to my world? Perhaps killing us won't be the best thing to do."
"Oh, you're right," he said, snapping his fingers with a flourish. The barrage of spells dissipated into the air, leaving just one ominous orb of energy still swelling behind him. "But I could always patch you up afterward—toss your consciousness into a doll, maybe. Or, better yet, I could just chop off your limbs. Less running, less fuss. Your call. But as for your girlfriend here? Apologies, she's not making it out alive either way." He shrugged like he was discussing the weather.
Imagining either outcome sent a chill down my spine. My desperation grew stronger and my options were dwindling until I had only one option left that I truly wished to avoid at all cost. "I need your help."
Upon my words, Ophis appeared above me in complete silence. Looking at the chaos around us with the same stoic face as ever.
No dramatic flash, no violent ripple—just a sudden and total presence, as if the void had blinked and she had been there all along. Rizevim just stood there with a hint of surprise in his eyes. "Oh, so you were with him after all, Ophis-chan! Well you arrived at the right moment, I was just finishing up here and making preparations for the final few steps of my plans. You are welcome to spectate, I'll make sure to make it entertaining!"
"No," as he tried to approach at first, Rizevim was stopped by the Dragon God who floated between me and the devil. "He is mine, not yours."
"What?" Rizevim's smile died down for the first time since I met him. As soon as those words left her lips, the space around us started to distort and rip apart. Sucking both me and Rossweisse in an instant.
"Wah!"
Both of us were at first falling endlessly within a never-ending void before finally ending up landing somewhere hard where I immediately recognized it to be the very same room I was in before being kidnapped basically. The distorted space closed up on the ceiling, but Ophis was nowhere in sight.
"A… are you okay?" The woman asked, looking around and recognizing the place before approaching me and making sure I had no wounds on me. Noticing the color around my wrist before using some sort of spell which immediately killed off the pain but I could tell it was not actually healing it like Asia's Sacred Gear. "We need to find you help immediately, the infirmary is just nearby."
As I was about to agree with her, a familiar cold voice rang inside the room.
[This is the last call for Hikigaya Hachiman and his team to arrive on the field. If the leader is not present in the next five minutes, then it will be considered as an automatic forfeit with the Sitri team being the victor.]
Ah… right, the Rating Game, honestly I had completely forgotten about it. It also seemed like no one had noticed my disappearance, well not that much time passed honestly, so I did not blame them. Still, where the hell were Xenovia and the others then?
"So I'm fighting Sona huh… this is what you were waiting for weren't you, Vritra? Though to tell you the truth, I just want to find Diodora now, beat him up a bit, and demand answers from the guy. What do you think?" I asked while lying on my back, letting the Valkyrie use her magic on me.
"So, what do you think?" I asked again, seeing that the dragon had not answered me for a few seconds.
"..."
Again, no voice spoke to me.
"Vritra?" A bad feeling came over me, quickly getting up I called his name a couple more times only to end up in the same scenario as the last one. Did whatever Rizevim used on him have a bigger effect on the dragon? Was he stunned and just needed a moment to wake up again? He was still in there, I could feel Vritra's gear and presence.
But he had just gone quiet for some reason.
[One more minute remaining.]
Grayfia's voice filled the room and I found myself facing a seriously bad situation.
"Shit."
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The next 5 chapters of Snafu, and my other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters, Steel Eyed Faker soon to be 3 chapters, Hound having 3 and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.