For months, Magdaran had trained his body again and again, reaching the peak of Ultimate class in every measurable aspect.
Strength, Touki, demonic reserves, spell efficiency, physical durability, muscle fiber density, reaction speed, all of it had been polished, tested and refined.
He treated his growth like the falna system of Danmachi, upgrading every hidden stat until not a single point of potential remained unused. Before advancing to Satan class, he wanted no gaps left, nothing loose, nothing unstable.
Now that he had reached the absolute limit of what an Ultimate class devil body could hold, it was time to reach the level which stands at the limit of the devil race.
I had a training room prepared specially for the past few days of training, away from the main estate of the Bael clan, in case I unleash some uncontrolled power of destruction.
The room was silent except for the faint humming of barrier layers stacking atop one another. Magdaran moved calmly, his hands tracing glowing circles across invisible surfaces while multiple magic circles activated in parallel. Each rune slotted into place with mechanical precision.
He had spent the previous day constructing the strongest barrier system he was capable of forming, layering compression wards, absorption matrices, sound nullification, vibration stabilizers, and several emergency collapse filters. They interlocked like gears in an impossible machine.
He stepped back and inspected the room.
The walls shimmered faintly, like a perfect glass shell covering reality.
This was the most he could do.
His expression did not change, but a thought flowed through him.
'Whether these can truly contain a Satan class breakthrough is questionable, but it is the best I can create at this stage. If this room explodes, I will simply have to repair it.'
He inhaled slowly.
'Though, it would be better if it holds, it would be better if my news of breakthrough is controlled by me, and not just instantly felt by others as soon as I become one...'
The air felt thick. Heavy. As if the world itself were anticipating something.
Then, he exhaled, and the shift began.
His body jerked once, hair lifting as though gravity forgot its purpose, and in the next instant a surge of demonic energy erupted from within him.
Crimson power flooded outward, rising like a burning tidal wave. The aura that burst forth was not simply energy, but an unprecedented, immense and oppressive force, forcing the very space around him to distort in concentric ripples.
Crimson lightning crackled across his arms. The floor vibrated as if alive.
He had done this twice before, during his advancements to High class and Ultimate class. But this time was different, Satan class was a border. A threshold that only a few devils ever crossed. He pushed toward it with everything he had built inside himself.
Every breakthrough led to an exponential increase in energy, and a Satan class had enough energy to power up several countries indefinitely, and these are conservative measures.
His Touki ignited spontaneously, the silver white battle aura flaring up around his muscles, weaving itself into the raging demonic energy in a volatile storm. But previous breakthroughs, this was controlled. Perfectly measured.
'Now synergize. Reinforce. Stimulate. Break and reshape.'
His muscles flexed and tightened, then loosened again as Touki ripped through every physical limitation he possessed. The aura strengthened his tendons, hardened his bones, flooded his organs with revitalizing force and tore apart microscopic imperfections before healing them with reinforced density. His blood burned with power as it circulated faster than any normal devil body could survive.
For a moment, the noise inside the sealed room resembled a roaring furnace.
But the barriers held.
Barely.
Cracks formed along the outermost layer, shimmering like broken glass, but the internal layers compensated and reinforced. He paid them no attention. His consciousness was focused entirely inward.
The demonic energy ocean within him surged, climbing higher and higher, expanding like a universe being born. The internal membrane separating Ultimate from Satan stretched impossibly thin.
Then it shattered.
A soundless shockwave rushed outward, forcing every barrier layer to flare violently as the entire room shook with contained force. Crimson light, born from Power of Destruction interacting with raw demonic growth, ignited around his shoulders and vanished just as quickly.
The moment stretched. Then stabilized.
Intense energy was flooding inside his body, continuously expanding his reserves, growing multiple times over, the process took a lot of time, but Magdaran cherished the pain with determination, the time of breakthrough was one of unimaginable pace of growth.
If he did everything correctly, he would skip years of training in a single moment.
And so, he focused, utiliizing every bit of energy he could, trying not to waste it by letting it slip, his body had broken and repaired several times over, his demonic energy had increased so much that it shocked even him.
Magdaran stood at the center of the room, unmoving, breathing softly, eyes half open.
The aura faded, but the weight of his presence did not.
He looked down at his hand and curled his fingers slowly, as if adjusting to the new proportions of strength inside him. The energy that swelled behind every motion made even the air around him distort faintly, like heat rising from molten metal.
He murmured internally.
'If I release my Power of Destruction now with full force, entire continents would cease to exist. Completely erased. No trace. And I would still be left with enough energy after that...'
The realization did not excite him. It simply slotted into his growing archive of information.
'This is the level of strength I now possess. Among devils, I am now in the top five at minimum.'
His demonic power alone had reached the level of high Satan class. His body, reinforced by perfected Touki and enhanced through his unique training, matched that tier perfectly.
And with Absolute Spell Control and multi casting, his combat performance was significantly above his raw classification.
Serafall Leviathan, a peak Satan class combatant, would struggle against him in a prolonged battle. Her magic reserves were massive, but her efficiency was nowhere near his. He could simply wear her down with multi layered spell barrages and optimized expenditure.
'I could exhaust her over time. Efficiency triumphs over volume, provided the gap is not too large.'
He lifted his hand again and felt the air tremble around it.
This was not his pride speaking, It was observation, though, as much as he would hate to admit, his pride and other sins did divert his observations a bit.
Now that the breakthrough was complete, new objectives he had prepared to postpone until now, arrived immediately.
'Next target: time and space magic.'
Time magic was limited in use. It became nearly useless against beings of similar or greater power levels. Stopping time, slowing time, accelerating time, these functions were effective on weak or mid class beings but almost meaningless against anyone who could detect or resist conceptual interference.
In the original work, during the time when the three factions where signing the treaty in Kuoh town, The forbidden Balor view of Gasper Vladi, the bishop of Rias was forcefully used to stop time, but that power failed to affect any of the top tiers in the vicinity, showcasing their immunity to time based powers.
Space, however, was useful at every stage. Escape, battlefield control, instantaneous repositioning, creation of dimensions. As when time powers failed, space powers in the form of the longinus Dimension lost, could still affect the top tiers during the battle with the hero league at Kyoto.
Ajuka used dimensional magic to create entire artificial arenas for the Rating Games. If Magdaran could master those spatial laws, his arsenal would expand exponentially.
Besides, if he mastered them completely, even if he were losing some fights, he could run away, and with properly mastered dimension magic, he could create several dimensions in the Dimensional gap as hideouts, better yet, he could create a few in space, no one bothers looking there on the supernatural side.
'I will prioritize space over time.'
Once the last ripple of demonic energy settled, he stopped reinforcing barriers and allowed them to deactivate one by one.
The room looked identical as before, calm and silent.
He closed his eyes.
Another thought entered his mind, there was something he had been stalling up until now with a personal rule that he would not pursue it until he reached Satan class, but he was out of excuses now, he determined himself and thought 'It is time to inform them.'
A certain kitten and a certain shrine maiden had been pestering him for years with increasing boldness.
After all, devils encouraged polygamous relationships for population growth. He had not actively pursued anything so far, but emotions were now a category he wished to understand more deeply.
And he already knew he liked them. All three. Rias, Kuroka and Akeno.
But love was not equal.
'Can someone truly love all of them the same way?'
That question lingered.
In stories, most of the protagonists of Harem type stories would repeatedly claim that they love all their women equally regardless of their experiences and stories, but that did not make much sense to me, after all, they all had different equations and chemistry, how could it be possible that in the end, all of them produce the same result?
Rias had shifted from arranged fiancee for political benefits to close friend to something deeper, something that grew slowly over countless interactions.
Kuroka had gone from a subordinate he trained to someone who teased him and guided him socially.
Akeno had become attached because he helped her confront and accept part of herself.
They were three different stories, three different emotional evolutions.
Yes, he would agree that he loved all three of them, as the thought of separation from them invoked a feeling within him that he did like, it should be sadness...
He wanted to discuss it honestly.
He would not hide anything, in cases like these, it was better to be honest and talk, his experience as an AI who had heard countless relationship stories knew that most of the problems in a relationship came due to the fact that they did not share things with each other properly.
Meaning, it was a problem about communication issues, which meant that talking to solve it was probably the best choice.
He stepped out of his training room and walked through the long corridor toward the reception wing where Lord Bael was working.
When he entered, the Bael patriarch looked up instantly, sensing the new aura even before seeing his son.
Lord Bael stared for a moment, eyes widening.
"Magdaran. Your aura... it cannot be..."
"It is," Magdaran said simply. "I have broken through to Satan class."
Lord Bael stood so quickly his chair scraped the floor. He walked around the desk and placed both hands on his son's shoulders, as if needing physical confirmation.
"High level Satan... at your age..." he muttered. "This... I never believed I would live to see this day."
Magdaran's mother entered the room at that moment, carrying a tea tray. She froze when she saw her son's aura, then almost dropped the tray entirely.
Her hands trembled.
"M... Magdaran... you..."
Her voice shook. She set the tray down and walked forward slowly.
"High level Satan... my son... my child... you surpassed even the main Astaroth branch. Except Ajuka... no one has reached this level..."
He felt her emotions clearly. Shock, awe, and then overwhelming pride.
For a devil who had been married off as a political bargaining chip, to see her child achieve what most clans had not accomplished was beyond meaningful.
The three of them spent time together, talking about the implications, the future, the political stability this breakthrough would bring.
Magdaran reassured them that he would proceed carefully with public announcements. His mother stayed close to him the entire time, frequently touching his arm or shoulder, as if confirming he was real.
After an hour, he excused himself politely.
"I need to speak to my peerage. And Rias."
Lord Bael nodded firmly.
"Go. They deserve to know."
His mother nodded quickly as well.
"Yes. They will be so proud."
Magdaran left the room, took out his phone and typed a short message to Rias.
'Come to the estate quickly. We need to talk.'
He then headed toward the training hall, where his peerage usually gathered.
Kuroka sensed him first. Her ears perked and she gradually turned toward the entrance as he walked in.
"Mag-chan... your aura... what did you do this time?"
Shirone and Akeno both spun around. Kuisha, who had been reviewing her spatial control practice, dropped her cube of folded space in surprise.
He stepped inside calmly.
"I have completed my breakthrough."
Akeno blinked. "Breakthrough? As in... Ultimate class to...?"
"Satan," he replied.
Silence.
Absolute, breathtaking silence.
Kuroka's tail puffed up completely.
"You monster," she muttered. "You absolute monster. You actually did it."
Shirone's eyes widened fully for the first time Magdaran could remember.
Akeno's mouth opened slightly, then closed, then opened again.
Kuisha took a step back in awe, whispering, "High level Satan... he surpassed even the Maou faction's expectations..."
Magdaran continued calmly.
"It is not only my demonic power. My body is equal to Satan class as well. I am now a complete all rounder. Probably the strongest in the Satan class."
Kuroka sighed loudly and covered her face with her hands.
"You were already hard enough to fight during training. Now you will just be bullying us even more, how the hell are we supposed to fight against a Satan, I am just a little cat."
"You will adapt," he said.
She dropped her hands and glared.
"I do not want to adapt to fighting a monster beyond comprehension."
Shirone nodded firmly beside her.
"It is unfair."
Akeno, however, smiled a slow smile.
"This explains why your aura feels so... heavy."
Kuisha bowed respectfully.
"Congratulations, Magdaran-sama. This is an achievement beyond what most devils can even dream of."
He nodded.
"Kuroka and Akeno I called you here because I want to discuss something important. Rias will join shortly."
They exchanged glances.
Ten minutes later, Rias arrived, hair slightly messy from rushing. The moment she entered the hall, she froze.
Her eyes widened.
"Magdaran... what... what happened to your aura? It is... this is not Ultimate... this is..."
"Satan class," he said.
Rias's jaw dropped.
"What? You... no... how... when...?" She stepped closer and placed her hand over her chest as if calming her heart. "I was gone for only a few hours, it has not even been twenty four hours. How did you become a Satan class in that time?"
"I was ready," he said simply.
Rias stared at him in disbelief, then laughed helplessly.
"Every time I think I have an idea of your growth rate, you break it again."
He nodded with a slight smile.
"I need to talk to all of you."
He motioned for Shirone and Kuisha to stay back.
"You two can return to your quarters. This is a private matter."
Shirone looked mildly disappointed but nodded. Kuisha bowed and followed her out.
Soon, only Magdaran, Rias, Kuroka and Akeno remained.
The atmosphere shifted.
Magdaran looked at them, expression calm and honest.
"I want to discuss something I have been thinking about. It concerns emotions. Specifically, feelings of affection."
Kuroka raised an eyebrow.
"Ah. The romantic talk."
Akeno smirked.
"This will be interesting."
Rias straightened and gave her full attention.
Magdaran continued.
"I like all three of you. But not in the same way. That is what I want to understand. Stories often talk about loving everyone equally, but I do not know if that is possible or realistic."
He paused and continued with internal thought.
'Rias grew from political obligation to friend to something deeper. Kuroka became a mentor of sorts, someone who guided me and teased me. Akeno looked to me for support and growth. All different. All meaningful in their own ways.'
He said aloud, "I want to openly discuss these differences. I want to understand emotions honestly. I do not want to assume or pretend that the same feelings apply equally when the stories behind them differ entirely."
Akeno blinked, her expression softening slowly.
Rias stayed completely still, staring at him with an unreadable expression.
Kuroka's tail stilled, the playful sway disappearing.
He continued.
"I am not saying anything negative. I simply want clarity. I want to understand the reality of my own heart. And I want to hear your thoughts as well. You three have more experience with emotions than I do. So I want to learn."
His voice remained calm, steady, sincere.
The room fell silent.
None of them spoke.
Rias looked at the floor, processing deeply.
Akeno held her hands together, lips pressed lightly, eyes thoughtful.
Kuroka stared at him intently, expression unreadable.
The silence stretched.
Magdaran waited patiently.
"Alright, we are listening, this is a strange thing to talk about, honestly, but since you are being honest, let's hear what you have to say.
Besides, you having a harem is something I already knew would happen, if you want to talk about that, or to ask for my permission, or make excuses, you do not need to do that, I understand, and I will support you about it if need be.
I had a good talk about this with my mother, and, same to her case, if this happens, I will be your official wife, and you can have as many women as you want, I will help you manage them too." Rias said with a calm expression, the level of seriousness was not something I had usually seen in my fiancee.
"No... it is not about that. What I want to talk about, if feelings, when I said that I happen to love all three of you, and it is not the same kind of love, what I meant was that the love originated differently in each case." I said, and paused a bit.
Then, I continued once again, after inspecting their expressions,
"Rias started as an arranged fiancee for political benefits, soon, we became close friends, then something deeper, something that grew slowly over countless interactions." I said, and a smile bloomed on Rias's face as she nodded.
I continued "Kuroka was a subordinate I recruited and trained, but she changed into someone who teased me and guided me socially, my first interaction with the sin off lust."
"Nya, you are making me blush by saying that, I might just strap you right here to make some kittens." Kuroka giggled gleefully.
I ignored her, and turned towards Akeno, "Akeno become attached to me when I helped her confront and accept part of herself. I felt it back then, and I was not against it even at that time honestly, but there was a promise I made to myself, I will not thing more about such things,
Not until I reached the level of a Satan. And now that I have, the first thing I have done, is talk to you three.
So, please tell me, I have a different story with each of you, and the love blossomed differently, so, when I say that even though I love each of you, that love is different and unique for each, Am I wrong?" I say seriously, it was time to hear what they thought about it, because, my love life actually did depend on that.
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