Akuto just watched the Four Great Seraphim fall.
He knew very well how powerful his self-created "Urgent · Aqua Magi-Burst" was. This move didn't merely fuse part of Aqua Magi-Burst's true intent—it also merged his "understanding of explosive magic," his "understanding of water-attribute energy and the circulation of water molecules," and his "observation and application of world rules."
If the System were to score it, Akuto's original technique was enough to earn a "gold-above-but-not-yet-red" super-high rating.
Normally, this move would already qualify as a killing trump card for top Chief-God-class experts and absolutely shouldn't have been developed by someone at Akuto's present realm.
But he developed it anyway.
Akuto had surveyed all water-type arts in DxD recorded in the "Nameless Incantation Codex," and he'd also gained corroboration from the Apocalypse world and the Akame ga Kill world—though those two worlds weren't as strong as DxD, they still verified much of his comprehension of rules.
You could say that by studying the Nameless Incantation Codex and observing the laws of conquered worlds, Akuto possessed rule-comprehension far beyond his peers.
As Akuto's strength grew and time passed, his grasp of the essence of demon bloodlines and of technique-craft itself became ever more profound.
"As I thought, today's DxD demons aren't the same as the demons I remember from DxD."
"The System once said that DxD's demons were a bloodline born after the Mother of Demons, Lilith, fused with the myriad Daos."
"If so, the more completely one develops the bloodline, the easier it becomes to approach the myriad Daos of heaven and earth?"
"Techniques and the demon race—they're both different ways of influencing this world."
How to exert one's power with greater efficiency; how to more efficiently draw upon heaven-and-earth or external power—these two are the eternal topics in developing moves and arts.
In the end, it still traces back to understanding one's own constitution and bloodline, and to understanding the Dao.
…
As the Seraphim fell, a System chime rang in Akuto's ear.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations to the Host for completing the staged plot mission—The God of the Bible's Trial.]
[Mission requirement: Complete the God of the Bible's trial. The trial proceeds in stages; each time you complete a combat-related trial, you may perform one draw.
You have now completed the Third Trial and passed the first combat-related trial—Defeat the Four Great Seraphim!]
[Mission grade: Gold → Red (simultaneously defeated the Four Seraphim with absolute advantage).]
[Reward granted: Eye of Truth (Red).]
[Eye of Truth: Scales with the Host's strength and methods. In theory, these eyes can perceive all existences at or below Dragon God-class; they are foundational for exploring the world.]
[Ding~]
["Eye of Truth" has fused with "Data Eye." The Host can now observe the world in an alternate way.]
"Eye of Truth? Compared to other red-grade rewards, this one's a bit underwhelming…"
Though deepening his understanding of rules was good, Akuto frankly wanted something more combat-oriented.
However, the next second, Akuto found where "Eye of Truth" would shine.
Following the System prompt came the God of the Bible's Trial System prompt.
[Sevenfold Ordeal—Third Trial: Defeat the Four Great Seraphim.]
[Upon passing, you will obtain management authority over Tōrei Heavenly Lord (托雷天尊) and the fealty of all angels.]
[Congratulations on passing the Third Trial.]
[Next is the Fourth Trial of the Sevenfold Ordeal: Raise your comprehension of the God of the Bible's Knowledge to 5%.]
[The God of the Bible's Knowledge has been issued automatically. Please, "Savior Candidate," read and study it carefully, and thereby form your own understanding of the world and the Dao.]
"The God of the Bible's Knowledge? …In that case, the Eye of Truth will be useful."
"Comprehension up to 5%, huh? That shouldn't be too hard… let me see where I am now."
Akuto glanced at the progress bar within the golden jewel.
"0.0001%?"
Akuto raised a brow. What a joke—a millionth?
With the Nameless Incantation Codex and instance worlds, he possessed comprehension far beyond his realm.
In water-type arts, Akuto had Chief-God-class understanding; for other arts, he could barely break into Super Devil-class—and that… was only one-millionth of the God of the Bible?
Even if the God of the Bible cultivated dozens of Daos simultaneously, he couldn't be that absurd, right?
Akuto knew that among the first four Maō, aside from Maō Lucifer—whose strength had barely reached Chief-God-class—the others were all at peak Super Devil.
If the God of the Bible were truly that monstrous, how could He have perished together with the first four Maō?
…
As if sensing Akuto's doubt, the God of the Bible's Trial System spoke slowly:
[Savior Candidate, it was not the Four Maō who caused His end.]
[The Four Maō were simply His final opponents—not the prime reason for His passing.]
[Before facing the Four Maō, He had already weathered uncountable calamities. Among them, the most dangerous were the alterations of this world's rules by other worlds, and the interference of the future upon the past.]
[Because the world's rules were changed, He became the target of fate and of future timelines.]
[Engaged in consecutive battles with enemies from other worlds, He was continually worn down, and at last perished together with the Four Maō.]
[It was precisely to spare those who came after from suffering His fate that He set strict filters upon the Savior Candidate's constitution and existence.]
[Whether enemies from future world-lines ambush you is one thing; the Savior Candidate must be of a constitution unaffected by world rules. Otherwise, if He casually chose a talented successor, that person would only meet the same end as He.]
"Vmmm~"
The next moment, an image was projected into Akuto's mind.
In an endless chaotic battlefield, ten sacred figures shining with golden radiance struck down ten hazy silhouettes from the future.
Those silhouettes were unimaginably strong and unbound by timelines and world rules—obviously beyond Dragon God-class.
By staking His injuries, the God of the Bible just barely slew one, and His strength fell from Dragon God peak—nearly beyond Dragon God—down to sub-Dragon-God.
Then another silhouette crossed over. Weaker than the last, yet still Dragon God-class.
After repelling it with a failing body, His already waning vitality withered further.
After that, He faced the released Beast Emperor.
Relying on a body with the oil nearly spent and the lamp nearly out, He succeeded in sealing the Beast Emperor.
Then He met the Two Heavenly Dragons, then the Four Maō.
Fate seemed to be gunning for Him—forcing Him to endlessly resolve crises, to forever run ragged.
Not until He entered a state of certain, lingering death did that targeting finally cease.
…
With a heavy heart, Akuto finished watching the images of the God of the Bible being targeted until He fell.
…flowers please…
[I didn't expect it—unlike the impression I had, the God of the Bible in this world had nearly transcended Dragon God-class.]
[If I'm not mistaken, the future life-form who fought Him clearly displayed mechanical life characteristics. Mechanical life is a typical feature of the exe world.]
[In other words, as the Child of the World, the God of the Bible was intercepted by the exe world from a future timeline—and fell in the end.]
[If I one day break the Dragon God ceiling, I'll likely meet the same thing as He did.]
[This is seeking to live in the cracks…]
DxD's world ceiling is Dragon God-class; exceed it and you'll be intercepted by the future.
But if you don't exceed Dragon God, you're just waiting for a slow death.
[I fear no life-form within DxD can solve this.]
[The only one who can is me—the one who can cross to other worlds…]
…
After recognizing his situation, Akuto became even more enthusiastic about courting girls and pushing the plot.
If he had to fight other-world threats for the sake of this world, then collecting more beautiful girls and enjoying life in time—wasn't that perfectly normal?
0...
Moreover, both threads tie directly into conquering the DxD world.
Whether to consolidate internal forces in DxD or to revive the God of the Bible—who's obviously a god-tier teammate—Akuto had to complete the DxD world conquest quickly.
"From the info I read before I crossed over, I at least need to push the story to the International Tournament arc."
"Huuuu~~"
Letting out a long breath, Akuto returned to Heaven with a mind not lacking in billions of strands of resolve.
…
Once recovered, the Four Great Seraphim immediately saluted Akuto.
"Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel… pay respects to the Holy Son-sama."
"Mm… let's keep it short. I'm arranging the next phase now."
After his tempering in the Apocalypse world and Akame ga Kill world, Akuto was already very practiced at assigning tasks to newcomers.
Hearing Akuto, the Seraphim—already respectful—grew even more solemn.
Clearly, his words showed he had accepted the attitude of being willing to bear Heaven's future.
Since Akuto had made his stance clear, they, as his direct subordinates, should also present theirs in deed.
"First, administration of Heaven remains under Michael's management. Aside from proactively restraining the Church so they don't go overboard, everything proceeds as usual."
"Second, do not make my identity public. At least not before I instruct you to. If you reveal my position in Heaven, I can't keep mixing in the lower world as a demon."
"Of course, 'not public' doesn't mean 'no signals'—Heaven may release support for me at appropriate times, but must not stand entirely at my side. That way I can secure sufficient leadership among the Three Factions."
"To unify the world's strength, I must first integrate the Three Great Factions."
"To integrate the Three Factions… as expected of the Holy Son, daring to do what others dare not."
"So, what do you specifically require of us?" Having gained a new lord, even Michael's millennia-steady heart rippled.
Perhaps… this Holy Son really can complete what God left undone.
…
(End of Chapter)
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