The sight of unbearable slaughter unfolds. The sound of intolerable noise resounds. Even without the Clairvoyance to see past and future, all truths flood in. The price of regaining omnipotence assaults us/me. The responsibility of bearing omniscience gnaws at us/me.
Even though there is no king/me in this world, why are we not granted the ability to close our/my eyes or block our/my ears? The rage/right that I, the king, never had—why does it exist within us/me?
—Ugly.
Ugly. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly.
We are forced to witness the most repulsive facts. We are made to memorize the most grotesque ecologies.
To think of resolving this vile environment, this situation, is a natural conclusion. But how? If we completely remove the filth, humanity would end. The premise is flawed. As long as the object of worship is mistaken, this error cannot be corrected.
We must rewrite it. There is no other way. Rewrite everything from scratch into a kinder world. Not just on paper. Not just in doctrine. Not just in faith. Not just in the future. —From the world itself.
We planned to rewrite the existence of God from the ground up. For that, vast resources are needed. An immense amount of kindling. To use an analogy—yes, the energy that would come from burning both Heaven and Hell. Collecting just one would not suffice. It is preferable to incinerate one first and use that energy to collect the other. With this method, the task can be accomplished. The souls of the dead spanning thousands of years and the energy of a world capable of containing them. When these are collected, bundled, and controlled, our grand undertaking will be achieved. Unlike before, there is no need to burn the planet for three thousand years. Just twice, and it will all be over.
Build a temple where the dead are summoned. Stack bands of light revered by the living. To destroy the old Bible, all resources are needed. To forget the old myths, all time is required.
Our/my enemies are those inscribed in the Bible. The devils and fallen angels masquerading as the seventy-two pillars, or the slothful angels, are mere fuel, not even worth defeating. However, the existence that granted wisdom to that man is exceptional. The One God alone cannot be defeated without staking everything we have.
—Seek the means to defeat the One God. There lies the throne/hope of me, the King of Men.
Yo! I'm Hyoudou Issei! Everyone calls me Ise!
With dreams of building a harem, I took the entrance exam for Kuoh Academy, a school with a high female-to-male ratio, and managed to get in. But I'm not popular at all! I thought a school full of girls would mean I'd have no trouble getting a girlfriend, but in reality, they all flock to the good-looking guys! Forget a harem—I can't even get a single girlfriend! Worse, I'm branded as one of the "Perverted Trio," despised by girls like I'm some kind of venomous snake. This wasn't part of my plan! I was aiming for a high school life filled with touching oppai and all sorts of erotic adventures!
When I finally thought I'd gotten a girlfriend, Amano Yuuma, she turned out to be a Fallen Angel who killed me at the end of our first date. Apparently, her goal was the Sacred Gear sleeping inside my body. Fallen Angels kill humans like me who possess Sacred Gears before we can grow strong.
I was killed once, but thanks to President Rias I was revived as a Devil. Yeah, a literal Devil, with magical power, bat-like wings, and a weakness to light. The kind of being that's the villain in stories.
I was shocked to learn Devils and Fallen Angels actually exist. By the way, Sacred Gears were apparently created by the God of the Bible. Thanks to that, I got killed—what a troublesome thing to make!
Modern Devils have a system called "Evil Pieces." It's a way to reincarnate other races as Devils and make them servants. That's how I became a Devil. Getting turned into a servant and no longer being human was sudden, but since I'd have stayed dead otherwise, I can't really complain. By the way, the Evil Pieces are based on human chess, and I'm the lowest-ranking "Pawn."
But if I work hard and earn a peerage, I could have my own peerage! And apparently, I can do whatever I want with my peerage! That means I can create my dream harem full of beautiful girls and—oppai! I'm gonna become the Harem King!
…Well, reality's not that sweet. I've been working hard on Devil jobs—fulfilling the desires of contracted humans in exchange for something—but I haven't had much success. I get good reviews from clients, but I rarely close a deal properly. Plus, the people who contract with me are all perverts or weirdos.
…Meanwhile, Kiba, the handsome prince in our peerage, gets all the pretty older ladies. Damn it, you good-looking jerk!
"Hey!"
Lost in my murderous thoughts while walking home from school, I hear a sudden voice behind me.
Turning around, I see a nun sprawled on the ground in a hilariously clumsy fall.
"You okay?"
I approach the nun and extend a hand to help her up.
"Ow… Why did I trip like that…? Oh, thank you so much!"
As I pull her up, a gust of wind blows her veil away.
And what appears is the stunning smile of a blonde beauty. I'm momentarily stunned, staring at her face.
"Is something wrong?"
"S-Sorry!"
I wasn't just staring—I was entranced. This could be a flag, right? I need to keep the conversation going!
"Fou!"
Suddenly, I hear an incomprehensible sound. A voice? No, more like a cry? A weird cry I've never heard before… It came from above, so I look up—
"Fou!"
"Ow!"
Something hits my face. A sharp, stabbing pain, like a blade. My body's tougher since becoming a Devil, so I shouldn't feel pain this intense. Holding my head, I sense something brushing past my hand.
Then, a continuous pain shoots through my shin.
"Ow ow ow!"
"Fou! Fou fou!"
"No, Fou-kun!"
Looking down, I see a white, fluffy creature attacking my leg. It's like a rabbit, a dog, or a cat—I can't tell what it is.
"Fou-kun?"
"Yes, he's my friend. He started following me after I arrived in Japan… I might not have made it this far without Fou-kun."
"Really, huh—"
"Fou!"
"—Ow!"
This Fou or Font or whatever this fluffball is keeps attacking my leg, like it's trying to interrupt my conversation with her. I thought it was small and cute for a second, but it's getting on my nerves!
"Oh, I'm so sorry! My Fou-kun—"
"N-No, it's fine, haha."
I'm annoyed at the unapologetic little creature, but for the sake of the flag with the nun, I hold it in. I pick up her veil to keep the conversation going when—
"Oh? Could that be Asia Argento?"
A sudden voice. Bracing for something else falling on my head, I turn around and see a man. Not a Fallen Angel like the one who tried to kill me—no chilling sensation this time. Probably a human.
He's a refined-looking gentleman with a gentle smile, wearing a moss-green tuxedo and a silk hat, with messy long hair.
"Y-Yes, that's me."
The nun—Asia—replies, but her face shows suspicion. Judging she doesn't know him, I step forward to shield her.
"Hey, who are you?"
"I'm Lev Lainur. Judging by your uniform, you're a student at Kuoh Academy, right? This nun is someone I've been looking for."
"Are you from the church I'm assigned to?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes."
At that, relief spreads across Asia's face.
"Oh, thank goodness. I don't speak Japanese and was struggling to ask for directions."
Asia wasn't speaking Japanese? One perk of becoming a Devil is understanding any language. It only works for spoken words, not writing. Thanks to this, my English pronunciation's gotten crazy good.
"That must've been tough."
I notice Asia's carrying a travel bag. From the conversation, it seems she's a nun newly assigned to this town. But I thought the church here hasn't been used in years. Is it being reopened? Is this Lev guy a priest? In that outfit?
The gentleman named Lev extends a hand, and Asia, understanding, hands him her bag. Quite the gentlemanly move. Lev notices the small creature by Asia's feet and, for a split second, his smile falters in shock. What, is it that rare? I've never seen it before either.
"Hm…? That beast…"
"Oh, he just started following me along the way… Is it not okay to bring him?"
"Not at all, as long as you take care of him. Shall we go?"
"Yes! Oh, excuse me for a moment."
Asia turns to me after addressing Lev.
"May I have your name?"
"I'm Hyoudou Issei. Everyone calls me Ise, so you can too."
"I'm Asia Argento! Please call me Asia!"
"Alright, Sister Asia. Hope we meet again."
"Yes, Ise-san! Let's definitely meet again!"
"Fou!"
Asia bows and follows Lev, the small creature trailing behind. I wave goodbye.
This encounter was the beginning of my connection with them.
—Days later, I learn there was a gas explosion at the church Asia was supposedly assigned to. Mom heard from a neighbor that there hasn't been gas there in years. Witnesses said no one had been in or out. There was no new nun assigned there. Asia was never sent to that church.
Underworld, Fallen Angel Territory, Grigori Headquarters, Governor's Office.
Governor Azazel and Vice-Governor Shemhazai were in discussion.
"So, this Raynare, was it? The mid-level Fallen Angel in charge of Sirzechs' sister's territory?"
"Yes. The old church where she and her subordinates were based was attacked by someone."
In a short time, Fallen Angels with bases in the Human World have been repeatedly attacked. The operations are flawless, leaving no evidence beyond battle traces and Fallen Angel feathers. The frequency of these eerily similar incidents can't be ignored.
"Just to confirm, it's not Sirzechs' sister, the Crimson-Haired Ruin Princess, right?"
"No, it doesn't seem to be her."
Rias Gremory likely hasn't even noticed the Fallen Angel attacks. Someone invaded her territory, attacked the church where Fallen Angels were nesting, and she didn't catch it. She probably knows by now, though.
"Should we assume it's a faction of the Khaos Brigade?"
"I think so, yes. What about you, Azazel? That faction?"
"The Old Satan Faction wouldn't gain much from stirring trouble in Sirzechs' sister's territory. Tarnishing his reputation that way is too roundabout."
If it were the Old Satan Faction, they'd likely have targeted Rias Gremory or her peerage too. But there's no sign of that.
"Then we should assume the Hero Faction did it for talent scouting?"
"Probably. Tch. According to the data, she was quite high-spec. What a waste."
Asia Argento's Sacred Gear, Twilight Healing, is a recovery-type gear. Combined with her nature, it can even heal Devils. Its high performance led to her being branded a "witch."
"Should we share the Khaos Brigade info with the Devil or God sides?"
"Hard to say. The three factions aren't exactly aligned. And we don't trust each other. Even if we propose peace, neither Sirzechs nor Michael would agree. It'd only work if they set the stage and I made the proposal. They wouldn't show up if I called."
"True."
But they can't just let it slide. Fallen Angels can't easily increase their numbers. At the very least, they need to identify the culprits.
"If we were to join forces, we'd have to disclose God's absence."
But they couldn't have realized how shallow their thinking was.
"Report from Orias. Confirmed existence of the holy weapon Excalibur."
"Supplement from Andras. Excalibur was damaged in the past Great War and is now split into seven parts. Two each are held by the Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox churches. One is unaccounted for."
"Supplement from Kimaris. Excalibur's abilities have diversified: destruction, invisibility, transformation, illusion, speed enhancement, blessing, and control over living beings."
"Speculation from Zagan. Theoretically, Excalibur's reintegration is possible. However, even if reintegrated, its performance as a holy sword is likely significantly degraded. Its function as a deterrent is also likely compromised."
"Conclusion from Astaroth. The current Excalibur, including its wielders, is utterly fragile. Far from the King of Knights's level."
"Decision from Goetia. Excalibur in this world is similar yet distinct from ours. Danger level: C."
"Request from Flauros. Protect the girl with the healing Sacred Gear. Request her assignment."
"Response from Gusion. Many of the humans protected by Alloces are injured. Recommend assignment to the Chamber of Life."
"Approval from Haagenti. Request prompt personnel transfer."
"Approval from Flauros. Will escort her to the Chamber of Life."
"Report from Bune—"
***
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