True Magician (Fate/Grand Order / High School DxD(Multi)

[mirzael]

Emiya residence.

- "I... Thank you for saving me... I thought... that I would spend the rest of eternity in such a... state..." Azazel practically whispered in a weak voice as Gabriel spoon-fed him, her worried gaze never leaving him. Neither did Michael, who was sitting across from him.

Honestly, I'm still shaking from what happened in the house of the Governor General of the Fallen. I never thought I'd naturally find myself in a horror movie.

And Azazel? I managed to resuscitate him, although it took a lot of effort. With 3rd magic, I erased the most... unhealthy memories from his mind, scraping out every detail of what he'd been through. And now Azazel is slowly recovering with support from the archangels. Griselda stood behind Michael and watched the whole thing.

I didn't completely erase his memory because, given his temper, he would have wanted to get to the truth. He wouldn't now. Definitely not.

- "Well... I didn't expect it to turn out this way. I'm sorry," I tilted my head toward Azazel, "I assure you, she won't bother you again."

At the mention of Nightingale, he began to tremble, and Gabriel hugged him gently to quiet his trembling.

- "As... compensation, I'm willing to help you with one thing of yours and provide one Servant of your personal choice," I said and rubbed my temples, "Besides, I'm the reincarnation of Solomon. That's just for the record."

He froze and slowly looked up at me.

- "Solomon?" He blinked with disbelieving eyes, "The same Solomon I used to hang out with?"

Heh. They hung out together? I guess my local counterpart's attraction to women brought him and Azazel closer together.

- "I don't know about that, since I'm not him," I shrugged and turned toward Michael, "Where did our conversation break down? Ah, yes. Solomon's abilities."

I paused for a moment before continuing.

- "Since the theory of parallel universes makes sense because of the Space Between Dimensions and the existence of two dragon gods... In short, I'm from another world."

- "Another world?" Michaell was surprised, but not too much, "Can I ask how different it is from ours?"

- "Not much. It's just that mankind has left the gods there," I began, to which I received a raised eyebrow from the current ruler of the Heavens and a surprised look from his sister, "In my world, time can be divided into three eras: Gods, fairies, and humans. During the first one, supernatural beings walked amongst ordinary humans and it was considered the norm."

- "That is, what is happening now." Michael commented thoughtfully.

- "Right," I nodded, "In the second, something happened and dealt with almost all of them. It was then, with the support of the planet itself, that the fairies forged Excalibur, the physical embodiment of the prayer called 'glory', which is conceptually indestructible as long as at least one person is alive. And now do you understand why I called your Excaliburs 'toothpicks'?"

- "Unfortunately," Griselda replied, "your sword is far superior to ours, though I don't want to admit that fact. After all, ours was forged by God himself. And if your words are true, this sword can defeat even someone like Shiva, the god of destruction, and is virtually indestructible."

- "With enough mana? No question. And not 'virtually indestructible', but 'indestructible in principle'. Well, at least as long as one person is alive. But that doesn't matter, because the power of the gods depends on the number of believers, does it?" I grinned, to which I got a nod, "What am I talking about? Exactly. And the third one, only a few still walk among humans and are carefully hidden due to some factors I won't mention. And that's the one going on at the moment, the age of man."

Having finished my explanation, I took a sip of coffee and waited for my words to fully sink into their heads.

For them, the very possibility of excluding supernatural beings from the lives of humans is... unattainable. They are so used to the current realities that they haven't even considered it. A cost of Sefar's absence from this world, I suppose.

I wonder what the history of the world would be like if she were here? After all, the local gods are far weaker than their Nasuverse counterparts. They don't embody a concept, they merely borrow it. It's like comparing a guy scooping water out of a lake with a bucket to the lake itself. The difference is so enormous that the comparison becomes ridiculous.

- "By the way," I heard Michael's voice, coming out of his thoughts, "You said something about Solomon's abilities. What did you mean?"

- "Were there others? Well, besides demon control and not bad magic, of course." Azazel, who had more or less come to his senses, joined the conversation. And Griselda and Gabriel's ears perked up.

- "Not bad?" I grinned, "Azazel-kun, you don't realize what an understatement of the century you just made."

- "What do you mean by that?"

- "The seventy-two Pillars are very powerful on their own, aren't they?" I asked, to which all four of them quickly agreed, "What if I told you that the Solomon of my world made them even more powerful?"

They froze when they heard my words.

- "More powerful?" Michael asked cautiously, while Griselda and Gabriel gave me a concerned look.

- "How?" Azazel asked, intrigued.

I answered them with a flick of my finger, and a few seconds later, Goetia materialized at the table. Upon seeing him, Griselda bared her sword, Michael and Gabriel opened their wings, readying themselves for battle, and Azazel examined every detail of Beast I.

- "Ah, yes. I forgot to mention one very amusing fact," I said, placing my hands on the table and crossing my fingers in a lock. And my chin rested on them, keeping my head upright, "With the advent of the age of man, seven entities were born. Seven entities embodying the seven sins of mankind. Not trivial ones like 'Envy', 'Lust', and so on, but far more profound ones. Like 'Regression' and 'Comparison' and so forth. And in my world, they're called Beasts. They're conceptually immortal beings who can't die until human progress stagnates or goes extinct altogether. Amazing, isn't it?"

I paused, and the eyes of my listeners widened at what I heard.

- "And before you sits the Beast I. The very first of them, created personally by Solomon with his 'not bad' magic, who combined all seventy-two original demons into one being, making him the Demon God King. A ritual to correct the Order of Mankind, epitomizing the sin of 'Pity', Goetia."

- "It is interesting to meet you in person, representatives of Heaven." He said in a dramatic voice.

The guests did not blink. Didn't move. Even stopped breathing. They looked like statues of the most skillful work that mankind was capable of. And it was Griselda who was the first to come out of her stupor.

- "What?!" she exclaimed, her eyes practically bulging out of her eye sockets, "You've got to be kidding me! You mean to tell me that we are essentially having all seventy-two Pillars sitting in front of us?!"

- "Indeed. We are here." The simultaneous response of dozens of different voices rang out in the room at once, and magical circles with the seal of each demon Pillar lit up around Goetia, "Does this embarrass you, servant of God?"

Hearing them, the guests flinched, and Gabriel generally began muttering the names of the demons whose voices she could recognize.

- "Sitri, Beleth, Leraye, Phenex, Morax..."

- "Fun fact, damn it!" Azazel picked up on it, "Do you realize what you've just revealed to us?!"

- "I-I agree with them," Michael joined them in a trembling voice, "Y-you realize how much power you have in your hands?"

- "In his hands?" Goetia raised an eyebrow, "I obey only myself, Archangel. This wretched man is not my command."

- "Oh?" I rolled my eyes, "It is not good to lie. I don't give you orders just because I don't need to."

- "Your comment has been ignored, Magician."

- "Uh-huh," I waved it away and turned to the guests, "Anyway, don't pay attention to him. He's not worth it."

- "Not worth it?! Wake up, Romany! Do you have any idea what will happen if the others find out about him?! They'll start treating humanity as a disease to be eradicated, for crying out loud!" Azazel yelled, pointing his finger at Goetia, "And the fact that he's basically part of Biblical mythology makes it even worse! There's going to be a war! Everyone is against us!"

- "Well, about the first point - they already think so, at least some of them, but about the second? I doubt it. And besides, what makes you think I don't have enough power to deal with all of them?" I shrugged, to which I got twitchy faces, "Servants haven't been canceled, you know. Some of them killed gods and, by enlisting themselves in the Throne of Heroes, got anti-divine properties at their disposal. And weapons of the same type. That's just for the record."

He froze again and stared at me intently.

- "Servants? Throne of Heroes?" Gabriel asked, uncomprehending.

- "You'll find out from Azazel. I was tired of repeating the same explanation."

I rubbed my temples.

I suppose it was wise not to tell them about the two more Beasts living under my roof. And the Grand Servants, of course. Otherwise they'd have died right here. Uh-huh.

-0-

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[mirzael]

Okinawa.

I sent the guests away. Well, after we talked the Excalibur thing over.

Turns out Kokabiel's already crossed into Japan and is heading toward Kuoh. Michael said he would send Church men here to investigate the matter. To which I only grinned. In the end it was decided that they would visit me when they arrived in the city. Ah, yes. The Archangels also asked me to keep the information about Solomon and Goetia a secret if possible.

And by golly, Goetia definitely scared them.

After dealing with the guests, I set out to find the missing Servants. And I managed to find them here on the beach in Okinawa. Or rather, what was a beach.

When I arrived here, the first thing I saw was a cut, pierced, and bombed ground full of blast craters. The trees that were near the beach were uprooted or destroyed altogether.

- "Ahahahahahaha! Look what I can do, Enkidu!"

Turning toward a voice obviously belonging to Gilgamesh, I saw him doing a one-legged stance and balancing Ea on his head.

Why does he even have this BFG 9000 Nasuverse edition! Isn't that the prerogative of his version of Archer!

I looked around and found the rest of the Servants with my eyes. Enkidu was rubbing his temples, looking at his friend. Merlin was buried up to his head in the sand with Fou sitting on top of him. Heracles was splashing in the water like a child. And the others.

- "Shirouuuu. Drink up! For me!" Artoria was shoving a bottle of sake in Archer's face.

- "Come on, Shirou-kun. Just one cup." Medusa did the same thing, only hugging him from behind, pressing herself against him.

- "I knew this was a bad idea." Facepalmed Eroge the Protagonist.

- "Shut up, you have no idea how enviable your position is, nameless hero!" Shouted Lancelot, looking at him with burning eyes.

- "Aaaaaaaaaa~" Tiamat softly sang out, looking at them and smiling happily.

And yes, they smelled like they were so stinky. Well, except for Enkidu and Archer, who were not amused by the current situation. The servants certainly had fun. And by my calculations, it all happened in less than six hours.

What the hell?! Why does the beach look like it's been through Armageddon?! What kind of idiot releases his Noble Phantasms?! Whose goddamn idea was this anyway?!

My face is twisted in a childish way. And my hand slapped my face with a very loud sound.

- "Asako." I called out to the main facet of the Hundred Faces.

- "Master?" She replied, appearing beside me and looking at me with nervous eyes.

- "Would you be so kind as to tell me something," I began, to which she tensed up, "Who was the instigator of all this?"

- "It was..."

- "It was me, sensei." I heard a familiar girl's voice.

Turning toward him, my eyes saw a smirking Aika in a swimsuit, holding a glass of some kind of cocktail.

- "Tell me, Alaya, why did you decide to arrange all this?" I asked, my eyebrow twitching relentlessly.

- "Well, even Servants need to relax at least once in a while." She replied cheerfully and took a sip.

Relax, for crying out loud! Doesn't she see what the beach has become?! Doesn't she realize how dangerous the Servants are?! I…

Stop.

I took a closer look at Aika's face, at which her cheerful smile turned into a smirk.

It's clear now. She's getting back at me, huh? For putting her next to Artoria and Medusa.

Oya? You've decided to take revenge on me, Alaya-shiki? Oh, you should, my dear. Oh, for nothing.

- "So, EVEN Servants need to relax, don't they?" I asked in a measured tone, to which I received a nod.

- "Then that includes me, doesn't it? I'm basically a Servant, too, aren't I?" The kindest smile bloomed on my face, and now her grin was frozen, "And if they can afford to blow things up, so can I, can't I?"

- "Somehow, I don't like where you're going with this, Romani-sensei." Aika said cautiously, and the smirk slid off her face.

In a brief flash of light, my appearance changed. Now, instead of me in Romani's body, it was now Solomon. And the ten rings flashed with power.

- "It's alright, Aika-san. I'll blow something up too," I said with a smile on my face. Her whole body trembled in response to my words, "I mean, it's only fair, isn't it?"

- "M-maybe you shouldn't do that?"

- "The Time of Birth Has Come."

- "Y-you're seriously gonna use that on a s-schoolgirl like me?"

- "He is the One Who Masters All."

- "I apologize! I won't do it again! I…" she shrieked, throwing the drink away and kneeling down.

- "Ars Almadel Solomonis."

That day, everyone in the world saw millions of rays of light falling towards Japan.

Of course, before that, I used Territory Creation and reduced the power of Noble Phantasm by as much as two ranks. I'm not a fool, ah-ha-ha.

-0-

Kuoh Academy. Occult Research Club.
The next day.

- "Thank you for coming, Romani-sensei." Rias began as soon as I was seated and bowed. "First, I would like to thank you for helping Ise with his training. It was a surprise to me that he could reach Balance Breaker in such a short period of time."

- "That's right! Thank you, sensei!" Issei added.

- "Yeah, anything." I waved it off and asked Rias to continue.

- "Yesterday we felt a holy aura in your house and we wanted to check it out. But then she disappeared. And so did you. I'd like to know who it was." she said in a businesslike tone.

Uh-oh? Is she at it again? Doesn't she realize that I won't report to her?

- "Calm your tits, tomato-san," I shrugged. Rias twitched in response, and Akeno giggled, "Just some unexpected guests who wanted to talk to me. Nothing serious. And yes, I'm answering out of courtesy, not because you asked."

- "I'm in charge of this town, and it's important that I know what goes on in it," she said, crossing her arms. "And since you live here, it's important that you follow the rules."

My eyebrow twitched.

What kind of hypocrisy is that? I remember you were the one who missed the group of Fallen that killed Issei. That would also include killing locals by renegade demons. Sona's doing a pretty good job, so why can't you?

I glanced at Issei out of the corner of my eye. I saw that he didn't seem to be following the conversation at all.

Once again, I'm surprised that extreme naiveté is the hallmark of protagonists. Rias didn't even notice how she misspoke and revealed the fact that she was, in fact, complicit in his murder.

In some fanfics, she purposefully lets him die. That doesn't seem to be the case here. In theory. But the very fact of it gives the Shinto faction an opportunity to push the demons. Like the case of Nekosho Incident, for that matter.

I don't even want to lecture them like I did in the case of Akeno. But then I had a one-off impulse, so to speak. She ended up revealing herself to her fullest in the Rating Game, and now she has a more or less genuine smile on her face rather than a fake one.

- "If that's it, I'll go," I said, "Or is there something else?"

- "Yes," Rias nodded, "I'd like you to... train us."

I raised an eyebrow.

- "Оh? And why is that?" I wondered.

- "The other day Sona and I decided to test our powers, and..." she hesitated.

- "We were destroyed. Literally," Akeno finished for her, "From talking to her, we learned that you, Sensei, provided the mentor. And you're a very powerful mage yourself. So much so that, according to Sona, even if we team up, we don't stand a chance against you."

Oya? Sona told them about me? Although I can see Rias isn't too interested in that information. Well, she relies too much on her brother's strength. I wonder how I could break her rose-colored glasses?

- "No problem," I began, to which I received a very pleased Rias, "But what do I get in return? Free cheese is only in the mousetrap, tomato-san."

- "I wish you'd stop calling me that, Mr. Sloth," she replied, to which I just rolled my eyes, "And what do you want for your help?"

I wondered.

Well, at least she's willing to learn. Though she doesn't see the problem of her entourage closely. So. What do you want me to demand? Hmm.

- "How about one request, not from you, but from your brother?"

- "No problem!" She answered instantly, to which I remained calm outwardly, but inwardly....

She's fucking stupid. Definitely and irrevocably stupid. Doesn't she realize what a huge mistake she's just made? I just don't know what to say.

- "Fine. I'll meet you tomorrow night outside the clubhouse. I need to assess your abilities," I said and stood up and headed for the exit, "See you, tomato-san, the rest of you."

And with those words, I headed to my workplace.

I need to clear my head after such an obvious display of stupidity and shortsightedness. I hope the coffee will help me.

-0-

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[mirzael]

Kuoh Academy.
The next day.

Under a beautiful evening sunset, I and the entire cast of the Occult Studies Club stood across from each other, parodying old 90's cowboy action movies in every tradition.

The battlefield was ready.

Admittedly, as they set up their barriers, my eyebrow occasionally twitched in realization of how weak they were. In the anime, when the battle against Kokabiel was taking place and Sona and her retinue were holding the barrier, I had no questions about the barrier's strength and stability. Now, however, there are. And very big ones at that.

At that point, Sona was far weaker than she is now, and how the hell did their barrier hold back the attacks of the Fallen, who had TEN wings? Even for plot convention, this ranking of forces is just too illogical. So I put my closed field on top of theirs, just in case.

- "Master, why do I have to be the one to do this? Again."

Ah, yes. Of course, I brought Archer along. And he'll be the one to test their skills. I think a little change of scenery will do him good. Well, given recent events.

- "Well, imagine if I put Gilgamesh against them. What would he do to them?" I began, to which he rubbed his temples and remained silent, "Or Lancelot, or Enkidu, or Hera..."

- "I get it," he grumbled, "But Saber or Rider could take over, right? Or, God forbid, Merlin."

- "Hmm? Is your inner Hero of Justice messing with your head again?" I rolled my eyes, and his eyebrow twitched, "Don't tell me you don't think you're the best fit? Isn't your versatility the deciding factor?"

- "Tsk," Archer tsked.

While we were talking, an impatient Rias intervened.

- "Shall we begin, Sensei?"

- "Right!" Issei seconded her.

- "Uh-huh," I replied and stepped aside, then shouted to Archer one last time, "Remember, Emiya. People die if they are killed."

Shirou froze for a moment and then produced his favorite blades and threw them at me in annoyance. In response, I squatted down, causing the married swords to fly over me.

- "Ouch? Why do you have to react like that, Emiya-kun? Just because I'm right doesn't mean I'm right, right?"

Now he took out his bow and started shooting Hrunting at me, which of course were blocked against my magic circle.

- "To complete the package, throw at me also the very spear whose owner took your heart, aha-ha-ha."

- "That's it! You're dead, Master!" he shouted and was about to rush at me when a black and scarlet ball of energy flew towards him.

- "Attack!" Rias shouted, and the retinue rushed to the attack, while she kept throwing the orbs as if there were no other use for them.

Kiba was the first to reach Archer with his sword and swing it, but was blocked by Emiya, who wasn't even looking in his direction. Akeno flew up into the sky and raised her hand. From that a magic circle appeared, from which lightning flew out and headed for Archer.

But it too was repelled by him, to which he received the widened eyes of Rias' entourage. She wasn't discouraged and continued to fire lightning bolts while in the air. Though Emiya wasn't really paying much attention to her either. A cost of the battle with Medea, I suppose. Well considering the circumstances preventing him from using devastating Caladbolg-type Noble Phantasms.

Shirou swung his Bakuya and flung Kiba away from him, breaking his sword in the process, then dashed towards Rias. On his way to her, Koneko stood in front of him, which he jumped over and threw his swords at the King of the retinue.

- "I will protect the President!" Issei shrieked, "Balance Breaker! Scaly Armor of the Booster Gear!"

As he activated it, he was ready to meet Archer's attack when, unexpectedly, Shirou turned sharply towards Asia, who was standing a bit away from Rias. Kiba and Koneko instantly asked after Archer. As well as Issei, for that matter.

- "Asia!" Issei shrieked and rushed to defend her.

But it was too late, as Archer quickly reached Asia's figure and knocked her out with a hilt strike to the back of her head.

At full speed, the Issei flying towards him sped up even more and put his fist out, aiming for Shirou's face. Seeing this and thinking quickly, Archer thrust his hand forward.

- "Rho Aias!" he shrieked, and a pink-colored flower-shaped shield appeared in front of him.

BOOM

There was an explosion, and a cloud of dust blocked the view. Rias managed to put a barrier in front of her, and her entourage searched for Emiya with their eyes until they found him standing near me with Asia in his arms.

- "I think that's enough. You all suck." I said in a measured tone and snapped my fingers.

The bodies of the Club members were wrapped around the roots and immobilized.

- "But, why?" A perplexed Issei asked.

My eyebrow twitched.

- "Really, why? Maybe because you could have killed Asia, hmm, you stupid skillful pervert?"

At those words, he froze and turned pale, his eyes widening fearfully. As did the rest of them, though.

- "Oh? Your whole look screams that you haven't thought about it, huh?" I said, crossing my arms, "Or did you take advantage of it on purpose, counting on Archer to protect her and set her up for a hit? No, you're not smart enough to think that."

He lowered his head, and the rest of the entourage looked at Asia and Issei with concerned eyes. I snapped my fingers once more, and the roots released them.

- "I... thank you for not abandoning Asia, Archer-san." Rias said and bowed, walking over to us.

- "As you wish," Archer shrugged and handed Asia to Kiba, "Next time, watch your surroundings. You have no ability to make quick and thoughtful decisions. And if my hunch is correct, you'll be trained by me. That means you'll have a lot more work to do than Sitri-san and her entourage."

Rias sighed disappointedly, as did the rest of her entourage. Except for Issei, who was still in a downcast state.

- "That's right," I nodded, "And anyway, whose idea was it to leave the dumb skillful pervert in reserve? Wouldn't it be preferable to leave the attack to him, and the rest of us to group up and support him from afar? And put Kiba and Koneko in the middle or closer to him, hmm?"

- "Well..." Akeno started awkwardly, throwing a glance in Rias' direction.

- "Heh. Your brains are swollen with the fat of your tits, eh, tomato-san? Didn't you already know that Archer was strong, and your standard tactics could go in the trash?"

- "But... It worked in the Rating Game..." she muttered.

TWO of my eyebrows twitched.

How did you even get the idea to compare soap to an airplane! And anyway, Riser gave in to you, for crying out loud! Didn't you notice the look he gave you when he gave in?!

I'm just shocked. She's either playing dumb or she is. Yeah... And to pull a stick the size of a skyscraper out of her ass and break her rose-colored glasses is gonna take a lot of time and effort, which, frankly, I'm sorry for.

- "Okay," I rubbed my temples, "To summarize, it turns out to be: a dumb, skillful pervert who doesn't look where to hit. A tomato who can't sensibly assess the situation and strategize. Homo-eyes who is unable to create even a somewhat acceptable sword. White Cat, who has no speed at all on principle, and Healer, who can't defend himself in any way. Only Akeno, who more or less fulfills her role as fire support, has no special complaints. Anything else to add, Archer?"

- "Nope." he shrugged.

But in the next moment, a scarlet spear exuding a bloodthirsty aura was aimed at my face... which I blocked with my index finger.

- "Oh? Isn't saving everyone your credo, Emiya-kun? Don't I fall under that category?" With a cute smile on my face, I asked, already knowing where the punch was coming from.

- "All Magicians are annoying bastards that need to be destroyed," Emiya said confidently, holding up his spear, "You, Master, Zelretch, and that flower bastard. And if you all disappear, the world will only thank me."

- "Thank you for the compliment, Mother Emiya," I grinned, and the edge of his mouth twitched, "And I wouldn't give the interdimensional troll a bad word if I were you. Given our current circumstances, he could very well come here and play a joke on you. And you certainly don't want that."

- "Tch."

Turning to the side, I saw all the Club members tensely staring at the spear in Archer's hand, and Koneko had even fainted from its aura.

- "W-what kind of spear is that, Sensei? Why does it have such a terrifying aura?" Kiba asked in a trembling voice.

Ouch. Did Gae Bolg scare them? Yeah... Their mental defenses are in the shitter too....

I rubbed my temples and grabbed the spear and broke it with two fingers. To which I received stunned looks from Rias's entourage and Emiya's annoyed face.

I guess he's going to have a lot of work to do with them... A lot of work....

-0-

A/N: How's the chapter? Give us your opinion. You may well be able to influence future chapters.
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[mirzael]

Kyoto.

I decided to rest a bit and feel the atmosphere of the ancient city again. And this time without visiting Nurarihyon's place.

The sun had already set, and life in the city was just beginning: beautifully decorated red lanterns lighting up the streets, the clatter of traditional wooden Japanese sandals on the cobblestone road, and, of course, yukata men and women having a cultural time.

Spurred on by the moment, I too changed into a black colored yukata with a pattern of white flowers on it and strolled around, breathing in the ancient Japanese city-soaked air, which was a nice change of scenery.

- "It was a beautiful city. Like the smiles on the faces of the people here," I heard Grandpa's voice beside me, "In my time, they were covered in sand and dust, and the only sources of light were candles. The atmosphere was darker."

- "I suppose there was rather little entertainment in your time, eh?"

- "Perhaps there was, but I didn't pay any more attention to it than necessary. What I did take up all the time available."

- "Do you regret it?"

- "No," he said firmly, "It was my choice. I found my calling in it, and my personal needs took a back seat. Hashashin became my child who needed all my attention. The training of each candidate must be thorough and deliberate, and the enforcement of the code all the more so."

- "Oh? There were those who didn't follow them?"

- "Of course there were. Eighteen generations, eighteen leaders. Some lost their way, some found more important recognition in their lives, and some just reveled in the opportunities that came their way. And I remember them all."

- "Hmm... In addition to you as the founder, I know three other Hashashin heads. Can you tell me anything about the others?"

- "You already know the answer to your question, don't you, Master?"

- "It was worth a try." I shrugged.

Grandpa is definitely cool, and I'm already guessing what he was doing before he did what he's doing now. If you remember Shiki Tohno from Tsukihime, the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception can bring its owner a decent amount of inconvenience and limitations. The boy was experiencing a severe headache, and one wrong move could cost a massacre around himself and those around him. Not the most pleasant of sensations.

- "By the way, how did you set foot on this path? And what did you do before your current line of work? The voice of God?"

- "I don't even remember what I was before. But yes, one day I heard the voice of God. He chose me to decide the fate of murderers and sinners."

- "Oya? So, we are brothers in a way, huh?" I said passionately.

- "Brothers, Master?" he asked in a puzzled tone.

- "Well, since I'm Solomon's Pseudo-Servant who was also chosen by the Almighty, we can be called that, can't we? Nah, it's better to stay 'Grandpa'. It's more comfortable."

- "As you wish."

As I walked down another alleyway, the blonde head of a little girl with distinctive fox ears caught my eye. She was running from counter to counter as if she was hiding from someone, looking around from time to time. And apparently, I looked at her for a very long time.

- "Do you know this girl, Master? You've been staring at her for a minute."

- "Uh-huh. The daughter of the head of the Yokai who likes to run away from her guards. Do you think we should intervene?"

- "It's up to you."

- "Then I will."

As I blended in with the crowd, I slowly made my way toward Yasaka's daughter. When she went into an alley, I followed her. Kunou stopped in the middle of the space and sighed in relief, apparently not sensing my presence. She was wearing the standard garb of a Japanese temple priestess, consisting of a white shirt and a bright red hakama.

- "Running away from your guards is not the smartest thing to do, young lady." I whispered to her with her back to me.

- "Whoa-a-a!?" she shrieked and jumped away from me, turning to face me.

- "Calm down," I said in a soothing tone and raised my hands, showing that I was not dangerous, "If I wanted to harm you, I would not have made my presence known."

- "Who are you? What do you want from me?" She asked as cautiously as possible, searching with her eyes for an escape route.

- "To take me to my parents, I suppose. Your mother's probably already turned the whole town upside down looking for you. You wouldn't want to worry her too much, would you?"

- "How do I know you're not lying, mister?"

Hmm. Makes sense. I wouldn't trust the first person who offered to help me either.

- "Wait a minute," I said, and looked for a similar energy signature to Kunou. And from the looks of it, she's headed to Nurarihyon right now, probably for help. Hmm? What kind of demonic aura is heading this way? "Young lady, do you happen to know where your guards have gone?"

- "They asked me to wait for them and went somewhere, why?" Still cautiously, she replied.

- "I think I know what happened to them." I said, and the next moment there was a rather violent explosion.

BOOM.

The area where Kunou and I were standing was covered in dust, and the nearby buildings turned into rubble. When the dust cleared, my magic circle, which had protected us from the explosion, was visible. When I looked up, I saw a man with brown hair in the sky, spreading ten demonic wings and looking straight at my circle.

- "Weak for my blood," said the demon Beelzebub, "Although he clearly did not want to kill. What are you going to do, Romani?"

Oh? So this is Shalba Beelzebub? Doesn't look like the straightest guy I've ever seen.

- "Hey! Isn't introducing yourself before attacking the basics of a civilized third-rate villain, hmm?" I shouted at him.

- "Who are you?" he asked, ignoring my complaint, "Why does an inferior person dare to meddle in my affairs?"

- "I apologize for not asking permission, Mr. Pedophile," I said, at which his face contorted in anger, "And you still haven't introduced yourself. Maybe I was wrong to think demons had any dignity."

- "How dare you insult me, insect? But I'll introduce myself. Shalba Beelzebub, descendant of the Great Demon King, Lord of the Flies, Power…"

- "Yeah, yeah. You're cool and everything. Can you keep it short?"

In response, he held out his hand in my direction with a magic circle appearing in it. And a beam of energy flew out of it, which of course was blocked. And Kunou, finding no other option, ran up to me and hid behind my back.

- "You know what, why don't you come down to earth, dearie? I'm gonna teach you some etiquette."

My magic circle appeared in front of me, from which golden chains flew out, parodying Enkidu. With the speed of a bullet, they headed toward Shalba, trying to tie him up. He, of course, tried to dodge them and even fight them off, but it was all in vain. The chains wrapped around his body and with all speed and force slammed Shalba into the ground in front of my feet.

- "Who are you?! How dare you bind me, you, inferior creature!" he roared in my direction, gritting his teeth hard and glaring at me with angry eyes.

I silently created a Tora-shinai in my hand, which I had once managed to see in Archer's hands, and walked around him.

- "What the hell are you doing!"

- "Young lady, let me demonstrate how to punish naughty children." I pronounced with the kindest smile on my face and under Kuno's gaze, swung around and slapped Shalba's ass.

BAM

- "Agh!" he screamed in pain, "Why does it hurt so much?! I'm one of the strongest demons, dammit! So why does a wooden stick hurt so much!!!!"

BAM

- "Aah!"

Is it worth mentioning the tenfold increase in pain I added to Tora-shinai? I guess not.

BAM

- "Stop it!" he shouted, and Kunou covered her eyes and ears.

BAM

- "I'm going to kill you! My flies will eat you alive!"

BAM

- "You…"

BAM

- "Not over…"

BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM

After a couple minutes of beating, he fell silent and his eyes glazed over. After stopping beating him, I smiled happily as I felt great. It felt like all the stress had dissolved into nothingness and all that was left was contentment.

Maybe I'm a sadist? Nope. Beating… Oh. Raising bad guys isn't sadistic, right? Pure justice, I'd say.

- "S-scary..." Kunou whispered in a shaky voice, looking up at me. Her fox ears were pressed against her head, and her legs were barely keeping her upright.

My eyebrow twitched.

I kind of saved your life, little girl! Maybe a word of thanks, hmm? No? Anything?

- "You scared the child, Master," I heard Grandpa's voice in my head, "That's a sin, you know."

- "I was about to object when I was interrupted by a woman's scream."

- "Kunou!"

Turning in the direction of the shout, I saw an extremely emotional Yasaka, accompanied by Nurarihyon and one Tengu woman, looking at her daughter. And transferring her gaze to me with Tora-shinai, raised her tails and took a fighting stance.

- "Who are you?! What are you doing to my daughter?!"

I'm a good guy, damn it! Why do you want to attack me when I saved your daughter?! The bad guy is lying in front of me, not standing!

- "Answer me!" Yasaka shrieked, and golden flames flickered in her hands.

I want to go home. Definitely.

-0-

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[mirzael]

Kyoto. Yasaka's Palace.

I sat in the seiza position in one of the rooms of the palace and sipped my tea with a calm expression on my face, even though I'm an avid coffee drinker. The moon was shining unusually bright that night, eliminating the need for an alternative light source. The sounds of fireflies permeated the room, and the warmth of the tea cup warmed my skin.

So, today's incident aside, I need to think about how exactly to deal with Kokabiel and Excalibur.

The Fallen can be dealt with without too much trouble, as his role isn't important enough to proceed with caution. He's just the catalyst for the Biblical faction's peace treaty. I haven't met him yet, so it's too early to draw conclusions about his personality. What if he also doesn't fit the canon as well as Riser? Who knows, who knows.

According to the description from the anime, he's a typical war-crazed villain, without any clarification in the narrative. And I wouldn't want to let him go to waste without figuring out his motives. Cao Cao and his gang reeked of arrogance and a kind of madness, just like the recently met Shalba. They didn't have any deep thoughts or thoughtful motivation, as was the case with Riser. And considering that Kokabiel, though fallen, is still an angel, I highly doubt his mind is as illogical and clouded as the first two.

I think I should get him into a conversation sometime to get a better idea of what exactly his goal is.

The Excalibur thing is both complicated and simple at the same time. I'll definitely get all seven of his reshaped shards, even the Excalibur of Control that Arthur currently possesses, as well as making it whole again with the help of Merlin and Emiya under Muramasa's influence, but then what's next?

Leave it in the hands of the local factions? Nope. The other supernatural factions, upon learning that the sword is unified again, will try to pull something, as the balance of power will change. Although the local Excalibur isn't as strong as Artoria's, it's still powerful enough to pose a threat to mystical beings. A noble Phantasm of rank B. Maybe B+ at most. Durability is very lame when you consider it in his shards, though.

Morgan, Artoria, Merlin, Lancelot, and even Mordred wouldn't mind the idea of keeping the sword in my care, but then the Biblical faction would lose an effective weapon and an important asset in its face.

And all would have been simple, were it not for Alaya's restrictions. In the absence of them, my hands would be completely free, and Trihexa wouldn't be a problem, as two EX-ranked Noble Phantasms from two Grand Servants at once would wipe her out in a second. But unfortunately, I'm still limited in what I can do.

I need to start testing my theories on circumventing the rule of relative non-interference in the plot as soon as possible, or else there will be more and more of these situations. Although, they're going to be that way anyway, given the intensity of the story arcs.

I took a sip to calm my mind and looked into my cup.

- "You may enter, Ms. Ninja," I said, still not taking my gaze off the cup, "You don't have to be so careful. If I wanted to do something, your attempts to resist me would be futile, as you probably already know from Nurarihyon-san's words."

The response was a silence that didn't last too long, as the shoji to my room opened, and in its opening was a figure dressed in a black ninja uniform.

- "I apologize, but I'm only doing my job." She replied, sitting down in the seiza.

- "I see," I looked at her and placed the cup on the table, "I understand Yasaka-sama wants to see me?"

Her answer was a short nod. I got up from the table and headed to the main hall, which took about a couple minutes to reach. Once inside, my eyes immediately noticed Yasaka sitting on her throne and Nurarihyon standing at the stairs to her and smiling cheerfully at me.

- "It is a pleasure to welcome you to my palace, Romani-san," Yasaka began, adjusting her kimono, "First of all, I want to thank you for saving my daughter, as well as apologize for my behavior when we first met. I should have investigated the situation more thoroughly before making false accusations."

- "It's all right," I said, "Given the emotional state you were in at the time, your actions can be justified. And the damage you and our not-so-decent guest have done, I've already undone."

At my words, her ears drooped, and Nurarihyon chuckled.

- "Well, well, well. You shouldn't have mentioned it, young one. You upset the lady."

- "Oh, you could have kept your mouth shut, old man," I rolled my eyes, which got another chuckle from him, "By the way, how did your people miss someone like Shalba anyway? I thought that since Kyoto was the capital of the Yokai faction, the defense should be at an appropriate level, right?"

- "And it matches, but the demon got into the city in some other way we don't know about yet," Yasaka said and thought for a moment, "You don't have any guesses on that?"

- "Just a couple. And without any proof."

Georg of the Heroes faction and perhaps someone from the faction of past demon lords, given that Shalba was the one who came to the city. And the fact that he was alone is pure arrogance.

- "I see. Anyway, I'd like to thank you in some way," Yasaka straightened up and said,

"What would you like to receive as a reward?"

- "Oh? I intervened purely of my own free will, so I don't see the need for something like that," I shrugged, "And anyway, what makes you so sure I'm not part of some sinister plan of the enemy?"

- "Well, well, well. Don't you know that, Romani?" Nurarihyon grinned, "One of the Yokai's greatest abilities is the ability to read intentions. The Kitsune are particularly gifted in this area."

- "Nurarihyon-sama is right. If you had ill intentions toward us, I could sense it. So your suspicions are unnecessary."

Heh. How did an entire village of Nekoshou go under the knife if the Yokai have such skill? The geniuses in senjutsu missed the definitely aggressive demons right under their noses? By the way, I don't know the details of this event yet.

- "I have a question."

- "What kind of question, Romani-san?" Yasaka asked.

- "Can I know the details of the incident without being told?" I asked, at which Nurarihyon stopped smiling and Yasaka made a very sad face. "If it's as you say, I don't understand why it happened."

There was silence for a few seconds, which felt like hours.

- "It was... our oversight. And I would prefer to stop there, Romani." Nurarihyon replied.

Yeah... that's a response I don't think I've gotten yet. According to the wiki, Kuroki and Koneko's father was a scientist who experimented on his own children. And he was sponsored by the Naberius family, who were interested in the race's abilities.

I sighed and rubbed my temples.

Okay, I'll get the details from Kuroki. She hangs around my house anyway.

- "Okay," I began, and Nurarihyon and Yasaka relaxed, realizing that I had decided to postpone the topic, "In that case, I'd like to go home. The residents of my home are somewhat... restless."

- "Okay," Yasaka nodded, "But what about the reward."

- "See you later, Yasaka-san, old man." I said and teleported home before I heard her.

I'll ask her for the reward some other time.

-0-

As soon as Romani disappeared, there was a silence in which Yasaka went into thought.

- "What do you think of him, Yasaka-chan?" Nurarihyon asked cheerfully.

- "He's strong. Very strong, even if he tries to hide it," she replied thoughtfully, "How did you meet him, Nurarihyon-sama?"

- "Spontaneously," he grinned, "He was going through an identity crisis and happened to stumble upon my establishment. We met there and got to talking. I'd call him a true neutral, if I were to infer from his thoughts and conversations."

- "I see." Yasaka nodded.

Romani Archaman was... unusual. When she had first met his eyes, two words had rung clearly in her mind: 'Wisdom' and 'Magic'.

Magical power enveloped Romani's body like a thick woolen cloak. A very thick cloak from which thin threads of mana would occasionally fly out. And each of those threads was powerful. So much so that each of them could match one of Yasaka's most powerful spells. Based on that, one could imagine how powerful this man was if he didn't hold back.

Not only that, talking to him gave the feeling that Romani knew far more than she showed at first glance.

And... as she spoke to him, a subtle feeling of... connection ran through her body, and her heart skipped a beat. Outwardly, of course, she didn't show it, but that didn't negate the fact itself.

All of this raised questions in Yasaka's mind, even if she believed Nurarihyon's words about the man's character.

- "Do you want my men to observe him, Yasaka-chan?" As if reading her mind, Nurarihyon asked.

- "No, he'll notice. It's better to let things stay the way they are. We already have problems with the demon faction, and I don't want to add to them by provoking this man."

- "Suit yourself," he said and headed for the exit, "I'll be at my place if you need anything."

Yasaka nodded briefly and drifted off again. She needed to think. And to check on Kunou.

-0-

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[mirzael]

The forest of familiars.

- "I'm so sorry, but why am I here?" I asked the question, looking at the two groups of schoolboy demons.

- "Because it's your job?" Covering her mouth with the palm of her hand, Akeno giggled.

- "Somehow I don't recall a clause obliging me to visit another dimension with my students in the list of duties as a nurse of Kuoh Academy," My gaze went towards Sona, who had a smug grin on her face, "I demand compensation for overtime, President of the Student Council."

- "Oh? Need I remind you exactly how you work?" She fixed her glasses and raised her hand and continued, curling her fingers, "Late hours, leaving the workplace abruptly, damaging school property, unscheduled days off, sleeping on the wo…"

At this point I stopped listening to her and looked around.

The landscape was beautiful. Untouched by industrialization, nature breathed life. The swaying leaves of the trees, the murmuring of the waters, the sounds of mystical creatures, and most importantly, the high concentration of mana, reminded me of Solomon's memories of the Other Side of the World. I think there would be something to do here.

And actually, instead of 'looking after' these demons, I could be lying on a bunk in the med room, stroking Foe and sipping coffee. So much time wasted... I have something to say to them. And Sirzechs, of course.

- "Are you listening to me, Romani-sensei?" Sona asked with displeasure in her voice.

- "Why are there two retinues here at once? Isn't the forest of familiars only open to one?"

- "Romani-sensei?" Her voice became louder.

- "Do you have some sort of arrangement with the local parody Pokémon trainer? Or did you utilize the support of your brother and sister? Again."

- "Hey!"

- "We found a way out," Rias replied with her arms crossed, "And you're only here to ensure our safety, though I don't see the need for it. Lord Lucifer insisted on it."

Oh? He wants to see my power? Somehow I have a feeling that something is going to happen today with subtle assistance from Scarlet Satan. Well, I don't think he can do that. After all, there's nothing in this forest that could force me to act even the slightest bit seriously.

And while I was pondering this, a huge wave-like shadow appeared behind me, and my magic circle lit up. A huge wave of water hit my side with unnatural hardness, making a loud explosion sound.

BOOM

- "What is that!!!" Issei exclaimed.

- "When did Sona become so strong! She didn't show it when we were fighting!" Supported her retinue by Rias herself, who along with Akeno held protective circles in front of her retinue.

My circle extinguished, and I slowly turned my head towards the enraged Sona with her arm outstretched in my direction, and gave her a cheerful look.

- "Oya? When did you become so irritable, Ms. President?" I smiled, at which two giant snakes of water formed behind her and roared at me, "Maybe you should sniff some paper and ink to calm down? Or would you prefer I call your sister over here? Your irritability can affect your appearance, you know? Wrinkles, that sort of thing? But I have absolutely nothing to do with it, if you ask me."

And as soon as I finished speaking, the snakes came at me, trying to naturally devour me. Even though they were stopped by my circle, they were beating on it with the intention of getting to my carcass.

- "Can you not annoy Sona, Sensei?" Rias questioned, looking at me sternly, "We're attracting too much attention."

- "Oh? Tomato Princess, please keep your seeds to yourself and don't interfere in other people's conversation. Or have you not been taught etiquette?" I raised an eyebrow, and Akeno giggled, as did Sona's entourage.

- "Trained, unlike you, Mr. 'sleeping on the job'." She replied, and the edge of her mouth twitched.

- "I'm just assuming that all the training went into your chest and stayed there, never making it to your brain," I said, to which she was covered in a black and scarlet aura, "It's bigger than your head, after all, so I think it's a reasonable assumption. Isn't that right, Koneko?"

Rook nodded confidently, and Rias joined Sonia in firing balls of energy at me.

- "I've never seen a president like that before," Issei muttered.

- "And you have no instinct for self-preservation. If your opponent is even a slightly attractive girl, your goal is not to win, but to undress. And I'm not talking about your fighting ability at this point, mind you."

- "Hey! I can't help it! Like you wouldn't look at a pretty girl even if she's the enemy!" he exclaimed, and then froze for a moment and looked at me suspiciously, "Or... or are you not into girls?"

I was stunned and slowly looked at him, and Saji started throwing wary glances at me as well.

That bastard is hinting at 'it', isn't he? What an ungrateful bastard! It's only because of me (Archer) that he was able to reach the damn Balance Breaker in such a short period of time!

- "Repeat what you just said. Loud and clear so I could be sure I was listening," three Gae bolgs appeared behind me, their aura like a wave of icy water that washed over the crowd and stopped the gunfire. The spears themselves pointed at Issei, causing him to freeze, and his eyes flickered between them and me, "It seems that lately, stupidity has become airborne, and I'm afraid I'll catch it."

- "Well..."

- "Well?"

- "You are g…" my assumptions were confirmed, and he was about to say what he wanted to say when he was interrupted by a voice, towards which one Gae Bolg instantly flew.

- "What's going on here!!!" The voice asked, and then, as the spear almost caught up with him, shouted, "What is this?!"

The silhouette dodged, to which I raised an eyebrow, and appeared in my field of vision.

Yep. Coach Ash on minimums. Same red cap, same backpack, and same fingerless gloves. It all looked totally ridiculous, since instead of a teenager, it was a man in his forties. But I'll give him credit. Dodging a Rank B Noble Phantasm is an impressive feat. I guess running and dodging are the only talents he has.

- "What are you?" I asked with a deliberately surprised look.

- "I'm Zatugi! I'm a professional trainer of familiars! And you're making too much noise! And…"

- "And if you don't shut up, you'll become a professional colander, capisce?" I finished for him, and the number of spears increased to ten, to which he instantly shut up.

- "You can't threaten him! He…"

- "Will become the owner of more holes than given to him by nature if you don't shut up too, tomato-san," I said, to which Rias also fell silent, glancing warily at Gae Bolgs, "I'll take a walk. And you can do whatever you want once I'm far enough away that I can't hear your ramblings. I hope that's clear?"

- "But you must protect on…" Rias wanted to start to emerge as the spears turned in her direction, releasing an ominous aura that made her cover her mouth.

- "Fine. Good luck then." I said and headed deep into the forest.

As I walked through it, my eyes noticed a wide variety of creatures, even more reminiscent of the Backside of the World. Dragons, elementals, dryads, fairies, and a bunch of other creatures like them were going about their business. And they didn't notice me, or just ignored me, which was rather odd. I wonder how a certain white Beast would react to this place.

- "Fou." I said, as the next moment, a small portal appeared in front of me, out of which the Primate Murder flew out with its leg extended into my face to hit me.

I only raised an eyebrow and caught him by the scruff of his neck, bringing him closer to my face.

- "Fou, kyu!"

- "And? You beat up Merlin every day. It wouldn't be a tragedy if you missed a day or two," I said, to which he crossed his arms in front of him, "Besides, take a look around. What do you think of this place?"

He started twirling his head from side to side, then sniffed the air.

- "Fou."

- "I know what it looks like, but do you sense anything special? How much of it is connected to other dimensions?"

Fou hesitated and closed his eyes. Then a couple minutes later he opened them and looked at me seriously.

- "Fou, fou, fou, fou, kyu."

- "Interesting."

Why did I say that? Because, this place is basically the Texture of this world. In DxD, there is no separation between the outside world and the backside. It's more like an onion. The human world is the outermost layer, and Hell, Heaven, Asgard, the Forest of Familiars, and so on are underneath, reminiscent of the Textures from the Nasuverse. That is, overlapping realities, like layers of an onion.

And the interesting thing is that True Magic affects them specifically. That is, if I resurrect a person with 3rd magic, I pull the soul out of the lower Textures to the higher one. The soul still belongs to the world, it just goes through several layers of reality, Textures, thus I bypass the rules of the world, making me ignore the path the soul of the dead has traveled.

Yes, each pantheon has its own afterlife, but they too are Textures connected to the outer layer, the world of humans. Basically, each layer is connected to it, creating a unified communication system for the entire world.

And since that's the case, here, I can test my theories, since this place is connected to both the outer and inner layers. A middle ground, so to speak.

I grinned.

Well, it's time to test the rule of non-interference in the plot.

-0-

A/N: How's the chapter? Give us your opinion. You may well be able to influence future chapters.
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