Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
Serena's POV - November 10, 2008
I calmly sipped some tea while everyone stared at me. Once the threat had vanished, we were all led towards Kyoto, and I, unfortunately, was forced to follow them since we encountered Azazel, and he wouldn't let me leave.
So I could only follow them wearily toward Kyoto. And we stayed the night. At least the others did. Issei and the rest had been injured enough to be completely exhausted, even after I helped Asia heal them. Azazel was just as tired.
Yasaka was recovering from being mind-controlled and forced into her Kyuubi form as a battery for the ritual. Kunou, however, was already asleep. Mental exhaustion and worry for her mother finally overwhelmed her, leaving her incapacitated mid-fight.
I could only give up and wait until everyone was in a better condition to talk after they had all slept and recovered enough.
So I simply sat in the room they had offered me and read all night. Not the books from my library, which I had already read completely, including all the ones I had borrowed from Mashle. Instead, I searched The Company's website for objects, books, or power systems that would aid the ritual.
I remembered many things, but nothing in enough detail to know if the finer details would be useful for the ritual, so I had to read everything several times. Unfortunately, the more I read, the more I discarded things.
Although… I found several interesting things. First, there were too many options related to Xianxia worlds. Chinese novels that deal with immortals, magic, demons, and gods, always in search of immortality and the pinnacle of power. This is equivalent to high fantasy.
I had read several of them, but I would admit they weren't my style. However, there was a great deal about arts, paths, magic, and anything that used the power systems of those worlds to refine a person's body and achieve divinity.
Many types of hybrid body constitutions allowed one to cultivate different paths without them conflicting, which interested me enough to look into some of them.
But in the end, I discarded it. Refining those bodies took too long—hundreds, sometimes thousands of years. And if you wanted to accelerate the process, you needed special objects that were intrinsic to those worlds. I doubted I could replace them with the ingredients from the worlds I had access to.
Going to one of those worlds? Just thinking about it gave me the chills. I was sure I'd end up killing everyone, because the antagonists in Chinese novels are always arrogant and stupid enough to have the intelligence of five-year-olds. Reading about them reminded me of the Marauders, but much worse.
The worst part was that they were all stupidly vengeful and wouldn't accept that any of them were actually at fault. So if you kill person X, person Y will come to kill you for killing their family. If you kill Y, then person Z will come to kill you for killing their family. If you kill person Z, then person AA will come to kill you for killing their family.
And so on until you've practically eradicated an entire family or sect. And then, because you eradicated family/sect X, family/sect Y will come to eradicate you. If you eradicate family/sect Y, then family/sect Z will come to eradicate you.
And so on until you'd massacred half the cultivators in that world. And it didn't even end there. If you didn't eradicate every single one, some random person would come to take revenge for having their entire family killed. And basically, it never ended.
Yes… I would stay far away from those worlds.
Or maybe I'll send Bellatrix to one of them. She'll surely have a great time.
By the time dawn finally broke, I had already highlighted dozens of those worlds and objects. Even so, as expected, no one sought me out, so I simply continued. Only someone came to ask if I wanted breakfast, not a meeting as I had anticipated. It wasn't until noon that I was called to join the group. First for lunch, and then for a meeting.
So I simply put my phone back in my inventory and let myself be guided by the yokai in front of me, who kept glancing at me strangely now and then. It would literally turn around and stare at me with wide eyes. I just ignored it.
"Ah, Serena, you look really good, better than all of us," Azazel said as I entered the room. I could see him smiling, a tired but somewhat cheerful smile. And he wasn't the only one. Yasaka looked much more presentable now, but her tiredness was noticeable as she sat. Like Issei and the others, they still seemed half asleep.
"Lady Prince. Thank you for coming," Yasaka said, bowing slightly. "I must thank you for your intervention. Thank you for freeing me from that... disgusting control they had over me, and for driving off the terrorists. Kyoto and I are indebted to you." Yasaka said, still bowing. Kunou did the same.
"Thank you for freeing my mother," Kunou said respectfully. I just shook my head.
"Hold your heads up. There's nothing to thank me for. I was just there by mistake. I was looking for something and got caught up in it," I said easily. Yasaka raised her head slightly.
"Even so, you saved me from the terrorists," Yasaka said gently. I just sighed and nodded.
" I accept your thanks, Lady Yasaka. Lady Kunou, it's a pleasure to have helped." I finally said wearily. Yasaka laughed slightly before straightening up.
"Please, sit down and let's eat. We can talk after we've had a full stomach," Yasaka said matter-of-factly. I just nodded and sat next to Azazel, who was giving me strange looks, just like everyone else. Even when the yokai servants came in and started serving the food, they paused for half a second, glancing at me slightly, as if they couldn't see properly.
We all ate in silence, or with small conversations. Most of us finally regained our energy once we finished eating. So here we were now, still sitting after the servants had cleared away our plates.
"Hey! Prince of Succubi! What's with the Kitsune ears and tails?" Issei asked, tilting his head before grinning perversely. "You love kemonomimi too?!" he asked excitedly. I just blinked slightly before glancing behind me. The nine fox tails were slowly swaying from side to side.
"Oh... I forgot you were there," I said easily.
"Did you forget?" Azazel asked dryly. I shrugged.
"My appearance changes from one moment to the next; I tend to forget sometimes," I said easily. The others looked at me curiously.
"You change your appearance? Is that... just appearance?" Yasaka asked cautiously.
"You're not a real nine-tailed kitsune!?" Kunou asked, almost horrified. I opened my mouth, then closed it.
"Partially?" I said, tilting my head. The others mimicked my confusion. "Hmm, it's... difficult and rather long to explain," I said, shrugging.
"We have time," Azazel said, shrugging as he looked at Yasaka, who nodded.
"I... I'm really curious about that. Kunou and I are the last nine-tailed kitsune. That there's a third one... even by such a... strange method, is something I'd like to know." Yasaka said cautiously. I wrinkled my nose and nodded.
"I already explained it to Rias, Sona, and the others after Kokabiel's attack, after we defeated Vali," I said easily. Everyone turned to look at Issei and the others.
"What, why are you looking at me?! I don't remember what she said!" Issei said immediately.
"About your inner world, right?" Azazel asked with a hum. I just looked at him. Azazel shrugged. "I received the subsequent reports. Sona Sitri was extremely detailed and wrote word for word."
"I think she wrote something about Origin and Affinity," Azazel said calmly. I nodded.
"Origin and Affinity. Affinity indicates a person's general compatibility with certain elements. For example, Phenex has an affinity for fire and wind, and Sitri for water."
"Someone with an affinity for water won't be able to cast fire magic, or if they do, it will be with great difficulty, and it will be practically useless. But their water magic will be greatly enhanced when used. And so on. There can be different types of affinities, but basically it's about your compatibility when performing certain feats." I explained it easily. Azazel nodded.
"Quite simple. Really. It's something that practically everyone who practices magic learns to figure out right away," Azazel said, nodding. I nodded.
"It is," I said easily. "Origin... that... is more complicated to explain," I said gently. "Origin... is what I define as the starting point that defines a person's existence and guides their actions throughout life. It's a driving force that's more like an inherent compulsion that could be called instinct."
"If you've ever heard someone say, 'This is who I am, this is my life,' they're probably right. They've found their origin. They've found the rawest, most inherent driving force of their being."
"Sometimes... it happens that a person's Origin becomes their affinity. Most of these people exhibit their talents as extreme specialists, potentially allowing them to reach higher levels than any normal person."
"Mine? They are Mystery for both Origin and Affinity. A Mystery is... is the source of all supernatural phenomena. Anything supernatural falls within my affinity. Magic, magical artifacts or weapons, magical biologies, supernatural beings, anything that is termed 'supernatural', falls within my affinity and my Origin."
"My very being, my inner world, is a storehouse for Mystery. Any Mystery I observe is recorded within me with sufficient precision and accuracy that I can replicate and use it freely. Magic, magical weapons, and magical objects are the most basic. But supernatural beings also fall within that range; they too are Mystery."
"No... it's not as simple as the previous explanation. But I can replicate a supernatural biology on my body so I can take advantage of the benefits of those races." I explained it easily. At this point, I really had nothing to hide. Especially since I only received confused looks. The only people who really seemed to be following along were Azazel, Rossweisse, and Yasaka.
"That... that explains a lot about you," Azazel murmured, his eyes wide. I nodded, amused.
"Of course," I said with a smile. "I've mentioned that I love magic, and I wasn't lying, but it's... something deeper, something intrinsic to me. My inner world is a consequence of my similar origins and affinities, and my obsession with them," I said easily.
"That sounds extremely powerful, Lady Prince. Does it work for… anything? Norse magic, demonic swords, Sacred Gears, holy swords, ancient artifacts, human magic, holy power, senjutsu, youjutsu, and other things?" Rossweisse asked quickly.
"I have limits," I readily admitted. "I am my own limit. I am limited by my knowledge and my skill. Something extremely complex that escapes my comprehension is impossible to replicate. Like Ajuka's Kankara Formula," I said easily. Azazel snorted heavily.
"If you were able to replicate that, anyone would cry immediately," Azazel said dryly. I chuckled.
"I didn't say it's impossible. I said it is for now," I said, my eyes shining.
"Ambitious." Azazel said playfully, and I shrugged.
"And besides that, I can't replicate anything divine either. What I can scan, replicate, and understand is based on my senses, my knowledge, and my abilities. Unfortunately, I'm not capable of understanding divine power. So any object, divine construct with sufficient divinity, or the authority or magic of a god, is completely incomprehensible to me," I added easily.
"And... you used that to transform into a nine-tailed kitsune?" Yasaka finally asked. I nodded, then flicked my fox tails before they dissolved into Light and shifted shape. Cat ears and two cat tails appeared above my head and behind me. They looked surprised, but I just kept shifting.
Ears and tails of dogs, cats, boars, rabbits. Then different types of yokai I had seen so far, and finally I ended up as Pallum. My height decreased by almost half while I continued sitting calmly.
"Every race, every yokai, every type of supernatural being has certain affinities, certain unique abilities. I take advantage of that. It takes me... a while to learn how to do it, but it's really useful in certain situations," I said calmly.
"That means you can use the inherent abilities of other races," Azazel murmured, his eyes wide. "That... is truly incredible. I have so many questions!" Azazel exclaimed excitedly. I chuckled softly.
"And I suppose that's how you were able to use the Kyoto Ley Lines," Yasaka said gently. I just nodded.
"Nine-tailed Kitsune have an inherent, natural affinity for ley lines. They have a great affinity for the spiritual energy of ley lines. Tap into that affinity, then push that and borrow Yasaka's connection to the Kyoto ley lines."
"I basically tricked the Ley Lines into recognizing me as part of the connection. It's not something I can use outside of Kyoto, and not without your express permission and authority, Lady Yasaka," I said calmly. I could see Yasaka sigh in relief.
"That was really interesting. Though it's a shame you're not actually a nine-tailed kitsune." Yasaka sighed, almost disappointed. I hummed softly.
"I mean, my transformation is real enough for me to be a legitimate nine-tailed Kitsune for as long as the transformation lasts. I'm sure I could even pass it on to my children," I said, thinking.
"Seriously?" Yasaka asked with a glint of curiosity and calculation. I shrugged.
"It should be possible. I've never tried it, and I promised Enid I wouldn't experiment on our future children, and I definitely don't intend to, promise or not. But, yes, this would be minimally invasive enough and should work." I said easily before making a face. "Although, it's not like I'm planning on having kids anytime soon." I added quickly. Even so, Yasaka hummed softly as she nodded.
"Honestly, I thought your Origin might be Gardener or something, you know, because of that conversation the other day and all," Azazel said with a slightly shaky smile. Almost as if he were searching for something. I just shrugged.
"No one said it was incompatible," I said, shrugging. "My Origin is Mystery, but that doesn't mean I can't be anything else. Being a Gardener is... something different." I said softly. "Possibilities. I simply believe there should always be the possibility of something new. That no rule, no destiny, and no law of the universe should absolutely determine everything that can come into being."
"Looking at a perfectly ordered, perfectly predictable, perfectly identical garden, no matter what you do, is perfectly boring. I... would change things. I would want things to change. Because every new possibility brings with it new questions, discoveries, new ways of being, things no one could have even imagined. New Mysteries."
"Mystery is what I am. Being the Gardener is what I do with it," I said with a small smile. "What's the point of my Origin being Mystery if it allows the universe to become something where there's nothing left to discover?" I moved my hand gently. Everyone remained silent.
"So... being the gardener wasn't a metaphor after all?" Azazel asked, almost tensely. I just gave him a strange look.
"Oh no, that was completely literal. More or less." I said, shrugging. Everyone fell silent.
"So... my origin is Oppai?" Issei blurted out. We all turned to look at him. Azazel sighed wearily.
"Your affinity can't be breasts, Issei, no matter how much you desire it," Azazel said dryly.
"No, actually, he might be on to something," I said playfully.
"Seriously?!" Issei asked excitedly.
"Seriously?!" the others asked incredulously. I just smiled amusedly.
"Issei has demonstrated many times his ability to become stronger by thinking about them, or by directly touching them. He has created magic related to them despite being terrible at magic in general. And that growth is practically exponential. His sexual desire has always been one of his greatest strengths, and it has allowed him to survive desperate situations."
"If it ever came to the point where he abandoned it, I'm sure he would involuntarily stagnate." I said, shrugging.
"Aha! I knew being a super pervert was the way!" Issei exclaimed loudly. "Wait, abandon it?! I would never abandon it!" Issei said incredulously. I hummed.
"What if you started dating Rias, and she asked you to, or asked you to focus on her, or even without her asking, you focused on her, wouldn't you give up some of your perversion?" I asked playfully. Issei opened his mouth, then closed it, looking conflicted.
"I see what you mean. Yes… Issei has improved too much. And he's had power boosts, not just once, but several times, from touching Rias's breasts. That… makes sense." Azazel said, completely dizzy. I chuckled.
"Aha! Then I just have to keep being a pervert!" Issei exclaimed with determination.
"As long as you do it far away from me, my Peerage, and my city, do whatever you want," I said dryly.
"What?! But you said-"
"I said that might be your origin. I didn't say I'd tolerate your attitude. You're still disgusting. I feel like gouging your eyes out every time you look at me. And I feel like ripping out your heart when you look at my mates. That's your affinity; it doesn't mean anything," I said dryly. Issei squealed in panic and hid behind Kiba.
"Mah, mah, mah," Azazel said, trying to calm us down with an amused smile. "I think we've strayed from our topic," he said, looking at Yasaka. She just shook her head.
"It doesn't matter. I must say, I found the talk... instructive. I guess you learn something new every day," Yasaka said with a smile.
"Even so, let's get down to business." Azazel said seriously. "Who wants to start with the report?" Azazel asked, looking at all of us. I hummed.
"I can bring a Pensieve, and we can look at Issei's memories or some of the others'. It'll be much easier." I said simply. Azazel's eyes glowed slightly.
"That's an excellent idea!" Azazel exclaimed excitedly. I waved my hand, and a Pensieve appeared in front of us. "Alright, Issei, come here!" Azazel called out as he approached Issei. "Think about the fight," he said calmly as a small magic circle appeared in his hand. He touched Issei's temple, drawing out the memory, and then dropped it into the Pensieve.
"What... is this?" Yasaka asked cautiously.
"A magical artifact of my own creation. It allows you to see other people's memories," I explained easily. "You just... need to immerse yourself," I said simply. Azazel nodded and gave a thumbs-up, then placed a finger over the fountain, and I did the same. The others quickly imitated us, even Kunou.
We all saw the memory of the fight. From when they entered the dimension. When they were separated. And Issei's fight against Cao Cao, and the evolution of Issei and his Sacred Gear. And finally, I appeared.
"Mmm... were you there because of the True Longinus?" Azazel asked, frowning, once we were back in the room. I nodded slightly.
"I was conducting some experiments. Some of my calculations indicated that the True Longinus would be the missing piece I needed to complete my experiment," I said vaguely. Azazel narrowed his eyes.
"Experiment. With the True Longinus. A devil," Azazel said dryly and very suspiciously. I laughed slightly.
"Yes. It's nothing dangerous, really. But it's a secret," I told Azazel, winking at him. "It's not like you tell everyone about all the experiments Grigori conducts, right?" I asked, shrugging. Azazel snorted. "Besides, it turns out the True Longinus wasn't what I was looking for, unfortunately." I sighed wearily.
"So you let them escape. Cao Cao and his group." Azazel said tensely, staring at me. I just hummed softly as I sipped some tea.
"I did." I said calmly. Azazel just stared at me.
"Why?" Yasaka asked from the side. "You had them; they weren't in any condition to fight. You could have gotten rid of them or captured them." I paused for a few seconds to consider it.
I had let them escape, yes, but I hadn't lost sight of them.
Mors.
It turns out that magic was actually quite useful. I had cast it on every member of the Hero Faction present at the scene, and it let them escape. I had… several reasons for doing so. Reasons I wasn't sure whether to share.
Objective 12: Obtain a sacred Longinus set for your retinue. (Repeatable)
Reward [ Other ]: 1 talent of your choice becomes free for the entire retinue via Talent Sharing or 10 credits
Objective 13: Destroy the Hero Faction
Reward [ Other ]: 2 high-level sacred equipment for your retinue or 50 credits.
Objective 14: From hero to zero: Defeat Cao Cao and steal his Longinus
Reward [Other]: Removal of minor weakness for the entire retinue
The rewards weren't particularly impressive, enough to make me feel compelled to do them. But they were still useful, all things considered. However, there were several problems completing each one.
I couldn't kill any of them. At least, not right now. Not if I wanted to take their Sacred Gears. Longinus might not be useful to me, but Dimension Lost and Blade Blacksmith were.
But I had appeared in the middle of the attack on Kyoto. That meant witnesses. Enough to ask questions if I took my time, stayed with them inside a time bubble, or even kidnapped them.
And the Hero Faction was much bigger than just them, especially the co-leader. It wasn't something I remembered because the plot was part of a spinoff, part of High School DxD Junior.
But the Hero Faction had a second leader: Charlemagne. The woman who was a descendant of the original Charlemagne, the wielder of Another Longinus. Despite its name, it was actually a sword, which I was almost certain was Joyeuse, the sword that belonged to the original Charlemagne and is said to contain a fragment of the True Longinus.
What makes Another Longinus special is that it also has a fragment of God's last will, which, just like with Cao Cao, allows it to perform miracles.
Technically, Charlemagne should have left the original Hero Faction once Cao Cao was defeated and lost the True Longinus, forming her own group, if the canon had remained the same. But that hasn't happened yet. So… simply defeating Cao Cao wouldn't be enough to completely defeat the 'Hero Faction'.
Furthermore, although I doubted that Another Longinus's last will was greater than True Longinus's, it wouldn't hurt to check, especially since there were some truly interesting people in Charlemagne's group. Or rather, interesting Sacred Gears.
There were several Extra-Longinus. Sacred Gears that had the potential to become, or had become, Longinus after evolving, like the Tower of Babel in Michelangelo's possession. It was supposed to allow the creation of a vast dimensional space and barrier similar to Dimension Lost, filled with stone statues that obeyed his commands.
But one in particular caught my attention: Noah's Ark. The Ark of salvation. Actually, despite its name, Noah's Ark is shaped like an engine that needs to be installed on a real vessel to function. Noah's Ark then transforms the vessel in a process called "arkification."
It was powerful enough to transform a British super-dreadnought into an aircraft tough enough to allow Charlemagne's group to fly through the Dimensional Gap.
So, freeing Cao Cao was necessary so he could run back to his base. At least long enough for me to meet up with them all and take them out at once, especially if Leonardo returned with them. Annihilation Maker would also be extremely useful.
But it's not like I could tell all that to Azazel and the others. Or at least, not completely.
"What does a wounded animal do?" I asked casually, smiling slightly. Azazel stopped, his eyes gleaming.
"They return to their caves to lick their wounds," Azazel said. "Do you plan to follow them to their base?" Azazel asked quickly. I hummed.
"Perhaps. I'll cast spells to track them. Even if they go to the Dimensional Gap, I'll be able to follow them. I'll go and take a look. Although Cao Cao and the others are definitely the strongest group, they likely aren't the only ones. We don't know how many of them there are in total."
"So I'll see for myself, and I'll get rid of them if I can. As long as Ophis isn't there." I said with a grimace. Azazel did the same. "At worst, I can at least cast spells to spy on them and learn their plans." I said easily.
"I see. Not a bad plan," Azazel said, frowning. "Are you planning to go alone?" Azazel asked seriously. I stopped myself before I could grimace.
"I'll most likely bring my Peerage. I was able to overwhelm Cao Cao thanks to the Kyoto Ley Lines. He must be injured enough to be weakened now, and I might not need help. But I'll be on guard. If there's any trouble, I'll leave immediately and let you know anything that happens," I told Azazel.
"damned right," Xenovia snorted, crossing her arms. "They've already attacked and invaded us several times. Give them hell; let's see if they like being attacked in their bases." Xenovia mocked. I chuckled.
With that, I saw their suspicion disappear, and we continued chatting for a while longer.