The silence, the darkness, and the faint metallic scent in the cold air made the scene unsettling—almost eerie.
Daniel examined his surroundings. As a devil, seeing in the dim light was easy. Piles of trash were stacked in the corners, some giving off a stench of blood.
He felt uneasy; the atmosphere reminded him of an unpleasant experience. Instinctively, he rubbed his abdomen, which began to tingle.
Rias and the others also observed the ruins calmly. Issei, on the other hand, was tense—he could only summon his gauntlet and move closer to Rias.
Suddenly, everyone fixed their gaze on a single point. Something was there. A presence trying to remain hidden, but once discovered, it emerged flaunting its grotesque body.
It was a huge beast: the upper body of a naked woman attached to a monstrous frame with four limbs ending in massive claws. In her human hands, she held a spear.
"Kekekeke... damn girl. I don't know how you found me, but don't think you'll leave here in one piece."
Rias looked at her with disdain as the rest took their battle stances.
"Defying your master and running wild as you please… you truly deserve death. In the name of the House of Gremory, I'll gladly erase you!"
The creature didn't respond—she charged forward, her steps shaking the ground.
"Koneko, keep it busy. I still want to explain a few things to Ise."
Koneko nodded and planted herself firmly in front of the beast. With both hands, she stopped the massive paw that tried to crush her.
"...Fly."
With a sharp push, she deflected it to the side and used the momentum to leap up and deliver a brutal punch that sent the monster flying several meters away.
Issei's mouth fell open. He had seen her strength during the tests against Daniel, but he hadn't expected her to send a five-meter-tall monster flying like that.
Daniel, meanwhile, watched her curiously.
"Is she showing off?" he thought. He didn't fully understand her, but he had learned to catch certain nuances in her expressionless face. He was almost sure Koneko had done that to show off.
She turned and gave him a brief glance.
"Showing off... or threatening me?" Daniel was confused.
In the distance, the monster roared furiously as it stood back up among the rubble.
"Your turn, Kiba."
That was all Rias needed to say. The blond dashed forward, slicing through the air with blinding speed. With precise strikes, he severed the beast's arms and opened deep, bleeding wounds all over its body.
Seeing that the creature was occupied and no further interruptions would come, Rias calmly resumed her explanation:
"See, Ise? Koneko's strength comes from being a [Rook]. And Kiba's speed represents the [Knight]."
Issei nodded, still processing the demonstration, when Akeno stepped forward.
"Ara, should I show off too, Buchou?" she asked with a teasing smile in Koneko's direction.
The small girl looked away, pretending not to care. Daniel smiled too—apparently, he wasn't the only one who noticed Koneko's "performance."
Rias nodded to Akeno. She moved gracefully, lightning crackling in her hands.
In seconds, the air filled with agonized screams, the stench of burnt flesh, and Akeno's cheerful laughter.
Meanwhile, Rias continued:
"Akeno is my [Queen]. She's the second strongest after me, the unbeatable vice president of our club. She has the combined traits of the [Pawn], [Knight], [Bishop], and [Rook]."
While Rias spoke, the stray devil stopped screaming. Akeno cut her laughter short with a hint of dissatisfaction before returning to Rias's side.
Daniel looked at the smoking corpse and thought, "Are stray devils really this weak? Did I suffer for nothing in my first battle… or is Rias's group just too strong?"
Next to him, Rias prepared to eliminate the body with destruction magic. But suddenly, a condensed sphere of devil energy shot out from the shadows—straight toward her.
The attack was so sudden that, even though Kiba tried to intercept it, he was too late. Issei even stepped forward, ready to throw himself between Rias and the blast.
A loud explosion shook the area, and a cloud of dust covered everything.
Before Akeno could ask if they were okay, everyone saw a pair of massive, smoldering wings spread wide in front of them, shielding them from the blast.
---
Daniel sighed. His theory about coating his wings with gray energy had worked. Aside from a light sting and minor energy loss, there were no major issues.
He flapped his wings, dispersing the dust. Everyone approached, watching the new stray devil that had ambushed them.
"There was more than one? That's odd—they don't usually form groups," Akeno said as she advanced.
Rias nodded, then turned to Daniel with a grateful smile.
"Yes, it's unusual. But maybe that's good—we can eliminate two instead of one," she said, brushing back her hair disheveled by the blast. Then she continued giving orders: "Alright, let's finish this quickly. Be careful—this one seems a bit stronger and can use magic."
Kiba, Akeno, and Koneko nodded and stepped forward, but Daniel stopped them.
"Can you let me handle this one? I want to test a few things."
Rias hesitated for a moment but eventually agreed. She wanted to see Daniel's capabilities, and she was confident they could help if anything went wrong.
---
Rias and the rest watched closely. This would be the first time they saw Daniel fight—except for Issei, who had been attacked alongside him by the fallen angels.
As always, Daniel pulled out a duel disk and a few cards. Koneko and Rias immediately recognized the setup—it was the same from the game they had tried before. Soon, a dense gray mist stirred, and from the ground emerged a massive mechanical hand dragging up the rest of its colossal body.
Issei was stunned. This wasn't what he remembered. Where were the pancake and the owl? Akeno and Kiba also watched the strange "robot" with curiosity.
Rias and Koneko identified it instantly.
"The Ancient Gear Knight, huh?" Rias said, watching the huge golem armed with a shield and a lance built into its arm.
Meanwhile, the stray devil wasn't standing still. It seemed to have some camouflage ability and tried to sneak away.
Daniel didn't waste the chance—he ordered the golem to attack, then murmured something, flapped his wings, and shot forward… only to crash straight into a wall.
"…"
Everyone froze. Whatever awe or admiration they'd felt at the golem's appearance crumbled instantly.
---
Daniel brushed the rubble off himself and patted his head. After watching those annoying fallen angels fight so many times, he'd gotten an idea: if they could propel themselves using their wings, why couldn't he? Excited, he decided to try. Sadly, he clearly needed more practice.
He cracked his neck, hearing a faint pop. Time to get serious—he had a lot to test.
The Ancient Gear Knight was already chasing the stray devil, who occasionally countered with bursts of energy.
"Damn scrap heap! Get away from me!"
A male voice came from the shadows as the golem thrust its lance. The stray devil had no choice but to reveal himself, dropping his camouflage spell.
A man with a long serpent's tail appeared before them, his body mostly covered in scales. Once his spell dissipated, he became much more agile, dodging the golem's strikes with ease.
Daniel watched carefully, calculating. Concentrating devil energy around his body, he flapped his wings again. Like a bullet, he shot forward toward the stray devil, who barely managed to dodge.
BAAM!
A small explosion sounded as Daniel hit the concrete, sending dust and debris flying.
Everyone reacted differently: Rias covered her forehead, Koneko looked away muttering "idiot," Issei sweated nervously, while Kiba and Akeno struggled not to laugh.
"Buchou, what piece is Daniel?" Issei asked, watching Daniel's 'human cannonball' tactic.
"Oh, he's a [Rook], like Koneko," Rias replied, still watching the destruction Daniel was causing. "Though I suspect he's a bit more… durable than her."
Issei nodded, somewhat relieved—it made sense that Daniel didn't seem hurt after all those crashes.
"By the way… what piece am I? A bishop?"
Rias sighed, eyes still fixed on the crumbling wall.
"You're a pawn, Ise."
Issei winced. Wasn't that the lowest piece on the board?
---
Unaware of Issei's slight disappointment, Daniel stood up and brushed off the dust.
"Devil energy enhances my physique. I didn't feel any pain hitting the ground," he muttered, analyzing himself. "I'm almost getting the hang of these wings."
Daniel was genuinely excited. Until now, he hadn't had the chance to test his new abilities. Hell, he hadn't even taken time to calmly check the limits of his system.
He began reflecting: since being reincarnated as a devil—what, four days ago?—hadn't he already been stabbed two or three times? He'd had meetings, gotten lost with a nun… honestly, he hadn't had time for anything.
Luckily, this stray devil had "volunteered" as a test subject, and Daniel intended to make the most of it.
With a sudden burst, his body shot forward again. The serpent devil grunted, barely dodging.
"Useless, kid. Go kiss the pavement again," he sneered confidently—right before Daniel stopped in front of him and punched him square in the chest.
Caught off guard, the devil could only take the full hit. He was sent flying straight toward the Ancient Gear Knight, which was waiting with its lance ready. A second later, the devil was impaled.
"His power is similar to Koneko's," Daniel murmured calmly.
The golem shook its arm, tossing the devil's body aside. A pool of blood spread beneath him. Daniel stared thoughtfully.
"If I apply duel logic, a stray devil would average between 1300 and 1500 ATK. So it makes sense that the Ancient Gear Knight, with 1800, overpowered him. So what rank am I? 1600? 1800? Akeno-senpai seemed around 1900… Rias, maybe 2000?"
A faint sound pulled him out of his thoughts. The devil wasn't dead. In an instant, he stood and spat a bubbling purple liquid at Daniel—it was clearly poison or acid.
Daniel didn't panic or dodge. He simply activated one of his cards, and a pair of cylinders appeared above his head, absorbing the liquid and returning it straight to the serpent devil.
Soon, the area filled with a rotten stench and the devil's screams as he writhed in agony.
Daniel watched, slightly disappointed.
"Couldn't test more things," he said with a sigh. "Maybe I should look for more stray devils. I'll ask Rias-senpai."