Kokabiel's POV
After I declared the war to be over, the remaining handful of devils—maybe twenty, perhaps less—lost all will to fight and tried to flee in every direction.
They scrambled desperately, using every ounce of their remaining strength to escape the nightmare the battlefield had become. Some tried to fly. Others attempted teleportation. A few just ran on foot, too panicked to think strategically.
It didn't matter.
Azrael and Michael didn't allow it.
They moved through the fleeing devils like reapers harvesting wheat. Michael's flaming sword cut down three in a single swing. Azrael's death miasma consumed five more who'd tried to hide in the rubble.
It was Efficient and precise.
Within minutes, there were none left except the unconscious Grayfia and the dying Lilith.
The battlefield fell silent save for the crackling of fires and the groaning of unstable structures about to collapse.
I walked across the devastated landscape toward where Lilith lay, her body a broken, mangled mess that was desperately trying to regenerate. If I was a regular person, I might have felt pity or disgust looking at her squirming flesh attempting to knit itself back together.
But I wasn't a regular person. Hadn't been for over three thousand years.
As she saw me approaching, recognition flashed in her eyes. Then fear.
"M-mercy!" She choked out, blood bubbling from her lips. "Please! I'll do anything! I'll Serve Heaven! Give you information about Rizevim's plans! I'll tell you of his allies! Just—"
I shook my head slowly, genuinely disappointed. "How much lower can you fall, Lilith? You were the Mother of Devils. The first succubus. A being of pride and power."
I looked down at her pathetic state—missing limbs, crushed organs visible through torn flesh, begging for scraps of life from someone she'd called her enemy just hours ago.
"Just die before you disgrace yourself further," I said quietly. "You sicken me."
A holy spear materialized in my hand as I spoke. Not just any spear—THE spear. Blue and golden, with a shining gem encrusted near the tip that pulsed with divine light. It was beautiful and exquisite in the way that only legendary weapons could be.
The holy energy radiating from it was overwhelming. The kind of power that made reality itself bend slightly around its presence.
Lilith's eyes widened in recognition and terror. "T-True Longinus!" Her voice cracked. "How?! He's been searching for it for centuries! The only weapon that can actually kill you..."
The Lance released a small burst of energy in response to her words. Lilith screamed as the holy power washed over her demonic flesh, burning without touching.
I patted the Lance affectionately. "There, there, don't take it to heart. I know you'll never actually harm me."
The spear hummed contentedly under my touch, like a pleased cat.
Lilith stared at me in complete confusion. "Wha... what are you..."
I grabbed her by the throat carefully, so I wouldn't accidentally separate her head from her body in her fragile state, and brought her up to my eye level.
"Let me tell you a secret before you perish, Lilith." My voice was soft, conversational. "The True Longinus was indeed capable of harming me in my sealed form. When I'm pretending to be just an archangel, playing by this world's rules and limitations, this spear could have actually hurt me ."
I smiled slightly, watching comprehension dawn in her dying eye.
I smiled slightly. "But there are two tiny problems with that plan."
Lilith tried to speak, but my grip on her throat made it difficult.
"Firstly," I continued, "I gave it its life and shaped its consciousness when it was first created. The will of god resides in the gem that I personally picked from the cosmos. This spear will never harm me. It would sooner shatter itself into dust than strike its creator. Isn't that right?"
The Lance pulsed with agreement, warm light flowing along its length.
"Secondly," I let just a fraction of my true nature slip through, enough for her to sense the incomprehensible gulf between us, "even if you somehow turned Great Red himself into a Sacred Gear and wielded his full apocalyptic power, it wouldn't be able to do anything meaningful to me. I surpassed the limits of this world's power system long, long ago."
I tilted my head, genuinely curious now. "So tell me—who was looking for this spear to kill me? Was it Rizevim? Some other faction leader? One of your mysterious benefactors? Do share."
Lilith's remaining eye showed a glimme of desperate hope. The last bargaining chip of someone who had absolutely nothing left to lose.
"If... if I tell you..." she wheezed around my grip, "will you spare me? I could be useful! I know secrets about the Old Satan faction's hidden resources! About Long Aotian's real plans! About—"
I shook my head, genuinely tired of this conversation.
"This is the problem with trying to act normal around mortals," I said, more to myself than to her. "They start thinking they actually hold some kind of leverage. That their pathetic scraps of information are worth trading for their lives."
I released my grip. She fell to the ground, gasping and coughing up blood.
I turned and started walking away casually, as if we were done here.
"Wait—" Lilith tried to crawl after me, her broken body barely responding. "Please! I can—"
"I can know every name with a single thought," I said without looking back. "I Can see every conversation you've ever had, every secret you've kept, every plot you've been part of. Your entire existence is an open book to me, Lilith. I merely asked to see if you deserved a painless death."
I paused, glancing over my shoulder.
"That's the only mercy I could have offered. The only kindness I was willing to show to someone who once held such a high position. Sadly, you just threw it away with your pathetic begging and attempts at negotiation."
"No, wait! I'll tell you everything! Just—"
With a single thought, the True Longinus shined with brilliant, almost blinding light. It spun through the air like a thrown javelin and buried itself directly in Lilith's heart without any resistance, as if her flesh was water.
The holy energy flooded through her body instantly, burning away the demonic essence that had sustained her for millennia. Purifying and destroying simultaneously.
Lilith's mouth opened, more blood pouring out. Her remaining eye fixed on me with pure hatred.
"Curse... you... Kokabiel..." She managed to wheeze out. "May... the darkness... consume...you."
Her voice faded. Her eye went blank. Her body went completely still.
The Lance pulled itself free and flew back to my hand, clean and gleaming.
I shook my head. "The darkness, consume me? Foolish devil, I am the darkness."
Azrael landed beside me with a heavy thud. He was still radiating that deathly aura, his eyes dark and cold. He spoke with barely controlled fury, "Let me destroy this vile creature's body, brother. She doesn't deserve even a corpse to be remembered by."
Azrael landed beside me with a heavy thud that cracked the ground. He was still radiating that intense deathly aura, his eyes dark and cold. His scythe was coated in what looked like shadows but I knew was concentrated death energy.
He spoke with barely controlled fury. "Let me destroy this vile creature's body, brother. Erase it completely. She doesn't deserve even a corpse to be remembered by or mourned over."
I sighed and, without any warning, gave him a solid bonk to the head.
Not hard enough to actually hurt him, but firm enough to snap him out of whatever dark spiral his thoughts were going down.
"Ow!" Azrael clutched his head, genuinely startled by the sudden attack. "What was that for?!"
"Stop acting like some edgy anime character!" I said with clear exasperation in my voice. "You aren't Sasuke Uchiha and your entire family is still alive and well! Losing your cool from a few unimportant devils' taunts about ancient history? You need way more mental fortitude than that, brother!"
I crossed my arms, looking at him sternly. "What kind of actually powerful person gets rage-baited by random losers who are already dying? Do you think anyone respects an enemy who can be emotionally manipulated so easily? That's just embarrassing for someone of your status!"
Azrael opened his mouth to argue, to defend himself, then paused mid-breath. His expression shifted from defensive anger to genuine thoughtfulness to sheepish realization.
"When you put it like that..." He rubbed the back of his head, the death aura around him finally starting to dissipate. "I suppose I did completely overreact to the situation."
Then he looked weirdly. "Who the hell is Sasuke?"
Before I could respond, our other brother decided to join the conversation.
"Finally realizing your own foolishness?" Michael landed beside us with a tired but genuine smile, his Demiurgos form fading back to his normal angelic appearance. His twelve wings folded neatly behind him.
"Honestly, Azrael, if you let enemies cloud your judgment so easily, it might end up far worse next time. What if they'd used your anger to create an actual tactical opening? What if your rage had cost you the entire battle?"
He placed a warm hand on Azrael's shoulder, his expression becoming more gentle and understanding.
"It's been centuries since Metatron's death. I know it still hurts every single day. I know you still blame yourself for not being strong enough to save him. But you need to finally let it go, brother. We who have lived on, who survived that terrible day, must keep moving forward. For their sake and for our own sanity."
Azrael sighed deeply, and with that exhalation, the last of the death miasma around him completely disappeared. "I know. I know logically that getting worked up won't help anyone. That it dishonors Metatron's sacrifice and memory to let his death be weaponized against me by our enemies."
His voice became quieter, more vulnerable. "But it's not easy to forget those moments. Not easy to forgive myself for my failures when they cost us family."
I patted his shoulder comfortingly, my tone softening. "Nobody here is asking you to forget what happened, brother. The memories of our fallen should be honored, not erased. But you can't let it control you like this. Can't let our enemies weaponize your grief and turn it into a tactical disadvantage."
I looked around at the completely devastated battlefield. "Come now, let's get some actual rest and deliver the good news to the rest. But I think some rats managed to escape in the chaos. It would be better to eliminate any future problems before they have time to regroup and become serious threats."
Michael nodded, his expression shifting to business-like efficiency. "Yes, I'm aware. Rizevim escaped after sacrificing his men as a distraction, the coward. He tried to take the sealed Ophis with him as a power source, but I managed to intercept and free her before he could flee with her."
He paused, looking slightly concerned. "I've invited her to Heaven to recover and so we can learn more about what exactly they did to her during her imprisonment. She was quite traumatized when I found her—barely coherent, completely dissociated from reality. The poor dragon needs serious help."
Azrael asked with forced casualness, clearly trying to move past his earlier emotional display. "What about your friends, Kokabiel? Those other-worlders you brought? I was so intensely focused on my own fight that I didn't properly monitor them at all. Did they survive the battle?"
I chuckled, genuinely pleased with how things had turned out. "They're completely fine. More than fine, actually. They defeated Lilith in direct combat—well, Kazuma did most of the actual heavy lifting there. They also subdued Grayfia Lucifuge without killing her, which showed remarkable restraint."
I gestured back toward where I'd just finished off Lilith's remains. "I dealt with what was left of Lilith just now, so only Grayfia remains alive from their entire leadership structure. We can spare her as a show of goodwill to the New Devil faction if we handle it properly."
Michael immediately shook his head, his political instincts clearly running through various scenarios. "We can't just casually hand her over to the New Devils without serious consideration. It will either cause major unrest due to her Old Satan faction origins and make them question our true motives, or they'll actively despise her as a traitor to their cause and harm her themselves to make an example."
He frowned thoughtfully. "She has no real place in this world's power structure anymore. Her family is completely gone, her faction utterly destroyed, her former master dead. And keeping her alive might actually make others who are sympathetic to the Old Satan cause rally around her as a symbolic figure. It's... politically very complicated."
I shrugged, not particularly invested in the complex web of devil politics. "I understand we're technically not supposed to interfere too heavily in other factions' internal power struggles and politics. But realistically, her family and master are both permanently gone now. She can't actually pose much of a legitimate threat either way at this point."
I paused, then added almost casually. "Or, one of you could just make her your peerage member instead. Convert her to our side properly."
Michael and Azrael both stopped walking mid-step and turned to stare at me with identical expressions of utter confusion.
"Huh?" They said in perfect unison.
I sighed at their complete lack of creative thinking. "Just ask her if she's willing to become one of your peerage members when she wakes up. Turn her into an angel through the conversion process. Do you seriously think my Angelic pieces have the same severe limitations as those inferior Evil pieces the devils use? You could even convert actual gods if you wanted to, provided you have sufficient power to sustain the connection."
Michael shook his head slowly, a small amused smile forming on his face. "Of course you did something like that. Who else would casually create a system that can turn devils into angels? That's so typical of you, breaking every established rule of reality just because you technically can."
Azrael laughed . "The entire devil society would have an absolute collective meltdown if they knew about this capability. Centuries of them thinking Evil pieces were revolutionary and groundbreaking, and you've had something objectively better this entire time just sitting unused."
I heard light footsteps approaching from behind us and turned to see Ritsuka walking carefully toward us, skillfully avoiding the worst patches of debris and unstable ground.
"Kokabiel-san! You're back!" She smiled brightly, obvious relief flooding her face. "Is the mission already completely over? Are you hurt anywhere at all?"
I patted her head gently, appreciating her concern. "I'm perfectly fine, Ritsuka. I dealt with Long Aotian and successfully retrieved his corrupted system for the chat group to analyze and dispose of properly. The dimensional threat has been completely neutralized."
I continued, genuine pride in my voice, "By the way, I'm very proud of both of you. I was watching your fight with Lilith when I had a moment. The teamwork between you and Kazuma was genuinely well done. You've both grown tremendously since we first talked in the chat group."
Ritsuka blushed deeply, looking down at her feet with embarrassment. "Ehehe, we didn't really do that much in the grand scheme of things. You guys handled all the truly dangerous opponents and the main army. We just dealt with one enemy."
Then her expression shifted to slight worry, her smile fading. "But Kokabiel-san, is it really okay? Kazuma-san specifically saved that devil lady, Grayfia. He went out of his way to knock her unconscious instead of killing her to prevent her death. Will that decision cause you any trouble with Heaven's politics or the other factions?"
Azrael snorted loudly from the side, clearly finding the question amusing. "Trouble? Do you honestly think anyone in this entire world is actually capable of causing genuine trouble for my brother? I'm far more worried about him causing trouble for literally everyone else with his chaotic decisions!"
I sighed deeply. "Like I have any time or energy for political drama and faction maneuvering. I have a genuine Outer God invasion to prepare for in less than a year, remember? That takes priority over everything else."
I refocused on Ritsuka, my expression becoming more concerned. "Anyway, how's Kazuma doing physically? His injuries looked extremely severe when I briefly checked on him earlier. That technique he used took a massive toll."
Ritsuka's expression became more serious and clinical. "He was injured quite badly from using that World Shaker technique. The internal damage was extensive. Multiple broken bones, severely torn muscles, ruptured blood vessels throughout his body. But I administered several high-grade healing potions from my Chaldea supplies and provided basic emergency medical care. He should make a full recovery after a few days of proper rest and allowing the potions to fully work through his system."
"That's good to hear," I nodded with approval. "This entire experience will be excellent for his growth and development as a fighter. Pain is often the best lesson, unfortunately. Despite all his constant complaints and his problematic perverted tendencies, he was genuinely useful and effective in this fight. That takes real courage and determination."
I smiled slightly, feeling oddly proud. "Let him sleep for now. He's more than earned the rest."
Michael asked curiously, his political mind clearly still turning, "Do you really plan to turn one of the strongest female devils into an angel? Won't that cause diplomatic issues with the New Devil faction? They might see it as Heaven trying to steal their potential allies."
Michael asked with obvious curiosity, his political mind clearly still turning over possibilities. "Do you actually, seriously plan to turn one of the strongest female devils in the underworld into an angel? Won't that cause significant diplomatic issues with the New Devil faction leadership? They might interpret it as Heaven trying to aggressively recruit or steal their strong members and strengthen our faction."
I looked at him with genuine helplessness and mild frustration. "Brother, sometimes you really frustrate me with your excessive overthinking of political ramifications! You're the supreme leader of Heaven, the commander of the strongest faction currently existing on this planet. You have me , the strongest being in the world backing you! I'm not asking you to abuse your considerable powers in ways that would cause public unrest or create international incidents!"
I gestured broadly at the destroyed battlefield. "You're literally just converting a war prisoner to our side and cause. That's completely legitimate and acceptable by any standard measure of inter-faction conflict. The devils do the exact same thing with their Evil pieces constantly. It's literally one of the primary purposes the pieces were originally designed for!"
Azrael spoke up with a knowing smirk, clearly enjoying this entire discussion. "Then why don't you take her for yourself, brother? You still have plenty of unused Angelic pieces just sitting around. You could always use another competent subordinate to help manage things. Father know Sariel and the rest are a bunch of fanatics!" He shivered slightly.
I shrugged, actually considering the suggestion seriously. "I honestly don't mind doing that. She could function as a Pawn or Bishop piece, depending on where her natural aptitudes and talents lie. She could stay in Heaven and help manage administrative affairs when I'm traveling to other dimensions, assist with day-to-day governance, and relay important information through our mental connection."
I nodded slowly as the idea took shape. "That's actually not a bad suggestion at all. Having someone competent and experienced who can handle necessary administrative tasks and political meetings while I'm gone would be genuinely useful."
Azrael looked at me with an odd expression caught somewhere between genuine amusement and mild exasperation. "You're so strange sometimes, brother. Casually inviting a high-ranking devil into Heaven like it's completely normal and not a massive breach of traditional faction relations. Only you would think of something like that and not immediately see dozens of potential problems."
I started walking away from them, gesturing for Ritsuka to follow along. "I haven't even asked Grayfia yet about any of this, and she obviously hasn't accepted since she's still unconscious. Let's table this discussion for later when she's actually awake and capable of making an informed decision about her future. For now, I'll leave you two to handle the diplomatic talks with Sirzechs and the rest of the New Devil leadership."
Michael and Azrael both nodded in understanding and flew off toward where they could sense the New Devil faction forces waiting nervously at a safe distance, probably to relay news of the complete and total victory.
As Ritsuka and I walked toward the tent where Kazuma was resting and recovering, she asked softly, her voice carrying genuine confusion and concern. "Kokabiel-san, how do you manage to stay so calm and composed after killing someone? I know they were definitively our enemies and were trying to kill us, but... is it really okay to just kill them all without hesitation? Doesn't it bother you at all?"
I paused mid-step, carefully considering how to answer this important question. This was a critical moment—Ritsuka was still young and actively developing her worldview and moral framework. How I answered could significantly impact her growth and future decisions.
"Ritsuka," I began carefully, choosing my words with deliberate thought, "it's not really about being calm or emotionless. It's not about being naturally cruel or enjoying violence. It's fundamentally about survival and protecting the things that matter most to you."
I turned to face her fully, making sure she was paying attention. "Let's use your Holy Grail Wars as a concrete example. You and other Masters summon heroic spirits and fight each other in a battle royale for a magical wish-granting device. That's the basic premise of your world's conflicts, correct?"
She nodded silently.
"Now, let's say that even without significant personal combat strength, you somehow managed to win through superior strategy, clever tactics, and pure luck. You obtained the Holy Grail. Congratulations on your victory."
I let that sink in for a moment before continuing. "But here's the critical question—if you personally lack the raw power to defend that victory, to protect what you've won, then do your defeated enemies still ultimately control your fate? They can ambush and kill you to take your hard-won treasure. They can threaten or harm your loved ones to force your compliance and make you hand it over. They can make you desperately wish you'd never won in the first place."
Ritsuka listened with intense focus, her expression thoughtful.
"And if you show mercy to a defeated enemy," I added seriously, "if you spare them out of kindness or moral principle, there's always the very real possibility that one day they'll return stronger, better prepared, specifically focused on revenge. Maybe they can't harm you directly anymore because you've grown too powerful. But they can very easily target the people you care about deeply instead. Your friends back in Chaldea. Your summoned Servants. Completely innocent bystanders who just happened to be near you."
I met her eyes directly. "Mercy is a wonderful quality, Ritsuka. But it's a luxury that only the truly strong can afford to show freely. For the genuinely powerful, mercy becomes a conscious choice. A deliberate decision to spare someone despite having the complete ability to end them permanently.
But mercy in the hands of weak people? That becomes foolishness and an active curse. It gets you killed. Gets your friends and family killed. Gets innocent people killed who were depending on you for protection."
Ritsuka shook her head slightly, clearly struggling with the philosophical concept. "I don't think I fully understand everything you're saying yet, but I think I'm starting to grasp your basic meaning. It's about being strong enough to actually protect and enforce the mercy you choose to show?"
"Exactly right," I smiled with approval at her quick understanding. "Don't worry about mastering this immediately. You're still very young and you'll have plenty of time to learn these harsh lessons through your own direct experiences. Just remember this core principle: being kind and compassionate doesn't mean being weak or stupid. Being merciful doesn't mean being a naive fool. You absolutely need sufficient strength to back up whatever choices you make."
We finally reached the tent where Kazuma was supposed to be resting and recovering. I pulled aside the entrance flap and we walked inside together.
The sight that greeted us was... entirely predictable if you knew Kazuma.
He was lying on a field cot, snoring incredibly loudly with the most ridiculous smile plastered across his sleeping face. His various injuries were properly bandaged, healing potions clearly working through his system based on the faint golden glow, and he looked completely at peace with the world.
"No... hehe..." he muttered in his sleep, giggling like an idiot. "I can't do it anymore, Grayfia-chan... hehe, you're too aggressive... since you insist so strongly and won't take no for an answer, let's go one more round..."
He shifted slightly on the cot, his smile growing even wider and more ridiculous. "Your ice magic feels so incredibly good... wait, we really shouldn't do this here in public... people might see us... hehe, but if you insist..."
Ritsuka's face turned bright red with secondhand embarrassment. "Kazuma-san!"
I, being the mature and responsible role model that I was, immediately pulled out a high-quality recording orb from my dimensional storage and carefully captured the entire embarrassing scene for future blackmail purposes and personal entertainment.
"This is definitely going in the permanent archives," I said with complete seriousness, making sure to get a good angle. "For important posterity and historical documentation."
Ritsuka was vigorously shaking her head, her embarrassment warring with reluctant amusement. "You're honestly just as bad as he is sometimes, Kokabiel-san. Maybe even worse since you should know better."
"I have absolutely no idea what you mean," I replied with perfect innocence, carefully storing the recording orb in a specially protected section of my inventory.
Ritsuka pulled out her interface for the interdimensional chat group, and immediately an important notification appeared for everyone to see.
[Ding! Mission Status: ACCOMPLISHED! The dimensional anomaly has been successfully executed by member 'Heaven's Wrath', the corrupted system has been safely returned to the chat group for proper disposal and analysis.]
[Additional bonus objectives have been successfully fulfilled: Complete destruction of the Old Satan faction, prevention of dimensional collapse, minimization of civilian casualties.]
[Contribution-based rewards are being calculated and issued now.]
The other members of the chat group immediately started logging in when they saw the mission completion notification pop up. Most of them were currently free, relaxing between their own world's major events or doing personal research.
Yoruichi was lounging lazily on her bed back in the human world. She stretched leisurely like a cat, her back arching, and rolled over with a characteristic smirk as she started typing.
[Flash Goddess: Oh my~ You guys finished so incredibly quickly! Was the mission really that easy compared to expectations? I hope nobody got seriously hurt during the fighting. Kokabiel, did you have to step in and save them from danger?]
Jin Woo was currently about to head to the Korean Hero Association building for a meeting. He'd received intelligence that the Japanese S-rank hunters team led by the famous Goto Ryuji had arrived in Korea for some kind of international hunter cooperation conference. He was genuinely curious to see and measure the strength difference between elite hunters from different nations, specifically Ryuji who was supposedly approaching National Rank level.
[Shadow Monarch: Kokabiel probably handled most of the serious threats himself anyway. It shouldn't have been significantly harder than the major dangers we all faced together in the One Piece world. Those were at least natural to that reality's power system.]
Suddenly there was an extremely annoying alert on his personal system interface. Jin Woo's eye twitched violently. "What fresh hell have you unleashed upon my life now, you absolutely cursed system?"
The screen displayed a... scandalous image of Goto Ryuji in an extremely compromising position that would give veteran Yaoi enthusiasts a serious nosebleed and possibly heart palpitations.
[Ding! New romantic route available! Rival Route featuring Goto Ryuji! Experience the thrilling emotional journey of enemies-to-lovers! Passionate rivalry! Heated confrontations! Would you like to accept this route?]
Jin Woo's face went through several distinct shades of absolute horror. "FUCK YOU AND YOUR CURSED ROUTE SYSTEM!"
[Please confirm selection: Yes/No]
Just as Jin Woo was about to furiously hammer the "No" option, his stepmother's voice sounded from the kitchen, sweet and distinctly sultry.
"Jin Woo, dear, are you home? Come and eat your lunch, my beloved STEPSON~" She put very heavy emphasis on the word stepson. "As for dessert, I've prepared a very nice special surprise just for you~"
Jin Woo physically grabbed his own mouth with both hands to prevent himself from accidentally responding in any way that could possibly be misinterpreted by either the system or his stepmother.
He took a deep, centering breath through his nose and spoke very clearly and deliberately to his system: "No! REJECT. R-E-J-E-C-T. REJECTED WITH EXTREME PREJUDICE!"
[Ding! Romantic route has been rejected. Better luck next time, Host!]
"There will absolutely NOT be a next time!" Jin Woo muttered with intense relief, closing the interface with perhaps more force than strictly necessary. "I'm going to find whoever made these routes and have a very serious conversation with them." (The Anime boiis, better watch out xD)
Klein was just finishing up his lunch in a nice restaurant in Backlund, preparing to resume his personal hunt for the traitorous Ince Zangwill. He smiled when he saw the mission completion notification and typed quickly.
[The Fool: Congratulations on the successful mission completion, everyone! Though I should note for educational purposes that they faced fundamentally different types of entities than we did. The One Piece world anomaly was a Type 2—naturally occurring within that reality's established framework. This DxD world threat was a Type 3—an invasive foreign element from outside, almost like me and Kazuma who were transmigrated from completely different worlds and realities entirely. Except we are not insane.]
Robin closed the fascinating book she'd been reading, an ancient text on lost civilizations that Kokabiel had personally recommended from his extensive library. The Straw Hat Pirates were currently in a transitional training period, preparing themselves to properly enter the extremely dangerous New World.
The Marines had started a massive organizational restructuring after Aokiji managed to become Fleet Admiral through some complex behind-the-scenes political maneuvering that Robin was still carefully piecing together from various intelligence sources of the revoulutionary army. They had even stopped limiting the number of Admirals to just three, dramatically expanding their top-tier combat forces.
With Kizaru remaining as an Admiral, they'd added both Fujitora Issho and Green Bull Ryokugyu as brand new Admirals, with serious ongoing talks of Gion potentially taking a fourth Admiral position. The balance of power across the seas was shifting unpredictably.
Robin sighed, shook her head at the increasingly complicated global politics, then typed:
[Girl Who Loves Reading: Excellent work, everyone. I'm genuinely glad the mission went smoothly without major casualties. How was Kokabiel's home world? Did Kazuma mess anything up or do something characteristically embarrassing? Please tell me he managed to behave himself properly.]
Ritsuka giggled before typing her enthusiastic response, clearly enjoying sharing all the interesting gossip and battle stories.
[Last Master of Humanity: You absolutely won't BELIEVE what happened, guys! We had this massive, epic fight with an entire organized devil army and completely destroyed them! The battlefield was incredible and terrifying!]
[Last Master of Humanity: Kazuma-san actually defeated a really powerful Peak Ultimate-class devil named Lilith in single combat! And he managed to flirt with another devil lady named Grayfia right in the middle of active fighting! She's actually really pretty and incredibly strong as a fighter! He was genuinely cool and impressive during the battle for once!]
Jin Woo, who'd just sat down for his lunch, immediately stood back up in shock.
[Shadow Monarch: That perverted PANTY THIEF BASTARD was actually cool? Genuinely cool and not just pretending? Did you hit your head really hard during the fight, Ritsuka? @Heaven's Wrath, please check her thoroughly for head injuries and possible brain damage.]
Yoruichi giggled sweetly as she read the messages flying back and forth, thoroughly enjoying the predictable chaos. She was quite used to the love-hate friendship dynamic between Kazuma and Jin Woo by this point.
[Flash Goddess: Ara ara~ Jin Woo-kun, are you perhaps jealous that your best friend found someone else? Feeling replaced in his heart by a pretty devil girl?]
[Shadow Monarch: PTUI! Who the hell is my best friend?! I don't voluntarily associate myself with known perverts! I'm just trying to objectively understand the situation!]
Robin was actively chuckling as she typed her contribution.
[Girl Who Loves Reading: Now, now, we all know about your close friendship despite the constant denial. You two bicker constantly just like an old married couple. It's actually quite endearing to watch from the outside.]
[Shadow Monarch: ...you girls seriously need professional psychological help.]
[The Fool: Leaving aside the entertaining relationship drama, how many points did everyone earn from the mission? And when are you planning to return to your respective home worlds?]
I checked the detailed rewards panel to see the final point distribution.
[Contribution-based rewards have been calculated and generated:
Heaven's Wrath - 500,000 points (Primary combatant, eliminated main threat, prevented dimensional collapse, minimized casualties)
Advocate of Gender Equality - 200,000 points (Defeated Ultimate-class devil in direct combat, protected team member, showed strategic growth and courage)
Last Master of Humanity - 150,000 points (Provided crucial tactical support, summoned powerful reinforcement, maintained team coordination and morale)
Mission status: COMPLETED Members can choose to return to their home worlds immediately or remain in the DxD world for tourism/exploration. Automatic return transport will activate in maximum 3 days.]
Ritsuka's eyes practically sparkled with excitement and joy. "150,000 points! That should be more than enough to buy some really powerful and useful abilities! Maybe I can finally afford that Noble Phantasm enhancement system I've been carefully looking at for months!"
I interjected before she could get too carried away with shopping fantasies. "Try to carefully see what's actually compatible and synergistic with your existing abilities rather than just buying flashy powers that look cool. Synergy and integration are far more important than raw strength numbers."
I gestured at the sleeping Kazuma, still muttering about Grayfia. "Kazuma honestly shouldn't have purchased the Sharingan given his current physique and complete lack of a chakra system. The strain is excessive and dangerous. But the purchase is already done, so now he'll just have to adapt and make it work somehow. I just hope he doesn't awaken the Mangekyou soon."
Ritsuka nodded seriously, taking the advice to heart. "I'll be very careful with my point allocation and purchases. I want abilities that work smoothly with my Mystic Code system and summoning capabilities."
Then she looked at me hopefully, her expression eager. "Kokabiel-san, I'd really like to stay for a bit and visit Heaven properly. Maybe see some other interesting places in your world, if that's alright with you? I've never seen an actual functioning Heaven before! It would be educational!"
I smiled warmly. "Of course you can stay. I'd be genuinely happy to show you around properly when things settle down. Heaven is quite beautiful and peaceful when it's not currently under siege or dealing with political crises."
I paused, then added with a slight mischievous smirk. "Just one non-negotiable condition: you're in complete charge of Kazuma during the entire visit. Full responsibility for keeping him out of trouble and preventing international incidents."
Ritsuka sighed deeply, already resigning herself to the inevitable task. "I suppose someone responsible has to keep an eye on him constantly. Can't have him accidentally starting a diplomatic crisis by peeping on the wrong angel in the bathhouse."
"That's exactly the spirit," I laughed.
She then noticed me pulling up the chat group store interface, browsing through the various available options with focused attention. "What are you buying from the store, Kokabiel-san? You already have so many different abilities and powers."
I found exactly what I was looking for after a few moments of searching and made the purchase. A crystalline orb materialized in my hand, glowing with concentrated power that made reality ripple and distort around it.
I crushed the orb without hesitation and absorbed its complete contents—powers, knowledge, fundamental understanding all flowing into me seamlessly and integrating with my existing capabilities. It felt perfectly natural, like drinking cool water after a long thirst.
I smiled at Ritsuka's curious expression. "Just purchasing a little insurance policy for my upcoming battle with Shub-Niggurath. Something to give me significantly more tactical options and strategic flexibility."
I paused, feeling the new ability settle perfectly into my cosmic framework. "Let's just say that reality has become merely fiction for me to rewrite at will now. The boundaries between what objectively is and what potentially could be have become... negotiable."
Ritsuka looked slightly confused but accepting. "That sounds really powerful and also really confusing."
"It's definitely both," I agreed cheerfully.
[Heaven's Wrath: Mission complete and successful. Kazuma and Ritsuka will be staying in the DxD world for a few days before returning home. Feel free to visit if anyone has available time and interest.]
[Flash Goddess: I might actually take you up on that offer! I've been curious about your world for quite a while~]
[Shadow Monarch: I'll pass on the tourism. I have enough problems in my own world without dimension-hopping for sightseeing.]
[The Fool: I'm still hunting Ince Zangwill while preparing materials for my ascension to sequence 4. Maybe after I finally deal with him permanently. Good luck with your invasion preparations, Kokabiel.]
[Girl Who Loves Reading: Stay safe, everyone. Ritsuka, please keep Kazuma from doing anything too catastrophically stupid.]
[Last Master of Humanity: I'll do my absolute best!]
I closed the chat interface and looked at the peacefully sleeping Kazuma, still muttering incomprehensible things about Grayfia in his dreams.
"You know," I said to Ritsuka conversationally, "he actually did genuinely well today. Pushed himself far beyond his normal limits and capabilities. Risked his life to protect someone he barely knew. That takes real courage."
"But he's still a perverted idiot," Ritsuka added flatly.
"But he's still a perverted idiot," I agreed with a laugh. "Come on. Let's let him rest properly. I need to check on a few things and then we can start the proper Heaven tour tomorrow morning."
As we left the tent together, I couldn't help but feel genuinely satisfied with how things had turned out. The mission was complete and successful. My friends had grown measurably stronger and more capable. And I'd gained another useful tool for the coming battle.
Now I just had to figure out what to do about Grayfia, continue preparing for Shub-Niggurath's invasion, and hopefully prevent Kazuma from causing too much chaos in Heaven.
Knowing my consistently terrible luck, at least one of those things was going to go catastrophically wrong.
But that was a problem for future me to handle.
For now, I was content.