It was still a few months before the school year restarted, but she had received confirmation from the school administration that her application had been accepted. Although the letter she received seemed completely normal, her surveillance of the academy allowed her to glimpse, through the eyes of a snake, how the student council president, Sona, discovered the snakeskin she had planted inside the envelope after learning that one of her targets was manually reviewing the applications. With the seed of curiosity planted in the demon, it was only a matter of time before they met, further enhancing the effectiveness of their planned approaches.
Sona Sitri was interesting to her. Compared to her fellow demon, Rias Gremory, she took her job as a sort of shadowy boss of the city very seriously. She stayed late planning school activities with the administration, regularly went out hunting stray demons with her retainers, and maintained decent academic records. Putting her side by side with the girl who lived a life of extravagance, neglecting her territory and delegating her responsibilities to her partner, it was clear who was holding things together.
Even before meeting them in person, she had decided that if she had to interact with any of the demons, it would undoubtedly be Sona Sitri. Her dedication suited her taste. She doubted she could even tolerate the pretentious attitude she had observed in Rias Gremory. Only someone stupid or blind could willingly spend their time with her. She pityed the souls of her servants, robbed of their freedom, transformed into demons for the amusement of their masters.
A sharp smile spread across his face, and he licked his lips with excitement as he recalled one of his discoveries after closely observing the two pure demons from Kuoh Academy. Apparently, demon society had developed impressive technology, capable not only of transforming other beings into reincarnated demons but also of reviving the dead, should the need arise. The Evil Piece—a fitting name for an artifact with such malevolent potential—had it not been for its chess-based limitation, demons would very likely have seized control of a large part of the world, reviving humans and other supernatural beings as demons without their consent.
Not even the Edo Tensei was as evil. At least after its function ended, the spirits would return to their resting place. But upon being revived as another race, they would be forced to obey the orders of their kings, as they were called, to the letter. And if they dared to defy them, both their bodies and minds would be corrupted by the power of the Evil Pieces. Demons had rightfully earned that name through their actions; no other supernatural race had even considered such an atrocious act as disturbing the souls of other races.
While he didn't care what supernatural beings did, the Evil Pieces were a problem he couldn't ignore. Sona Sitri or Rias Gremory were irrelevant, but if a demon existed capable of surpassing his own abilities and forcibly reincarnating him, then the chances of him achieving his goals would be drastically reduced. He trusted in his power, but he wasn't naive enough to think he was the strongest. Even in his world, monsters like Hashirama Senju or Madara Uchiha could easily obliterate him. It wasn't impossible that in a world where gods roamed freely, demons capable of rivaling their powers existed. If that weren't the case, then the demons, who created such terrible artifacts as the Evil Pieces, would have already been wiped out. That's why he wanted his first interaction with the supernatural to be with demons; he would gather all the information possible about the Evil Pieces, master the power behind them, and without the fear of being turned into a demon without free will, his plans could finally begin to take shape.
In preparation for his imminent enrollment at Kuoh Academy, Kabuto had purchased an apartment as far away from the school as possible, located near the city's general hospital. Money wasn't an issue; several snake clones, who also served as spies and eyes everywhere, had disguised themselves as ordinary citizens performing jobs throughout Japan. Each of them sent their funds to him, since none of them needed anything to survive. Natural energy was all they required to sustain their existence, so traveling to a green area like a forest or park would allow them to work tirelessly for several days.
His research into medicine had also borne fruit. Humanity, without access to medical jutsu or chakra, had become a society completely dependent on technology. Machines that were scarce in the elemental nations were abundant here, and this had also impacted the field of medicine. With new methods and materials at their disposal, medicine experienced tremendous growth, far surpassing the knowledge of Kabuto himself, who, even with his unethical research, fell behind the technologically supported medical techniques.
He genuinely enjoyed the classes he received as a volunteer at the hospital; he felt nostalgic, like being a child again, learning how to properly dissect a frog and identify its organs. They were even able to replicate the Hyuga clan's innate ability, the Byakugan, with X-ray machines. Modern doctors were able not only to see but also to photograph the inside of a person, increasing their ability to detect illness without the risk of losing the patient through a more invasive examination, as Kabuto would have preferred.
Although he had bought an apartment to maintain appearances, his true base of operations was hidden deep underground. With his powers to manipulate the earth and nature, he had created a cave where he could carry out his plans. In that place, he not only kept his monetary gains but also valuable information and equipment from this new world. He had raided various locations around the globe—military bases and research centers—for his own satisfaction. He was a ninja, after all; stealth was his specialty. None of the human nations had learned what had happened, how their most closely guarded secrets had been compromised. State-of-the-art medical equipment, unethical human experimentation research, biological weapons, blueprints for weapons capable of destroying the world—it was all at his fingertips. He wasn't interested in weapons themselves, but being able to withstand them if they were used against him was never a bad thing.
Deep within the earth, where no human had ever ventured before, lay a cave several kilometers long with a ceiling so high it was invisible to the naked eye. Irregularities jutted from the walls, floor, and presumably the ceiling, giving it the appearance of the maw of an ancient creature. No light was present to diminish its intimidating aspect. Occasionally, the dripping of a liquid broke the silence, but soon that was not the only sound.
Within the near-total darkness, a small white light flickered on, illuminating its surroundings, but not nearly enough to fill the vast cave. Standing in the center of the light, the light emanating from his raised hand, was a handsome young man with black hair, wearing an elegant black suit. He didn't appear to be more than 20 years old, but appearances can be deceiving. Two dark-feathered wings sprouted from his back, belying his identity as a fallen angel. Normally, supernatural beings possessed the innate ability to conceal their features, but under special circumstances, this voluntary suppression could be broken, as was the case with extreme fear.
The fallen angel didn't know where he was. The last thing he remembered was walking through the streets of Kuoh City under orders from a superior, searching for the rogue fallen angels who had begun killing Sacred Gear wielders, when he heard a hiss before feeling a sharp pain in his neck and fainting. The next thing he knew, he was in this chilling cave. Obviously, he was afraid. He was a low-ranking fallen angel; his power was nothing to worry about. He received the easiest jobs for that very reason. He had almost no experience in battles or dangerous situations, so his legs trembled as his wings spread, making him appear larger. His survival instinct warned him that something terrible lurked in the dark depths beyond his reach.
—Do even supernatural beings have animal instincts? Interesting...— Scared to the bone, the fallen one fired a spear of light with his free hand into the darkness where he thought he heard the voice; the way it spoke gave him chills down his spine; now he definitely knew that something bad would happen to him if he stayed in that place much longer.
The spear continued its trajectory, illuminating its path before it crashed into a wall, lighting up the surroundings before disappearing, but not before giving him a glimpse of what lay in the darkness, though he would have preferred to remain in the shadows. At the edge of the spear's light, he could clearly see a pair of yellow eyes with slit pupils, a pale face shrouded in shadow, and an extremely long tongue protruding from the beast's jaws. A human smile was etched on the inhuman face, only adding to his dread of what lurked in the shadows.
—You don't use sunlight to create the spears. It seems that angels and fallen angels change the nature of their own energy to generate light. Is this a trait of their magic, or is there a physical factor involved?— The analytical words echoed in the cave. This time, he couldn't distinguish where the voice came from, but terrified of what might happen if he remained still, he stopped concentrating on the light he held in his hand and began firing indiscriminately in all possible directions.
Spears of light generated around his entire body, emitting a light slightly brighter than the first, before being launched. As fast as they were launched, the fallen one replaced them and continued the assault. The cave was filled with light for a minute; anyone would have difficulty navigating or dodging attacks after being blinded. So the fallen one, who also could not see anything, consoled himself thinking that nothing could escape such an uncontrollable onslaught. When he spent every last drop of his energy, he collapsed to the ground in relief, trying to let out a sigh, but his breath caught in his throat.
"Wonderful, even a fallen angel with only two wings can generate enough energy to sustain an attack like this. Magic is astonishing." Sweat trickled down his back as he heard the voice behind him. He didn't dare move an inch; the pressure he felt from whatever was behind him paralyzed him in place with fear. "You're a disappointing specimen, but at least you'll serve as a decent test subject. You can use the sacred power of light; that's enough." Before he could understand what was happening, he felt a soft touch of a palm against his neck before he lost control of his body.
The fallen angel fell face-first to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut. He couldn't move at all; he couldn't feel his limbs, but he still retained the sense of touch, as evidenced by the cold floor beneath him. He felt something wrap around one of his legs, crawling around it before squeezing tightly. Moments later, he found himself being dragged through the dark cave.
"I cut the connections that send signals from your brain to the rest of your body. You'll retain the sensations they bring, but they won't respond." The strangely animated voice filled the fallen man with a fear he'd never known before. He felt like helpless prey in the predator's jaws. "If you don't move, it will be easier to open you up. I want to know if supernatural beings developed special organs through their interaction with magic. A magical network, perhaps? The inside joke was lost on the terrified man. "Be grateful. You'll be my first experimental subject. Don't worry, I'll treat you well. When you're about to die, I'll return you to a usable state. I can regenerate organs if given enough time, but I'll need to study your organs in depth to do so. I hope you can live without some of them for a while." His eyes darted frantically at his captor's dark intentions. He wanted to scream, but his body wouldn't respond. He wanted to cry, but his body wouldn't respond. His body no longer belonged to him.
In the darkness of the cave he himself had created, Kabuto Yakushi let out a laugh of joy at the upcoming research. His first experimental subject didn't move in the slightest, but he could imagine that given the chance, he would run and cry like a child. Soon he reached a fork in the cave that led to a well-lit room, filled with several tables covered with medical and surgical instruments, as well as more advanced machinery. It would be his first time using the medical knowledge he had learned in this world, and he couldn't help but look forward to it with anticipation.
-x-
In the offices of the Fallen Angels organization, Grigori, Azazel, one of the Fallen Angels' leaders, clicked his tongue upon receiving the report on the situation in Kuoh. He had ordered an investigation into the defection of a group of Fallen Angels who had hidden in the city, protected by the Gremory and Sitri heiresses. They had to keep a low profile to avoid triggering another war, so he only sent one person to handle the matter. But after days without receiving an update, he sent someone else to check on it, only for that person to also mysteriously disappear. The third time he sent someone, this time they returned with the report right in front of him
There was no trace of the fallen angels who had vanished; their magical signatures were nonexistent. It was as if the earth had swallowed them whole. Despite their best efforts, they couldn't find them, nor the rebels. The most logical explanation was that they had been killed by the renegades, but something inside him told him there was something he didn't know. If a fight between fallen angels had taken place, the demons would have noticed, but that didn't happen.
The group that deserted was no more powerful individually than those who were sent after them; it would surely take two or more to defeat them, and that amount of holy energy would attract the attention of the demons, who had a great aversion and weakness for it.
Azazel swiveled in his chair, staring at the ceiling with a frown. He didn't care much about deserters, but losing members of his race when they were already few in number was worrying, especially if no other supernatural being had noticed. He would have to keep an even closer eye on the city of Kuoh. He could be wrong, but perhaps there was something hidden beneath the surface. Maybe it was the Khaos Brigade, that terrorist group led by the Infinite Dragon. If that were the case, it seemed a meeting between the three great factions would be in order. No matter the differences between the races, as they had once done against the Celestial Dragons, he hoped they could put aside their differences to face a greater evil. That was what his dead father would have wanted. The ruler of Grigori sighed melancholically once more before returning to his paperwork. He would have time later to regret his past actions.
The sounds of machines echoed in the hidden room deep underground, the sounds of vital signs going wild before calming down, returning to a normal rhythm by supernatural standards—higher than a human could endure. If a person's heart beat at the same rate as a supernatural being, they would likely die in short order. Kabuto had made considerable progress in his research on the anatomy of supernatural beings. Although for the moment his two subjects of research were both of the same species, they still gave him considerable room to expand his knowledge
Fortunately, the second specimen he had captured was a female, thus completing the circle. Having both a male and a female of the same species allowed him to investigate more related topics than just anatomy. From the information he had obtained from both subjects, the birth rate of supernatural beings was extremely low. Demons, for example, were lucky if they had one or two children in their entire lives. Fallen angels were no exception; their birth rate was even lower than that of demons, and they primarily acquired members of the angelic community who had fallen into sin.
That was the reason he stopped capturing fallen angels. If his assumption was correct, each member, even if individually weak, was valuable simply for their numbers. Taking too many of them would surely attract the attention of someone in high command before he could do anything. There were likely already suspicions about something strange following the disappearance of two fallen angels, but nothing that wouldn't fade away in time.
He was currently performing a follow-up operation based on the information he had obtained from his experimentation. He hadn't found any organs that were special or different from those of ordinary human anatomy. Outwardly, supernatural beings appeared to be exactly the same as human beings, and apparently, the same was true inwardly. He had almost given up when his wise senses had pointed him in a peculiar direction.
As he was repositioning one of his current test subject's organs, he felt a strange tug as he lowered the organ into place. His eyes widened in wonder as a multicolored energy emanated from the surrounding organs, weaving the organ back into place until it was as good as new. His memory took him back to the place where he had appeared after escaping the seal of the Totsuka sword—a rainbow dimension that corroded his body with its mere presence. What he had just witnessed reminded him of that.
An excited smile spread across his face as he began to piece together the information presented to him. He hadn't known it at the time, but after studying the fallen angels, he had become familiar with the energy they used: magic. Unlike a shinobi's chakra, a person's magical reserves couldn't be increased no matter how hard they tried. From birth, a specific amount of power was determined as the upper limit. The two fallen angels he had captured had trained for decades, but they hadn't experienced any power increase, as far as he could see in their memories, while others had achieved results in less time.
He had a theory. The place he'd been thrown into before arriving in this world was probably the source of the magical powers of supernatural beings. If simply setting foot there was enough to begin disintegrating a person, it meant the amount of energy it contained was immeasurable. Even the Bijuu, overwhelming beasts of pure power, didn't destroy beings near them simply by existing. With that in mind, supernatural beings likely drew energy from that place, which connected them in some way—something invisible that no normal being could perceive. Of course, that wasn't the case for him.
Kabuto concentrated intently, remaining completely still to become one with nature, allowing the natural energy filled with hatred to fill him, not letting a single drop of that emotion stand in his way of possibly making one of the greatest discoveries in his progress towards a power superior to perhaps even the Bijuu then saw it.
At first it was faint, a distortion in his vision as if vapor were settling before his eyes. Slowly, as he became more immersed in the world around him, what had seemed like smoke took shape, eventually becoming fine threads that enveloped his entire field of vision. Everything around him was intertwined with multicolored threads of varying sizes; the largest of them emanated from the test subject, confirming his suspicion. In addition to the rainbow thread, a small, almost imperceptible one encircled his body.
After marveling at his newfound view of the world, he slowly released the excess Senjutsu, his vision returning to normal, but now his eyes shone with excitement. He didn't know what this place he had stumbled upon by accident was, but if he could harness its power, he would definitely become a superior being. Unfortunately, he hadn't noticed any connection between himself and the strange energy network, but that was alright; he still had plenty of time to find a way to seize that power.
His eyes fell on the fallen angel woman who stared at him with terror in her eyes. His face, contorted with joy, sent shivers down her spine, and her vital signs began to rise slightly until Kabuto injected a painkiller directly into her neck. The fallen angel's vision blurred as his vital signs returned to acceptable levels. Now that he believed he had discovered the source of this world's power, only one thing remained: investigation.
In his free time, instead of investigating or pretending to be an ordinary teenager, Kabuto also honed his shinobi skills. He'd been sealed away for who knows how long within the cursed Uchiha's seal, so naturally his abilities had rusted, albeit a little. Furthermore, the most powerful Senjutsu in this world opened up new possibilities for his already outstanding powers. He not only possessed the genes of several distinguished warriors from Otogakure, but also their powers and knowledge: Tayuya's chakra-devouring phantoms, Kidoumaro's steel-hard nets, Sakon and Ukon's ability to unify his cells with others, Kimimaro's Shikotsumyaku, and his master's serpentine jutsus. If he could further enhance his powers with this new Senjutsu, his base power would increase enormously. Before attempting to seize the magic of this world, he would first reach his upper limit. He was on his way to achieving power beyond anything his world had ever seen; of that, he was certain.
With his mastery of nature in this world, his understanding of it had grown even further. Being able to communicate with the earth was impossible in his own world; nature there was tranquil, almost unconscious. But here, he could feel it whispering in his ear every moment. Apparently, he was the only person capable of achieving such a connection, and nature was ecstatic to have someone to connect with. Nature was a strange source of information. When it wasn't rambling about how it wished for the extinction of humanity, it would drop gems of knowledge. He couldn't ask it anything, because when he tried to speak to it, the amount of natural energy it absorbed skyrocketed to the point where he had trouble maintaining control. It truly became too excited when spoken to.
One interesting piece of information he obtained was the fact that other users of Senjutsu were scattered throughout the world. He never revealed their names, always referring to them as mangy animals, but with that clue, he was able to narrow down the possibilities. The most likely culprits were Youkai, supernatural beings from Japanese mythology intimately connected to nature, as he understood it. His spies around the world hadn't had any direct contact with any of them, but they had managed to see them. Aside from their animalistic appendages, they were identical to humans. If that were the only special thing about them, he wouldn't have given them a second glance in the early stages of his investigation. But to his surprise, he sensed something familiar emanating from each of them: Chakra.
The only reason he hadn't captured a Youkai yet was the fact that they always traveled in large groups, dozens of them moving together. Apparently, the demons possessed the power of the Youkai, so as a way to protect themselves, they developed the habit of moving in packs like animals. He didn't want to attract attention just yet, so he had to curb his investigative urges. In Japanese mythology, there was a Kyuubi, and if it was half as powerful as the one in his world, then he wouldn't be able to do anything against it. So, staying away from the Youkai was the wisest course of action.
Having discovered the ability to possibly glimpse a being's magical power if his theory was correct, Kabuto slipped through the halls of Kuoh Academy towards the student council room. He had discovered that his power to see the flow of magic was limited to his main body; clones of any kind were incapable of reaching the same state as him. Therefore, he needed to make the journey on his own to gain a better understanding of the powers of the demons he would soon encounter. Information was the most valuable weapon in the world; whoever controlled the information controlled the world.
He became invisible with a camouflage jutsu superior to that of the toad sage. His master had tried to find the greatest ways to surpass the rest of his classmates, and although he failed in some, such as Tsunade's healing abilities or the Rasengan replica, mundane techniques were easy for the snake to improve. When he stood before the door of the student council room, he merged with one of the walls, then made half of his body appear, protruding from the ceiling inside the room.
The room was unremarkable, with a few bookshelves, chairs and tables scattered about with various documents laid out on them, and a main desk bearing the heaviest visible workload. She licked her lips as she glimpsed the room's occupants: the heiress of the Sitri demon house, if the information from the fallen was correct, Sona Sitri, as well as her servants—six girls, to be exact—each wearing the same standard school uniform from the formerly all-girls academy.
Thanks to a little practice, the time and concentration needed to see the flow of magic in the world had been considerably reduced. It would still be useless in a battle, but in this case, he had all the time in the world. When his eyes gained the ability to see the threads that bound the world together, he flicked out his tongue like a snake to taste the air, scanning the girls with an analytical gaze behind his glasses.
Most of the reincarnated demons possessed slightly more power than the fallen angels he had captured, judging by the slightly brighter auras surrounding them. The difference between them wasn't significant, almost imperceptible, but two stood out more than the rest. The king obviously had considerably more power than his subjects, his aura extending a few centimeters beyond his body with the brightest light he had seen so far. The other remarkable aura belonged to a dark-haired girl with heterochromatic eyes who, like Sona Sitri, also wore glasses. Her aura was slightly weaker than the pure demon's, but there was something different about her. In addition to the magical aura she had glimpsed so far, a slightly different aura was also intermingled with the rainbow. While her surroundings constantly changed, the inner layer of the aura remained a static, pure white, as if apart from the girl's magic, there was something else inside her that added to her power.
He needed to investigate his new vision further, to determine if there was something special about the girl or if auras simply differed between races. For all he knew, the girl might belong to a race he'd never encountered before. He still had much to learn before drawing any conclusions. His curiosity satisfied, the sage sank back into the ceiling, vanishing without any of the demons present noticing what had happened in the first place.
His next stop was the abandoned church on the outskirts of Kuoh City. It wasn't difficult for him to discover the location of the rogue fallen angels even before he knew they were fallen angels; they seemed unfamiliar with the concept of suppressing their energy to hide. The moment he arrived in the city, he could sense the strange energy contaminating the air. Although it was more likely, given his sensitivity to all types of energy, it was impossible for him to sense the power of someone so weak from so far away without them doing it on purpose. These fallen angels were either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. In the end, he opted for the latter.
Kabuto materialized inside the abandoned church; its interior, which was probably once beautiful, was now wrecked. The pews were overturned, against the walls, or simply broken. The portraits of the saints were vandalized beyond recognition, and a magic seal written in blood was placed on top of an inverted crucifix. They had really taken seriously the despising of their roots as sacred beings.
Inside were only four fallen angels, three women and one man. The women wore revealing or seductive clothing, each more indecent than the last, while the man, as his own test subject, dressed like a businessman, hat included. From his limited understanding of fallen angel culture, men typically dressed elegantly, while women dressed revealingly—a strange but no less fascinating tendency. He measured their powers, but as he expected, they were just as strong as his test subjects. More than once he was tempted to simply take them to broaden the range of his experiments and keep some in reserve, but he restrained himself for one simple reason: Sacred Gear.
By eavesdropping, he discovered that the reason the fallen angels had deserted was to acquire one of those so-called Sacred Gears, the Twilight Healing, an artifact capable of healing not only humans, but also angels, fallen angels, and demons. The word intrigued him, so he kept them alive until the Sacred Gear's user arrived. This would also deter suspicion should a new fallen angel come to the city only to find that the group they were searching for had mysteriously vanished, just like the rest of them.
Apparently, based on the information he gathered from spying on both the Gremory heiress and Sitri, and the additional information provided by the fallen angels, a Sacred Gear was an artifact created by the biblical god to establish a system of miracles that could be triggered by humans themselves—artifacts capable of altering the world around them. His first glimpse of one of these was during one of the rare occasions when Rias Gremory accepted a hunt for rogue demons. One of her servants, Kiba Yuuto, created an unusual array of different swords to deal with the enemy, who possessed mastery over the use of multiple natural elements through magic.
Now the Sacred Gears were at the top of his list of interests. The fallen angels were trying to steal the power of Twilight Healing, so it was possible to take that power for himself. He simply had to find one suitable for himself, steal it, and his power would skyrocket. He wasn't interested in the power to create demonic swords; healing was currently number one only because it was the only two Sacred Gear he knew of. But he expected that would change when he finally entered Kuoh Academy. Demons and fallen angels had already gathered there as if drawn to something, so it was worth waiting to see what would happen
It was a month before the start of the school year he would be joining. The fallen angel test subjects had outlived their usefulness, so he locked them away in the depths of his hideout, guarded by a snake clone until his interest in them returned. They longed for death, but causing them pain with his experiments somehow satisfied nature, allowing him to more safely absorb their natural power. The living beings of this world had truly angered nature too much if she was willing to give all her power to a foreigner just because, as a side effect of his ambitions, he harmed the planet's inhabitants. Not that he cared where the power came from, nor would he stop conducting his inhumane experiments
With his hunger for knowledge temporarily satiated, he began to take his cover as an ordinary teenager seriously. He stopped simply going to the hospital and returning to his apartment, leaving a clone to continue his experiments and repeat the process. He knew that Sona Sitri's servants had begun following him a few weeks after he revealed his false status to the demon. Now Kabuto frequented various places in Kuoh City where hundreds of teenagers could be seen every day: arcades, parks, movie theaters, street vendors, markets. He used his experience as an undercover ninja to replicate the behavior patterns of a 15-year-old boy.
He didn't socialize much on his outings, genuinely uninterested in what people who only thought about the opposite sex and pointless things like video games had to offer. Despite his reluctance, he got into character. Occasionally, he'd simply join groups of guys and girls for outings, completely random people he'd never see again. But the person who stayed with him the most, and with whom he had several encounters, was one in particular: Issei Hyoudou.
At first, she hadn't noticed, but as the days went by, it became clear that something strange was going on. From the first time she'd encountered the boy at an arcade, playing a racing game, every single day, without exception, she'd somehow ended up near the brunette. When she went to the movies, she saw him get kicked out for hiding under the girls' seats; when she walked through the market, she found him talking about perverted things with two other boys; when she went to the city park to relax, there he was, spying from among the bushes. It wasn't a coincidence that she kept running into the boy, apparently.
When, out of curiosity, he used his magical vision to try and determine if the boy was a supernatural being, he nearly fell to the ground in shock. His aura was the complete opposite of the one he had noticed from one of Sona Sitri and Rias Gremory's servants, the Sacred Gear wielders, if he remembered correctly. The boy's magical aura was almost nonexistent; a single strand of magic connected to his body, but this was completely compensated for by the monstrous crimson aura contained within it. It was so vast that even if he looked behind him, Kabuto was still several meters away before the aura ended. Now aware of such an overwhelming aura, his instincts told him that he couldn't defeat the boy he had encountered by chance. Even if his magical connection was pathetic, there was a power there that he had never felt before in his life, probably on par with the Tailed Beasts.
On the outside, he seemed like an ordinary teenager, but on the inside, he was a monster, not unlike what he himself was trying to create. He had mentally decided that he would avoid a confrontation with that boy at all costs; his power was overwhelmingly superior to his own. Even if he gave it his all, he didn't believe he could reach the sheer raw power he was emitting. He tried to recall the beings in the supernatural world who could possess such power.
The gods first came to mind, but he shook his head. He couldn't discern anything sacred or divine emanating from power; it felt essentially like the rest of magic, only greatly enhanced. Then there were the dragons, mythological beings said to rival the gods. If Issei Hyoudou turned out to be a dragon, it wouldn't surprise him. The power he was feeling was making his blood boil. He called himself a dragon who had surpassed the serpents, but it seemed he still had a long way to go before his claim was believable.
He had no doubts. Comparing the power he sensed Issei possessed to what he imagined a dragon would have, his body responded affirmatively. A sage's instincts didn't lie. Issei Hyoudou was a dragon, or at least descended from one. Whatever the case, the latter would be the worst. If he did anything to the boy, a real dragon could target him and finish him off. Obviously, in the first scenario, the boy himself would kill him instantly. With his heart in his throat, hoping that his chance encounters weren't just the boy trying to analyze him, he returned to his hiding place to intensify his training. He didn't have the necessary power to protect himself while increasing his strength. With his current strength, if Issei Hyoudou wasn't one of the strongest beings in the world, he would never achieve his goals. If beings stronger than a dragon existed, then he would be in serious trouble. It seemed that Sacred Gears were his only hope in this new world. He had to find one and pray that it would drastically increase his power, as he hoped.
-x-
While being kicked on the ground by a group of girls, a fleeting thought crossed Issei Hyoudou's mind
—" Why do I feel like I dodged a bullet?" — his thoughts were quickly consumed by pain as he remembered that he was being beaten for his perverted acts.
-x-
Finally, it was the first day of classes. He had received his uniform the moment his acceptance to the academy was confirmed. The uniform was simple: black trousers, a white shirt, and a black blazer with a black ribbon at the collar—completely ordinary clothing. With his briefcase packed for what could easily be several years while he built his cover, filled with notebooks and books provided by the school, he headed to the school grounds.
He decided to take a light walk; he didn't need any real exercise. His body had passed the point where a normal run or any humanly strenuous exercise would cause a dent in his stamina. Meeting a dragon motivated him to expand the horizons of his power. He still felt that he had room for improvement, so while he wouldn't stop training, a walk to school wouldn't slow his growth.
Walking through the streets of Kuoh, he saw many more students wearing the same uniform as himself, mostly girls in the same style he'd seen on Sona Sitri and Rias Gremory. He arrived at the academy gates without incident, where the stark difference in numbers between boys and girls was immediately apparent. Eight or nine out of every ten people were women; the percentage was so low that he had no doubt all the third-year students were female. The highest concentration of boys would be in the first year, with more and more lustful teenagers eager to join the school with the highest percentage of female students.
"The day has finally arrived!" A shiver ran down her spine as she recognized the voice of the boy she had tried her best to avoid.
Standing amidst the academy gates was Issei Hyoudou, arms outstretched, gazing at the sky with a lustful look that instinctively repelled the women around him. The dragon had perverted tendencies, as he knew from all their chance encounters. He hoped not to run into him here, but his hopes were dashed at that very moment. He was unsettled by the latent power the boy exuded. His sage senses dulled whenever he was within the range of his aura. Ever since he had become aware of such an aura, his instincts naturally prioritized it above all else, hyper-concentrating so as not to miss the boy's slightest movement. It was annoying, but something he couldn't avoid.
With a carefree demeanor and a gentle smile on his face, Kabuto headed into the building as usual. He had obtained the blueprints of the place some time ago, so it was impossible for him to get lost. He completely ignored the dragon's perverted ramblings as he made his way to his classroom. There were a few minutes left before the start of classes, but it was only natural for a normal person to arrive early on their first day of school.
The hall door was open, animated voices drifted from inside. Mentally bracing himself for a horde of teenagers at the height of their hormones, he took a step forward, entering the room like a completely normal person. He didn't attract anyone's attention; a few people saw him before returning to their conversations. He was able to take a seat without any trouble in the center of the room. He didn't feel threatened enough to be near one of the most obvious exits, the door or the windows. In fact, he had chosen the spot strategically; he could use the bodies of the other students as human shields if necessary.
As he placed his school supplies on his desk, he felt his senses dull for a few seconds before returning to normal. With a sharp gaze, he activated his magical vision; it now only took a couple of seconds, but it still wasn't good enough. He had to remain perfectly still while activating the technique. Although he could move afterward, a single second of carelessness was all it took to die in a battle.
As he had suspected, a crimson aura with a faint rainbow outline emanated from the wall. Fortunately, he wasn't in the same class as the dragon; he doubted he could truly concentrate on anything other than him if they were in the same room for several hours. And while the aura was large, it didn't reach his current seat. He deactivated his magic vision just in time for the first period bell to ring. The teacher soon entered the classroom, beginning the first lesson of the school year.
-x-
"Is there really anything special about this Kaichou boy?" Her queen's words caused an intense look in Sona Sitri's eyes, her gaze fixed on the object of her interest in recent days, Kabuto Yakushi
The silver-haired boy was eating in the schoolyard like any other student, chatting sporadically with his classmates. For a whole week, he gave no strange signs whatsoever. He followed the routine of a normal teenager: going to school, hanging out with friends outside of class, occasionally volunteering at the hospital, shopping—absolutely normal. But that only made his nerves on edge.
—Tell me, Tsubaki, what do you feel about him?— The sudden question took the mixed-eyed queen a little by surprise, but she quickly composed herself and focused her attention on the boy.
After a few seconds, she shook her head, an apologetic look on her face as she looked at her king. "I'm sorry, Kaichou, I can't sense anything strange coming from him." She was ashamed, feeling she had failed her savior by not seeing what her teacher had noticed.
"Exactly." To her surprise, the Sitri heiress's response wasn't one of disappointment, as she had expected. "I'm sure he's a supernatural being. There's no other explanation for the headmaster's snakeskin and altered memory. If it weren't for that snakeskin, I never would have suspected him. That's what scares me." Tsubaki watched with concern as beads of sweat trickled down her teacher's forehead. "Youkai emit a specific sensation. I haven't had much contact with them, but Koneko, Rias's Rook, always subconsciously emits an aura distinct from that of demons. I can't sense anything remotely similar from that boy." Sona gritted her teeth slightly, faced with a seemingly insurmountable problem right in front of her.
There was absolutely nothing she could do. The boy's actions were completely normal; he hadn't tried to do anything since presenting himself as a supernatural being in his application letter. It was as if he were mocking her for not being able to decipher his plans, why he was at the academy, and what his intentions were toward them. He should at least know that she was a demon. She wasn't sure if he knew that Rias was one too, but it was a possibility. Targeting the heirs of important clans of Hell and younger sisters of the Maou was nothing short of stupid, but she wasn't even sure if that was the case.
The stress caused by this situation was reaching its limit when Kabuto Yakushi happened to glance in her direction. She was on the second floor of the main building, so he had to look up to see her. His reaction was simply to look away after staring at her for a few seconds, but thanks to his enhanced vision, he noticed a slight blush on her face. Was that the truth?
An idea that had never crossed her mind before began to form, her brow deepening before she walked back to the student council room, her queen and friend following in her footsteps. She revisited the thought she'd had earlier with a raised eyebrow. Could it be that the youkai Kabuto Yakushi had fallen in love with her? She didn't remember meeting him before, but Kuoh was a large city; she'd been there even before entering the academy, and the boy's background placed him in the city recently. He could have seen her from afar, falling in love at first sight. It was ridiculous, but the clues she had pointed to it.
Kabuto had not made contact with Rias; he had tried to probe his friend to see if she knew anything without revealing the truth about the skin, but he could not obtain any clue that indicated a connection. If she was his target, so to speak, and he was simply a supernatural boy wanting to date a supernatural girl, then things were simplified.
Her frown turned into a smile that her queen had never seen on her face. She didn't know how to describe the feeling in her chest. Rias was always the center of attention when it came to the supernatural and the human world, so being noticed before her red-haired friend gave her confidence a boost. She still didn't know what to do with the situation before her, but it was interesting.
-x-
" Perfect." Kabuto thought to himself as he controlled the blood in his body to drain from his cheeks, undoing the fake blush he had put on his face, returning to the pointless chatter about a new movie that was about to premiere that weekend
With the seed planted, it was now just a matter of playing his cards right. He had acted like a normal guy up until now, and when the opportunity arose, he put on the face of a boy in love with a stranger. Sona Sitri possessed the beauty of a supernatural being, so it wouldn't be surprising to fall for her looks. Now he just had to drop subtle hints of attraction toward the student council president in the occasional conversation; the information would spread and strengthen his cover. It was just a matter of waiting. If more than half a year passed without any contact from the demon, he would make the first move. By then, his facade had to be perfect.
"Have you seen Rias-sempai and Akeno-sempai? They're really beautiful," one of the boys in his class commented when the conversation shifted from the movie to the people at the academy. "Hey Kabuto-san, who do you find more attractive?"
Her snake-like smile almost surfaced; it seemed the opportunity to spread the information had presented itself sooner than she expected. — Well, I actually find her more attractive
Walking through the streets of Kuoh City, Kabuto opened his senses to confirm the presence of his observers. With a smile, he realized that the number of servants the demon Sona Sitri had assigned to watch over him had decreased considerably. Before, he always had three of them watching over him, along with some kind of summon-like creatures, although these didn't have the same reasoning abilities as those in his world
Right now, only one of the summons was watching him, so the demons were either too busy to focus on him, or their vigilance had become lax after he hadn't made any unusual movements for a whole month. He kept up his act, always trying his best to look embarrassed whenever he saw the student council president. He talked to his classmates about the demon as if he were in love with her, and sometimes he'd make a move to approach her only to back away with his head down when she let him sense it.
She was enjoying, in a slightly sadistic way, spying on the demon. She was going crazy trying to figure out if he was just a boy in love or something more. The student council's tea-making resources had dwindled with each passing day, to the point that their budget had ballooned. It seemed that drinking tea calmed the demon when she was stressed. Little tidbits like that would help her in the future. She had knowledge in many different areas; cooking was one of them, but a specialty like tea-making had never crossed her mind.
That's why she was now heading to a shop specializing in various types of tea. She wouldn't go for the flavor she'd seen the demon drink so often; that might be too suspicious. So, throughout the week, she would try different ones until she happened to choose the same one Sona Sitri liked. She was lost in thought as she entered the shop. She didn't sense anything dangerous, so she let her body follow its course while her mind wandered, thinking about what she had accomplished since her discovery of the magical network that connected the world.
Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to find the exact point at which a person connected to this being. It wasn't like Kekkei Genkai; they weren't bound by blood. Everything that existed, as far as he could see, was connected, organic and inorganic, to a greater or lesser degree, but he could always find at least a trace of the connection if he concentrated hard enough. He had tried injecting himself with fallen angel blood, but even though his body could easily assimilate it, no connection was created. He could simply generate tiny wings with black feathers, similar to those of a chicken, from his back. While they weren't large enough to support his weight under normal conditions, he discovered that by using chakra as a medium, he could perform the same kind of magical flight used by winged supernatural beings. Thanks to this, he discovered an important fact that differentiates chakra from the magical energy of this world: density.
To put it simply, if chakra density was measured at 1, magic density was around 3 or 4. To perform something natural for supernatural beings, like flying, their chakra reserves were considerably drained. They had plenty of chakra, but if they tried to mimic magical techniques, they would need to compress a greater amount of chakra than their equivalent in magic to achieve the same result. With that in mind, it was more efficient to use their Ninjutsu, which had proven effective in both worlds. Despite this drawback, they continued their experiments to unravel the mysteries of magical formulas, or magic circles as they were more commonly known.
Their construction was similar to the seals of their world, using writing to generate distinct effects. However, the magic circles were extremely limited by the user's magical ability and knowledge, unlike seals, which could be used with minimal chakra depending on the seal. The writing on the magic seals was unknown; their test subjects didn't know what it meant. Their bodies instinctively formed such constructions when performing magic outside of creating light spears and flying. It was similar to how a Kekkei Genkai user could utilize their innate abilities without needing to be taught once unlocked. For example, Mangekyou Sharingan users could know how to use their abilities mere moments after activating the power.
There was a genetic factor involved, but also some prior knowledge. When he consciously tried to generate a magic circle, his chakra was severely drained as a result, but no effect was applied. The fallen angels couldn't explain it; it was as natural to them as breathing, and repeated torture proved they weren't lying. Light magic was still beyond his grasp. Mastering such magic was mandatory if he wanted to rid himself of the fear of being enslaved by demons. The sacred light of angels and fallen angels was poison to them. Being able to control that power meant that one of the swords pointed at his neck would be pushed back several feet.
The sage emerged from his thoughts as he left the shop, carrying a paper bag containing everything he needed to begin his tea-making practice. This was the method he had first considered for future interactions with the demon Sitri. His primary interest, aside from gathering information about the Evil Pieces, was learning the demonic method for reaching the Underworld. Fallen angels could also travel to the Underworld, but their method had proven ineffective, requiring a magic formula and only allowing them to teleport themselves. No matter how hard they tried, they hadn't been able to reach the Underworld that way.
His interest in this place was simple: Grigori. The place where the greatest number of fallen angels in the world had gathered, but above all, the place with the most advanced Sacred Gear research he was aware of. As he understood from the memories of the fallen, for the past few hundred years, Azazel, Grigori's favored ruler, had been determined to unravel the secrets of the artifacts created by his father, the biblical God.
His plan was to steal that information for himself. He lacked the methods and resources to conduct research on Sacred Gear, so, like the skilled spy and shinobi he was, he would take the research that others had generously compiled. He had already stolen a great deal of information in his home world—from forbidden jutsu and clan special jutsu to weapon blueprints and much more—and adding such research would only serve his purposes.
-x-
Azazel, who had been toying with a golden dagger in his hands just seconds before, leaped onto his desk, startling the other Fallen Angel leaders, who flung their stacks of paperwork into the air. Without a single glance behind him, the man darted off like a bolt of lightning, leaving his companions in shock before they regained their composure and followed his trail with annoyed looks on their faces. It didn't take them long to find him; he was in the same place he'd run to the same way the last three times: Grigori's Sacred Gear research lab
When they arrived with disgruntled expressions, the now-familiar sight of their beloved leader was right there, meticulously examining every single file, as well as the Sacred Gear prototypes alongside the Balance Breaker bracelets. A few days after the disappearance of his second envoy to Kuoh City, Azazel, who always acted carefree, suddenly stormed out of his meeting room, just as he had done moments before. Caught off guard, they had followed him with their light spears ready for battle; they had never seen their leader so frantic. Their disappointment was overwhelming when they found him simply going through the room filled with his Sacred Gear research, and every time they asked him why, the answer was always the same.
—I feel it in my bones, someone is trying to steal my research.— He didn't even give them a second glance as he critically analyzed a celestial sphere in his hands before placing it on a pedestal and moving on to the next artifact.
"We've already increased security three times, Azazel. It's impossible for anyone to enter here without our knowledge." Penemue, the secretary in charge of internal affairs for the Fallen faction, shook her head irritably at her leader's immature actions.
—That's a lie, there are people who can evade magic detection, heat detection, ozone emissions...— the fallen man with blond bangs began to rant about his "useless defense methods" as he now called them, further annoying Armaros, the one in charge of setting up Grigori's security systems.
The man dressed in a strange warrior cosplay stepped forward and grabbed Azazel by the back of his shirt like a naughty animal. "Stop acting like a fool and get back to work. This kind of childish behavior is what's causing more and more of our people to desert." The intelligent response he'd been formulating caught in the Grigori ruler's throat as harsh reality hit him.
"You may be right." He yielded to the accusing stares of his fellow fallen angels, being helped to his feet by Armaros after seeing that he had regained his senses. "But this research is the future of the fallen angels. We're at a point where we can seal a dragon in a Sacred Gear, just like the old man did." To illustrate his point, he gripped the golden dagger in his hand. "It's still imperfect, but we're on the path to regaining the power we lost in the last war."
"Of all people, are you worried about war power?" Baraqiel raised an eyebrow at the realization that the irresponsible leader they had been blindly following actually had a long-term plan and cared about his species.
"I don't mind starting a new war, but we must be prepared for any situation. With that terrorist group recruiting fallen angels and demons to incite conflict between the three factions, we don't know when Michael or Sirzechs will succumb to the pressure." His words finally made the cadres present understand the feelings their leader had been suppressing. "With each passing year, our numbers dwindle, and no fallen angels are born with the potential or powers to match those of angels or demons. Our only way to level the playing field is through this research. If something were to happen to him…" He left the rest of the sentence to his companions' imaginations before returning heavily to the meeting room, his fallen comrades following him with conflicting emotions after witnessing a rare side of Azazel.
-x-
Unaware of what his primal desires for knowledge were causing in another dimension, Kabuto entered his apartment. It wasn't very big or very decorated; it had a living room, a kitchen, a bedroom, and a bathroom. Just to get a little under the skin of the demons who came to his apartment from time to time looking for clues about his plans, he had bought a terrarium where he placed a snake clone in its animal form, which served as a permanent surveillance system that would stare intently at Sona Sitri's servants when they investigated his fake home
With movements practiced after weeks of following the same routine, he took a dead rat from a small freezer placed beside the terrarium and threw it inside, smiling at the memory of his clone's disgusted looks from the demons when they watched him feed his supposed pet. He had learned his lesson after the first attempt and nullified his snake clone's sense of taste; he didn't want the phantom taste of a rat in his mouth. He wouldn't stoop so low when he didn't even need food to survive; natural energy provided him with everything he needed to be self-sufficient. The only reason he had been able to survive in the sealed dimension of the Totsuka Blade was because of the Senjutsu reserves his body always carried.
Contradicting her earlier thought, she moved to a refrigerator in the kitchen, opening it and taking out some ingredients to prepare dinner later. Among the many things she had to pretend, eating was one of the most annoying. It wasn't that she disliked food, but the fact that it took so long to prepare most dishes, along with the time needed to eat them without seeming odd, meant her time could be better spent. But her snake clones had the disadvantage of acting on instinct; if left unsupervised, she didn't know what they might do. For that reason, she always maintained contact through weekly meetings in the cave she had created.
Which, coincidentally, was that very day. Eager to discover what new information his snakes would bring him, he finished his meal a little too quickly and placed a Genjutsu on the summoned pet, making it seem as if nothing unusual was happening while he actually created a shadow clone to replace him, sinking into the earth after giving it his orders. If it weren't for his limitations, he would use the shadow clones for his information network, but they consumed too much chakra even for a sage and diminished his own fighting ability, so he only kept them as doubles in Kuoh while, right under everyone's noses, he carried out inhuman experiments.
He reappeared in the middle of the cave, a considerable distance from his research room, where hundreds of white snakes, no larger than the one in his apartment, were already waiting for him. When they sensed his presence, like babies going to their mother, they slithered across the ground in unison, climbing up his legs and arms until they disappeared into the hidden depths of his clothing. No matter how many entered, his clothes never seemed to bulge or show any signs of the snakes that were there.
He closed his eyes, slowly analyzing all the information he had received before a smile spread across his face at what one of his clones had brought him. He raised his hand, the sleeve of his Kuoh Academy uniform bulging slightly before a snake's head emerged from within. Knowing what he wanted, the snake shot out a few meters before its body began to inflate as it touched the ground. Using the skill his former master had developed to store the Kusanagi sword within a snake, Kabuto was able to use snakes to transport various objects. With some improvements, the size of these objects also increased, and they weren't limited to just objects.
The extremely swollen serpent slowly opened its jaws, from which a deformed creature emanating a malevolent aura began to slither out. It was a cross between a person, a horse, and a bat: a human face, the torso of a bat with wings for arms, and the lower body of a horse. One of the workers, disguised as a construction worker, had encountered this creature at one of the construction sites where he had recently worked. He had allowed it to kill the rest of his team before capturing it, and he also took the corpses, which were located in a different part of the cave for future experimentation.
He didn't care much for humans as experimental subjects, but what was writhing on the ground in front of him was something else entirely. He knew what it was; he'd seen and felt them many times before, when Sona Sitri or, on the rare occasions, Rias Gremory hunted them on the outskirts of the city. This was a street demon, but more importantly, judging by its deformed state, it was clear that it had once been a reincarnated demon. To reduce it, it must have at least one Evil Piece inside it. Fortune smiled upon him; he could get the information he needed from this demon. If, in addition to investigating the Evil Pieces, he also discovered a way to reach the underworld, Sona Sitri and Rias Gremory's roles would be rendered meaningless
A disappointed sigh escaped the sage's lips as he eyed a black object in his hand with suspicion. All the excitement of having found a stray demon outside of Kuoh vanished when his investigation reached a dead end. He had done his best, keeping the test subject alive throughout the process in case death had negative effects on the Evil Piece, but when he tried to extract the chess piece embedded in the demon's body, something happened that caused the demon to self-destruct. Fortunately, he was able to minimize the damage to his lair with barriers he had previously placed around the operating room. Some machinery was rendered unusable, but nothing irreplaceable.
What remained after the explosion was the chess piece he had been playing with, specifically a rook. He knew his attempt to extract it had failed. While still inside the demon's body, the piece had shone with a vibrant emerald, but now it emitted no light at all; it had turned obsidian black. Furthermore, the demonic aura it had once emitted vanished after the explosion. He suspected he had triggered a defense mechanism of the Evil Pieces. Although he hadn't been able to extract the piece in an acceptable state, his previous research had shed some light on what these artifacts created by demons truly were.
The superficial inspection had revealed a startling truth: the Evil Pieces, which somehow possessed the power to reincarnate other races into demons, bore magical writing—the same kind used for magical formulas—written in microscopic print all over their surfaces. Furthermore, hundreds of thousands of threads of magic were drawn to specific parts of the writing, which were then redirected to the demon itself. His excitement reached its peak when he could discern the difference between the magic entering the piece and the magic being delivered to the demon.
Its nature was demonic; the Evil Pieces warped through a method that disregarded worldly magic, attuning it to the magic of demons themselves. I theorize that the bodies of pure demons underwent this process naturally, but those who were outsiders would need a method to mimic this conversion. The Evil Pieces served as a means for the afflicted to gain demonic magic, replacing their normal magic source with an artificial one. Surely, if I had successfully ripped the piece from the street demon, it would have died from the lack of the core that had been serving as its life support for who knows how long.
That was another matter entirely. The introduction of an Evil Piece, as far as he could tell, completely destroyed the demon's normal method of magic absorption. He checked with the reincarnated servants of Sona Sitri and Rias Gremory; they all had the same magic absorption pattern. Unlike a normal being, who would absorb it with their entire body, their magic flows were concentrated in their hearts. He had discovered the darkest secret of Evil Pieces: they didn't reincarnate the dead; they simply used their corpses as vessels for the soul, giving it a core to cling to desperately. For the living, they essentially killed them while they were still alive.
It was fascinating how they had developed such a wondrous and repulsive artifact at the same time. The kind of inhuman experimentation they must have carried out must have been glorious, though treating them with the same moral standards as a human might be a mistake. His interest only intensified. What if a being like him, who possessed no connection whatsoever to the magical network, were to be "reincarnated" as a demon? He didn't want to learn the hard way, so he would continue with his plan to acquire Sona Sitri's Evil Pieces.
Now he was certain that these pieces didn't literally merge with the reincarnated demons; they remained separate from the body like chess pieces positioned around the demon's heart. With this knowledge, creating countermeasures was simple. After seeing an Evil Piece up close, he realized that these would be his ticket to connecting with the magic network. If he could eliminate the part that converted energy into demonic energy and implant within himself the formula that absorbed magical energy, his potential would skyrocket to levels he couldn't yet imagine.
-x-
The last two months had been the most stressful of Sona Sitri's life. The high-class demon, heir to one of the remaining 72 demon families, was about to bang her head against the desk because of a certain silver-haired boy's actions—or rather, his complete lack thereof. She had thought that after revealing herself as a supernatural being, they would have direct contact at the start of the school year, allowing her to extract answers from the snake youkai, but that's not what happened.
Kabuto Yakushi, the source of her current headache, had simply lived a normal life. Even with the surveillance she'd placed on him—a supernatural being who had somehow entered the city without her knowledge—she hadn't found anything to support her initial suspicions. She was nearing her breaking point. She didn't know what to do in this situation, but she also didn't want to ask for advice from someone like her sister. If she relied on her help, she'd never be able to fulfill her dream.
Seeing the state her king was in, Tsubaki offered him a cup of tea, speaking softly. Now that they were alone, he could address her by her name instead of her title. "Sona-sama, if this matter is stressing you out so much, why not invite Yakushi-san to the student council?" The king took the cup of warm liquid and raised an eyebrow at his queen as he sipped. "Her grades are the highest ever reported in the school's history, slightly surpassing yours. You could start a conversation by suggesting she join the student council."
Taking a moment to drink the liquid that melted the stress out of his body before considering the suggestion for a second and finally sighing. — Tell Tomoe to bring it during lunch and have Tsubasa watch the door while the meeting is taking place. — The demon removed his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose.
—As you command.— With a respectful bow, Tsubaki left the student council room, not noticing the slightly disheartened look on the Sitri heiress's face.
" You could have said 'it was fine. '" Her whisper went unnoticed in the now empty room.
-x-
Sona finished signing the last papers needed for the upcoming sports festival when she heard a knock on the door, causing her shoulders to tense before she sighed. The time had come. "Kaichou, I've brought Yakushi-san as you requested," she heard her knight speaking animatedly from behind the door. Increasing her resolve, she allowed the tension to slowly leave her body before replying in a calm voice
—You can come in.— She adjusted her glasses, an old habit she did when she was nervous.
The door opened, revealing the reddish-brown-haired girl behind it. She greeted him before skipping away, leaving her current target, Kabuto Yakushi, who had a timid body language and a smile that faltered at times on his face, adding to his insecure appearance.
"Tama, please take a seat. I'd like to discuss a few things with you, Yakushi-san." She tried to project an air of hospitality to the youkai, allowing a small smile to creep across her normally serious face as she gestured to a chair in front of her desk. She had decided that the best way to gather information was to appear as non-threatening as possible, and she felt relieved to see the trembling in the boy's body gradually subside as he sat down opposite her.
—I appreciate your kindness, but I would like to know why I was summoned so suddenly to the student council room. I hope I haven't done anything wrong.— Kabuto's soft voice made the demon lose his concentration for a second. It was the first time he had heard him, and there seemed to be something in his tone that made the weariness in his stressed body disappear.
—Hmm.— humming to herself for a few seconds, weighing her next words, she decided to get to the point.— Officially, you're here for a proposal to join the student council.— She let the ball roll toward the silver-haired boy, who raised an eyebrow in confusion.
—Does that mean there's an unofficial reason?— The slight tilt of his head only amplified the confusion he must have been feeling at that moment, although the slight tension he could feel in his shoulders showed him that he wasn't completely in the dark, or at least he suspected something.
—Unofficially, I am interrogating a supernatural being who is illegally present in Sitri territory.— he stated without any hostility, hoping to soften the blow. He saw the gears turning in the Youkai's head before his body shuddered, a look of fear spreading across his face.
"Illegal!" Although his shout took her by surprise, she didn't show this emotion on her face. "I'm not here illegally! I've lived here for years!" Kabuto jumped up from his chair, his pupils contracting like a snake, showing his inner turmoil.
"Please take a seat, Yakushi-san." He took a sip from one of the teacups on the table, showing he was in control of the situation. "I won't act rashly. I want to hear your side of the story before taking any action." He wasn't lying, but he also wouldn't tell him that his exits were blocked in case of a fight. His bishop was just a gesture away from informing Rias about the intruder; with two peerages nearly complete, escape would be impossible for one person alone.
Taking a few seconds to calm his breathing, the boy's pupils slowly returned to normal, and when he felt comfortable he sat back down, although now his hands were clasped together, making some strange poses in random patterns that made the Sitri heiress raise an eyebrow, but she didn't pay any attention to it, she didn't sense any danger coming from the boy, perhaps it was a nervous tic, being suddenly accused of illegal transfer would put a lot of pressure on anyone.
"So, let's start with the basics. You're a youkai, right?" After receiving a continuous nod in response to her questions, she continued, "Why did you send a snakeskin with your acceptance letter?" This was what bothered her the most; she couldn't understand the reason behind this simple action, and she stressed herself day and night trying to find a reason. Momentarily pausing her hand movements, Kabuto sighed before beginning her story from the beginning.
His life until the age of five was that of a normal child in the orphanage. He never knew his parents; he only knew that they had found him at the orphanage gate one day. No matter how hard they searched, the staff were never able to find his family. On his fifth birthday, while he slept, his youkai features awakened. At that moment, he didn't know what was happening to his body, so the orphanage staff took him to a hospital. With each passing day, his skin grew paler, his eyes became slit-like like a snake's, and his blood turned cold, requiring external warmth to survive.
As a child, he was frightened, but after a while, his newly awakened Youkai blood stabilized, allowing him to return to relative normalcy. His fear of what had happened diminished his latent powers to the point where his infant body could no longer withstand it. He didn't think much about it until he left the orphanage on a journey of self-discovery at the age of ten. He found several writings about the mythological creatures known as Youkai, and then understood that he was part of this race. He learned more about the culture with the limited information available, but he was never able to make contact with another person of his own kind.
It was when he arrived at Kuoh a few years ago that he met Sona Sitri by chance at the shopping mall. He felt something different about her compared to ordinary people. His youkai senses allowed him to perceive people's auras to a certain extent, and hers stood out more strongly than the rest. He tried to talk to her then, but lost sight of her, not seeing her again until a year ago. When he saw her again, she was wearing the Kuoh Academy uniform, and by eavesdropping, he realized she was a member of the student council. So he thought that entering the academy would be his best opportunity to talk to her. He sent the snakeskin to try to break the ice, but he never had the courage to try to talk to her after that. He was naturally shy with strangers, and although he wanted to meet another person with a special aura to see if she was like him, he couldn't force himself to do it.
The boy's face was red as he explained the last part, a faint hopeful look on his face as he stared at the demon. "Are you some kind of bat youkai? You give off that kind of impression." Sona felt bad having to shatter the illusions of the boy who had found himself in such a pitiful situation, one of a kind with no connection to his supernatural roots.
"I'm not a youkai." Her words caused Kabuto's gaze to fall to the ground, losing its previous brightness. She felt compelled to make amends to the youkai after he had shared so much personal information about himself. "I'm not a youkai, I'm a demon." The boy's face lifted, his eyes now filled with surprise and curiosity, not the fear she had expected.
"So demons exist too?" A slight nod was all it took for a small smile to spread across his face. "I see. That means the mythological beings I've read about alongside the youkai must be real too." The boy sighed slowly before giving the demon in front of him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry for trespassing in this city. I'm not familiar with the ways of the supernatural." Kabuto bowed his head in a show of regret.
"Alright, this case is special since, as you said, you were unaware of our existence." Like a demon, she found it easier to distinguish between lies; the malice embedded in them would alert her to any ill intent in his words, but she couldn't sense any coming from the boy, so she softened her gaze, letting her suspicions fall upon him. "Now, about that invitation to the student council." With her left hand, she created a magic circle from which emerged a black case with engravings all around the box. It emitted a blue glow that immediately caught Kabuto's eye. "This is my proposal." The amused glow disappeared behind the sage's glasses.
-x-
Kabuto began to laugh the moment he reached his cave. He had done it! Inside his body were the seven remaining pawns of Sona Sitri. Even with the short time he had to analyze the Street Demon piece, he devised a way to prevent the Evil Pieces from affecting him. Using seals and snake clones, which he had implanted around his heart beforehand, he made the snakes devour the pieces the moment they entered his body. The seals engraved around them began to drain the demonic energy, storing it and thus preventing his transformation into a reincarnated demon.
To deceive the Sitri heiress, he allowed a small amount of energy to leak from the seal to the outside, actively using his Senjutsu to expel it from his body. With a simple hand seal, he could completely close the energy outlet, so when he was near the demon's servants or the demon himself, he could sever all connection with the Evil Piece.
The sage opened his mouth, letting a snake slither out, its white body now covered in black symbols that glowed a deep blue. The snake's own mouth opened, and a chess piece emitting blue light floated out. He quickly enveloped the piece in a green aura; in case it exploded, he would use his Senjutsu to contain the detonation. Minutes passed, and nothing happened. His plan had been a success. Deceiving a girl younger than him was easy, especially since he didn't even have shinobi training. Against a master liar, the demon didn't stand a chance. Living half your life as a spy had its advantages