Kuoh Academy.
Old School Building.
Shingen pushed open the door and stepped inside.
He had been invited here as a guest.
The one who invited him was Rias Gremory.
She was a stunning beauty with exceptional talent and look.
Of course, aside from those natural gifts… she was, frankly, just a decorative vase.
However, even if she was just a "vase," she was the most exquisite and luxuriously adorned vase.
The younger sister of one of the Four Great Satan, heir to a pure-blooded family, a top-class beauty with a voluptuous figure, and the wielder of the Power of Destruction.
These titles alone were enough to showcase her nobility and excellence.
…
Noticing Shingen's arrival, Rias gave a polite smile and gracefully uncrossed her legs.
Her smooth, milky-white thighs, refined and delicate like jade-like legs, instantly caught Shingen's eyes.
''Beautiful...''
Moreover...
Shingen knew very well that Rias had done that on purpose.
Since she was showing it off deliberately, pretending not to look would just be insulting. Shingen was no saint.
He didn't hide his gaze.
Rias also noticed Shingen's eyes glancing over her chest and legs.
Yet, instead of being upset, she smiled with satisfaction.
After all, Shingen had succubus blood in him, if she could catch his attention, it only proved her charm.
''Akeno, serve the tea.''
''Yes, President.''
At Rias's command, a black-haired, kimono-clad beauty stepped forward and poured tea with a warm smile.
She was Himejima Akeno, Rias's Queen.
In school, Akeno was as famous as Rias herself, both considered top-tier beauties.
One Western, one Eastern.
If the two were ever paired together... it would be a delightfully sinful sight.
…
Shingen took a sip. The rich aroma of the tea instantly put him at ease.
''As expected of Miss Akeno. Your tea-making skills are impeccable.''
Akeno gently covered her lips, letting out a soft, flirtatious laugh.
''Ara~ To be praised by Lord Shingen is truly an honor.''
''By the way, this tea is so good… could you bring a cup for my Agumon as well?''
Shingen wasn't the kind of person who enjoyed alone.
Agumon had been with him since he was a child, they are inseparable.
If he had something to eat or drink, Agumon got some too.
''Agumon?
Rias blinked, her eyes briefly flashing with displeasure. But she quickly masked it.
''Agumon... that magical beast that always follows you around?''
The reason for her irritation was simple, she hadn't expected Shingen to let a beast drink her tea.
To put it bluntly, it was borderline disrespectful.
''...Akeno, brew another cup. Use a bigger cup this time.''
Though still a bit annoyed, Rias agreed to his request.
After all, she had a favor to ask of Shingen today.
…
A few minutes later, an oversized teacup, several times larger than a normal one, was placed on the table.
'Rias specifically used a cheaper, lower-class teacup. Which makes sense, as a pure-blooded devil, it's only natural for her to look down on magical beasts.' Thought Shingen. 'It's my fault. If I had fed Agumon better and helped him evolve into War Greymon, our lives would be much easier.'
''Agumon, come on out. Try the tea, it tastes really good.''
A flash of light.
A yellow dinosaur-like magical beast emerged from the contract seal in Shingen's hand.
It walked up to the table.
But rather than gulping down the tea like a typical beast or licking it with its tongue...
Agumon picked up the teacup and drank elegantly, like a refined humanoid being.
His manners were, in fact, more graceful than Rias's.
…
This surprisingly human behavior left both Rias and Akeno visibly stunned.
''Shingen… could it be that your Agumon has mutated? Are you planning to train it to be your Queen?'' Rias asked curiously.
Many high-class devils began training their Queen from a young age.
Among all peerage members, the Queen holds the highest rank.
If this Agumon was Shingen's future Queen, then her earlier attitude might've been inappropriate.
She wasn't opposed to giving things to a being of intelligence and power, but if it was just a lowly beast, that was another matter.
…
Lelouch shook his head at her question.
''Rias, I'm far from ready to think about a Queen.''
''I'm not a pure-blood devil like you guys. I haven't even received any Evil Pieces yet.''
If Shingen had pure devil blood, he wouldn't be struggling to find food for Agumon. He could've just powered it up himself.
''About that…''
Rias seemed to recall something and quickly changed the subject with a nervous smile.
''Actually, Shingen, I called you here today to share two pieces of good news.''
''Oh? Two? That's unexpected.''
Lelouch had thought this meeting was just another routine trade. He didn't expect a surprise bonus.
…
''First.'' Rias said. ''Here is the magical beast corpse and blood you asked me to gather.''
''This dragon-type beast is about mid-class devil level. It wasn't cheap. Here's the essence blood, and the corpse is in this box.''
She presented a tray.
On it was a silver box and a small red vial.
The vial held the essence blood. The box contained the corpse, stored within a spatial magic seal.
''Mm, we've traded enough times. I won't bother checking.''
Lelouch tucked the vial and box into his coat pocket.
This was exactly what he had asked Rias to find.
These items would help Agumon grow stronger.
Though he had other channels, like the fallen angels, for evolution materials, keeping the devil-side supply running was also necessary.
"What's the second one?" Shingen asked.
"The second good news, huh~"
Rias licked her lips and revealed a mysterious smile.
"The second good news... is this!"
Snap
Rias snapped her fingers, and a deep red light illuminated the entire room.
On the table, within a teleportation magic circle, a beautifully decorated gift box slowly emerged.
"Devil Pieces."
Shingen narrowed his eyes. Inside that exquisite box were none other than Devil Pieces!
"That's right, Devil Pieces."
"Shingen, the second good news is this. After being approved by the Underworld, you've officially earned the qualification to possess Devil Pieces!"
...
"Rias, only High-Class Devils are allowed to own Devil Pieces. Is it really okay to give them to a Low-Class Devil like me?" Shingen asked, clearly puzzled.
"No problem, no problem~"
"After all, you're now the heir to the Leviathan Bloodline, right?"
"A proper heir of the True Demon King's bloodline without his own pieces? That would just be a laughingstock for the other factions. " Rias waved it off casually.
'So that's the reason. Pretty much matches what I expected. Still, if the Underworld has started polishing its public image, it means the Devils are preparing to form alliances with other pantheons.'
"Well, since it's already presented to me, I might as well shamelessly accept it."
Shingen reached out and officially formed a contract with the Devil Pieces.
Very quickly, Shingen's information was registered successfully.
Starting today, he could officially refer to himself as a "King."
Just thinking about how a Low-Class Devil like him could now call himself "King" made Shingen want to laugh.
This is the devil society: bloodline above all, power above all, benefit above all.
...
Shingen was a transmigrator.
He had crossed into this world over ten years ago.
But his transmigration was quite ordinary, no cheat system, no extraordinary talents.
All he had were three things: a trace of Incubus bloodline, a trace of Leviathan bloodline, and a partner, a Digimon named Agumon.
Even so, just that trace of Leviathan bloodline was enough to draw attention from the Underworld.
There was no helping it.
The current Four Satans needed a political symbol.
...
Today's Four Satans are not the same as the original Four.
The original Four Demon Lords perished in battle, and their bloodline successors continued the legacy of ruling the devil race.
These bloodline inheritors are now referred to as the Old Satan Faction.
After the great war among the Three Factions ended, a rift emerged within the devil race.
The result of that rift was a civil war among demons.
The current Four Devils won that war and became known as the Satans.
The members of the Old Satan Factiin and their followers refused to accept the Underworld's reforms and rejected submission to the new order.
Some went into hiding, while others fled entirely.
And Shingen? He was apparently one of the unfortunate ones who didn't escape and got caught, just a small fry from the old bloodline.
...
Because the New Satans needed a political front...
Shingen, the small fry, was turned into the Heir of the Leviathan Bloodline. He even received a beautiful fiancée.
One of the current Satan, Sirzechs Lucifer, married Grayfia Lucifuge, the heir of the Lucifuge clan that once served the original Lucifer, proving the legitimacy of his claim to the title ''Lucifer.''
Similarly, one of the current Satan, Serafall Leviathan, is set to marry the heir of the Leviathan bloodline... who was none other than Shingen.
Yes.
Shingen's fiancée...
Was one of the current Four Satans of the Underworld, Serafall Leviathan!
If all went according to plan, Shingen would marry into her family upon reaching adulthood and become Serafall Leviathan's husband.
However...
Things never go as planned.
Three years ago, news came from the Underworld: his designated fiancée had changed.
His new fiancée was now Sona Sitri, Serafall Leviathan's younger sister.
Shingen knew exactly why that change happened.
Because... he was just a speck of dust in the grand scheme of the era, a tool used by the New Satans to stabilize their rule and reinforce their legitimacy.
As the era progressed, his usefulness declined.
If he didn't act before his value ran out, his future would only spiral downward.
...
To avoid a tragic ending in a world full of overpowered beings, Shingen had been laying down multi-layered plans:
1. Study diligently, master chess, and become well-versed in Rating Game knowledge.
2. Use his Leviathan Heir privileges to obtain resources, purchase magic beast corpses and blood to help Agumon grow stronger.
3. Search for powerful Sacred Gears and artifacts from the original plot, find adaptable ones, and transplant them into himself.
4. Use his anime knowledge to establish ties with key characters like Azazel, Baraqiel, Vali, Lavinia, Griselda, Sairaorg, Ravel... and more.
Intercept certain low-risk characters from the original story to add them to his side, like Gasper, Irina, and Asia.
As of now, his plans were going smoothly.
In about three or four more months, Agumon was expected to evolve into Greymon.
Which is why Shingen didn't want to be dumped so soon.
Being dumped would only further lower his value.
Being dumped meant future access to resources would be drastically reduced.
To leech more benefits, Shingen didn't want to be dumped that easily.
...
''By the way, Shingen, besides those two pieces of good news, I actually wanted to make a deal with you.'' Rias finally got to the real topic.
''A deal? What kind of deal?''
Shingen couldn't think of anything he had that Rias might want.
Unless… she had already found out he possessed the Boosted Gear?
...
Under Shingen's gaze, Rias gently set down her teacup and smiled warmly.
''Shingen, what would you say to five years' worth of magical beast resources... in exchange for pretending to be my boyfriend for a while?''
Shingen raised an eyebrow and, after thinking for a few seconds, replied:
"Rias, you should know, I already have a fiancée. Even if you want to use me as a shield, the Underworld will never approve."
Upon hearing this, Rias lightly pursed her lips and smiled softly.
"That's right, Shingen, you're engaged to Sona. So even if I claimed we were madly in love, the Underworld wouldn't accept it."
''But everything in life has its exceptions.''
...
''Rias, you mean to say…''
Shingen narrowed his eyes.
''Shingen, I think you understand me very well. Yes, Sona is trying to break off your engagement.''
''I see. So what you're saying is...?''
Shingen took a sip of tea. He had already expected this.
''My proposal is simple, let's coordinate our stories. We'll claim we're in love.''
''That way, I'll have a valid excuse to brush off my brother and those old geezers in the Underworld.''
''Once I graduate from university, we can peacefully separate.''
''By then, I'll have the freedom and power I want to resist the Underworld. And you, Shingen, will have the resources you want from me.''
Rias's proposal was well thought out.
Or rather, it aligned perfectly with Shingen's goals.
-----
Thanks for reading, If you have any suggestions, I'm open.