…
After winning over the three fallen angels, Sai Akuto wrapped up a string of loose ends before the Three Faction Summit formally began.
For example, with Akuto and Rias's encouragement, Gasper finally trained himself to the point he could use his Sacred Gear's essence even in the face of Holy Swords.
For another, using the memories he ripped from Himejima Karatachi, Akuto began clearing other Utsusemi Agency safehouses—rescuing many girls from within.
And at Mittelt's suggestion—plus Yuma Amano's consent—Akuto smoothly recruited the other fallen-angel girls at the Kuoh Town outpost (everyone except the "king" of that cell).
On the night of the celebration, a familiar tone rang in Akuto's mind.
[Ding~]
[Hidden Achievement Complete — Kuoh Town Fallen-Angels Full Collection.]
[Reward: Bloodline Evolution — Fallen Angel Lineage (Gold).]
[Ding!]
[Your "Twelve-Wing Fallen Angel Bloodline" has evolved into "Fallen God Bloodline."]
"Not upgraded to red-grade, huh? Right—per system rules, three golds synthesize into one red reward. Two tiers alone won't push a full rank-up."
"By the system's definitions: the God of the Bible Bloodline is an evolution of angelic blood; this Fallen God Bloodline is an evolution of the fallen-angel line."
"The God of the Bible's bloodline isn't rated too high—there isn't much of His power left."
"But the process suits me."
"Before, that God-of-the-Bible line was a notch above the Twelve-Wing Fallen line, which made balancing them a pain."
"Now that the fallen line has advanced, I just need minor tuning to hit equilibrium."
A dozen seconds later, Akuto's eyes snapped open.
As expected: what once took heavy effort to balance, he could now tune in a few breaths.
Having a mode that boots fast matters a lot in the mid-to-late game.
…
Elsewhere—on Karatachi's side—Akuto first soul-searched him, then reconditioned his mind.
As a quick bonus, Akuto devoured the Core of Evolution inside Karatachi. His "Evolution Path — Dragon-Eater" rose to gold quality and advanced into "Evolution Path — Dragon-Slaying Behemoth," pointing his way forward (and warning him off devouring depraved demonic beings going forward).
But the happiest gain came after he rewrote Karatachi: a new quest popped.
With Karatachi under control, Akuto mapped futures for both the Utsusemi Agency and Karatachi himself.
In the end, Akuto decided: keep Karatachi as leader of the Utsusemi Agency.
Leaving him in charge brought many benefits:
Akuto could mobilize the Agency's resources to crack targets that were inconvenient for him to break openly.
The Agency could slip into the Band of Calamity to gather intel, letting Akuto read moves in advance whenever the enemy planned to strike.
The Agency housed many Sacred Gear users—perfect subjects for Akuto's research.
Akuto wasn't going to run the old "use and discard" routine; still, he needed their cooperation for study. The God of the Bible's knowledge includes extensive chapters on Sacred Gears. To hit the 5% mastery milestone sooner, Akuto progressed in parallel: spellcraft, Gear systems, and more. After all, a skill like Great Telepathy shouldn't go to waste.
After that, while Higashijō Sae (Higashijō Sae) was still unconscious, Akuto stabilized her body and—with her clear consent once she awakened—completed a bloodline infusion and set an exceptional Evil Piece, formally placing her under his protection. (All characters are treated as 21+ and all intimate bonds are consensual.)
At the same time, Akuto examined "The Lion Who Lost His Courage," the Sacred Gear Sae possessed in the original worldline. With knowledge far beyond the Utsusemi tech, he removed its drawbacks and re-implanted it into Sae, optimized.
Right then, the system chimed again.
[Ding!]
[Story Quest Triggered — The Ultimate Beast.]
[Quest Rank: Red.]
[Quest Brief: To transcend this world, first touch its ceiling.
To reach the ceiling, one must deeply grasp—and influence—the world's foundational constructs.
"Dragons" and "Beasts" have become the twin apexes of power in the DxD world. To transcend it, you must acquire those foundational laws of "Dragon" and "Beast."
The Four Dire Beasts and the Five Divine Beasts are the bedrock of "Beast."]
[Objective: With the Boosted Gear's gauntlet, devour the Four Dire-Beast Sacred Gears, the Five Divine Beasts, Monsters Creation, Typhon, etc.]
[Note: The Four Dire Beasts, Five Divine Beasts, and Monsters Creation are mandatory. Deity-class beast entities (e.g., Typhon) are optional, but absorbing them accelerates progress. At least one King-to-God tier beast must be devoured.]
[The system has provided the current hosts/contractors and affiliations.]
Four Dire Beasts & current holders
Taotie — Nanataki Shikuko (female)
Qiongqi — Minagawa Natsume (female)
Taowu — Kajidori Kōsei (male)
Chaos — Furusuma Aisuke (male)
Five Divine Beasts & their contractors
Vermilion Bird (Suzaku) — Himejima Suzaku (female)
Black Tortoise (Genbu) — Dōmon Genbu (female)
Azure Dragon (Seiryuu) — Kushihashi Seiryuu (male)
White Tiger (Byakko) — Shinra Byakko (male)
Yellow Dragon (Kōryū) — Hyakki Nakagami Kōryū (male)
…
With the quest open, Akuto set out to collect the Four Dire-Beast gears and the Five Divine Beasts.
Time was short. Before the summit, he secured three of the Four Dire Beasts' hosts:
Taotie — Nanataki Shikuko (female)
Qiongqi — Minagawa Natsume (female)
Chaos — Furusuma Aisuke (male)
…
First: Minagawa Natsume.
Natsume was a second-year at Ryoukuu High School, and bearer of the Dire-Beast Gear Qiongqi.
In the Utsusemi incident of the original line, she awakened a manifestation-type Sacred Gear—the little griffon "Hawk Gryphon"—from an egg supplied by Azazel. In combat, she could assume a totemic half-beast form, the lower body becoming the leonine monster Qiongqi.
In canon, Natsume rescued Kise Tobio during the Utsusemi assault, passed him an egg from the Governor-General, and led him to a safe apartment prepared by the Kami Overseers.
Like Sae, Natsume here had only recently been injured; she hadn't had time to awaken or study her Gear.
So Akuto stepped in. Using a controlled symbiotic conduit, he safely awakened Natsume's Gear and stabilized her body.
Unlike the childhood-friend type Sae, Natsume's personality was frank and breezy. She quickly accepted Akuto—who, frankly, made a strong first impression.
Her only complaint? Akuto already had fiancées and official betrothal talk swirling around the Underworld.
In the end, after thinking it through—and with Akuto's promise to treat her sincerely—Natsume chose to stand by Akuto's side.
…
Next: Nanataki Shikuko.
Also a second-year at Ryoukuu, Shikuko bore the Dire-Beast Gear Taotie, a manifestation-type Sacred Gear that can devour virtually anything—matter or magic.
Shikuko fought in a formal battle dress, black tights beneath, twin-tails fluttering. Half Fuso, half Western European, she had dark-gold hair and a striking heterochromia—left eye black, right eye blue—that reflected sunlight with an uncanny allure.
Because Taotie devours without end, Shikuko's metabolism ran hot—she was always hungry. Yet no matter how much she ate, she scarcely put on weight; her narrow waist cinched beneath the dress, the broad skirt spreading for both elegance and mobility.
In battle, Shikuko could summon a small mask-faced familiar with Taotie's visage—she named the little devourer Kobo. That "small familiar" was, in truth, the most dangerous of the Four Dire Beasts.
In the original Utsusemi arc, Shikuko awakened Taotie but, together with Chaos-bearer Furusuma Aisuke, was captured by the Abyssal Fallen (a particularly vicious faction distinct from the "Fallen Ones"). She initially rejected help from the Kami Overseers.
While evading the Abyssal Fallen and the Witches of Oz, she received aid from Kise Tobio and company, using Kobo to devour the radiant stone statue conjured by "Scarlet Vermilion Projection" and the conflagrations spewed by "True Purple Magma."
Through that fight, she rebuilt trust with Tobio's squad, later joining the Fallen Ones as support.
In Akuto's line, Shikuko—like Natsume—didn't awaken in the Utsusemi incident and was unfortunately captured. Akuto freed her, then used safe symbiosis and consensual bloodline work to awaken Taotie.
Pragmatically, keeping the Utsusemi machinery intact proved handy; villain networks often move more efficiently than "righteous" ones.
Shikuko's case turned out simpler than Natsume's: Taotie's endless appetite meant Shikuko was constantly starving. She discovered that after Akuto's bloodline-stabilization sessions, her body stayed satiated for long stretches. After mulling it over, she chose to follow Akuto.
…
Furusuma Aisuke (Chaos): omitted
…
By the time Akuto wrapped those three Dire-Beast hosts, several days had passed.
On the eve of the Three Faction Summit, the system pinged once more.
[Ding!]
[Main Story Quest Triggered — Three Faction Summit.]
…
(End of Chapter)
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