If Izumi were to abandon his identity as a human and reincarnate as a devil or an angel,then—unfortunately for him—Cao Cao would immediately mark him as an enemy.
To Cao Cao, those who willingly throw away the limitless potential of humanity in exchange for the protection of Devils or Angels are nothing but cowards.Humans were capable of reaching incredible heights on their own—why choose to kneel?
That was a line Cao Cao would never allow to be crossed.
In this world, the Hero Faction (Eiyū-ha) was nothing like the "Khaos Brigade" of the original timeline.They were completely separate—no cooperation, no shared ideology.And unlike the original story, where Cao Cao exploited Ophis for power…here, they relied purely on their own strength.No borrowed power. No gods or dragons propping them up.
Cao Cao had heard bits and pieces about Izumi before, but after receiving the new intelligence reports, his curiosity only grew.
Still… he made no move to act.Observing was enough for now.
What Izumi didn't know was that Cao Cao was already keeping his eyes on him, watching silently from the shadows.
And because of the world-fusion phenomenon, a great many things had shifted from what Izumi remembered—including the relationships between factions.The Hero Faction and the Khaos Brigade weren't allies—they were enemies.
More discrepancies would reveal themselves in time.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A Few Days Later…
Izumi hadn't seen Rias at all.At school, only Akeno and Koneko were around.Rias had returned to the Underworld to deal with personal matters.
Meanwhile, the Academy Trial Examination Kato Megumi mentioned earlier had officially begun.All first-year students were gathered inside the gymnasium.
The principal stood on stage, giving a speech that seemed to go on forever.
"Next, all of you will be teleported into a special dungeon realm. Your task is to form parties and defeat the magical beasts within."
"The team that secures first place will receive a large number of cultivation resources, as well as rare Magic-Crafted Weapons or even Profession Skills."
"In other words—give it everything you've got."
"In the dungeon, danger is very real, so each of you will receive a Protective Charm. If you encounter life-threatening danger, crush it, and you will be teleported out immediately."
"However, being teleported out means you are eliminated."
"...…"
As the rules were explained, many students cast not-so-subtle glances at Izumi.
Quite a few looked ready to sprint across the gym to beg him for a party invite.
After all—First place rewards were insane.Weapons, skills, resources—things desperately needed for growth.
And Izumi was, without question, the strongest first-year student.Barring accidents, the championship was already as good as his.
Feeling all the stares drilling into his back, Izumi could only sigh.
He already had his team planned long ago.
Kato Megumi.
Koneko (Shirone).
Asia.
Eriri.
And himself.
Perfect five-person party.
Anyone hoping to join was simply dreaming.
Ignoring the hungry gazes, Izumi opened his system interface.
He had tossed all his collected Phoenix Tears and Phoenix Blood into the system, but he still hadn't checked the results.
If it weren't for a rare quiet moment, he might've forgotten entirely.After all, he'd been too busy… making Asia cry out in pain several times a day—healing pain, of course. Healing. (Probably.)
Now was the perfect chance to inspect his rewards.
When Izumi opened the system inventory, he froze.
[High-Speed Incantation] – Allows activation of magic without chanting. Even high-tier spells can be released in a single step. Support skill.
[Youkai-Repelling Incense] – When lit, repels magical beasts within a certain range.
That was it.
Besides High-Speed Incantation, the incense was practically useless trash.
He had dumped every last drop of Phoenix Blood and Tears he had… all for this?
Izumi had a sinking feeling—even if he threw more Phoenix materials into the system later, nothing better would come out.
The system would never let him farm "infinite skill exploits".
In short—no more wool to harvest.The sheep was dead.
Clicking his tongue, Izumi tapped on the High-Speed Incantation skill and activated it.
With this, he could now fire curse-bullets like a rapid-fire turret.Even basic spells required chanting, but this skill made everything instant cast.
He could even do multi-casting like the legendary C-mother mage from certain worlds.
A walking magical artillery unit.
Magic power was something he had in abundance.Combine that with High-Speed Incantation, plus a few new spells, and—
Izumi could pretty much change class to Mage Lord.
By the time he finished reviewing everything, the principal's speech had long ended.
Teachers arrived in front of each class to distribute the Protective Charms.
Izumi took his, glanced at it twice, then casually tossed it into his system inventory.
Once distribution was done, his homeroom teacher stepped forward.
"Now then, please begin forming your teams.After your parties are settled, come forward and register."
The moment he finished speaking—
The entire class surged toward Izumi.
"Izumi-kun! Let's form a party!""Senpai! Please carry us!""Sensei! I mean—Izumi-senpai! I'll wear maid clothes if needed!!""Izumi-kun… surely you won't abandon a helpless girl to die to monsters, right…?"
"...."
Within seconds, Izumi was surrounded by desperate students who had thrown dignity to the wind in their attempt to latch onto his thighs.
He could only stare at them with a face full of black lines.
"Sorry, I've already formed a party.Please move aside."
Squeezing through the crowd, Izumi grabbed Asia and Megumi by the wrists and hurried to the teacher.
The rest of the class sighed in disappointment.
But curiosity remained—they wanted to know who Izumi's party members were.
Standing before the homeroom teacher, Izumi stated:
"Sensei, our team is:Nakami Izumi,Toujou Shirone,Kato Megumi,Asia Argento,Sawamura Eriri."
"Please register us."
The teacher nodded approvingly.
"No issues. I see you're aiming right for the championship. Our class's honor is in your hands."
He wrote their names on the registry.
And thus, Izumi's temporary five-man party was officially formed.
A short-term team, yes—but undeniably a strong configuration.