Ophis, huh?
Colors swirled around—messy like a child's crayon scrawl, a kaleidoscope in constant motion.
A being of overwhelming presence drifted quietly within.
Its form was both dragon and serpent; jet-black scales traced with ancient runes shimmered faintly, radiating an air of mystery and grace.
Ouroboros, the serpent devouring its own tail—that was its name. Among the pureblood dragons, it was the one stubbornly called a snake, despite clearly being a dragon.
She had inherited that name from birth—Ophis.
Yet the soul inhabiting this vast body now was Ophis, and at the same time... not Ophis.
At least, that was how she saw it.
She knew nothing about the former "it," yet she was aware it had existed.
Dragons possessed ancestral memories, but the knowledge in her mind was far too cluttered.
Alongside what a dragon naturally knew, countless foreign fragments were jumbled together—from ancient eras all the way to the 21st century.
They ranged from cold-weapon combat to modern firearms, horseback riding to spacecraft piloting, sewing to swordsmithing, aristocratic etiquette to the survival skills of the destitute.
Though incomplete in places, the overall depth of mastery was undeniable.
Yet from all that knowledge, Ophis could not imagine anyone capable of mastering everything currently lodged in her mind.
Unfortunately, aside from that knowledge, there were no memories—only gaps. The only certainty was that these skills belonged to humans, not dragons.
She couldn't even be sure whether she was truly Ophis, or that "it."
One thing was certain...
The feeling was irritating.
She could tell—whether she was Ophis or "it," she had already been changed by something.
At the very least, the original Ophis no longer existed.
Ouroboros Dragon Ophis—that was her identity through dragonkind's inherited memories.
Infinite Moe... Dragon God Ophis—that came from its memories, describing a character from High School DxD.
Not as dazzling as Saber, nor as comfortingly familiar as a soft blanket—
But she had her own kind of charm.
…Anyway.
So this pitch-black, uncanny void must be what they called the Dimensional Gap, huh...
Both her dragon instincts and the fragmented human knowledge agreed on that point.
But... according to those human memories, the Ophis in that world was genderless, and even appeared as an old man once.
That setting... imagining some grandfather acting and speaking like that Ophis...
The mental image was too much—even for her.
Still, Ophis doubted her personality matched that Moe Dragon's exactly.
At least she should be a little more mature... probably.
Her appearance, though, matched the memory precisely.
According to the human knowledge she had—about fourteen years old in looks, flat-chested, delicate features, long black hair like a silken waterfall, and eyes the color of dark silver.
Incidentally, she was naked.
Even in that fanservice-heavy world, she stood apart—a clear stream in murky waters.
Surveying her fair, slender body with detached eyes, Ophis gave her own cool assessment.
Setting that aside, she turned to the information she currently held.
Her memories of High School DxD were fragmented. It seemed that "it" hadn't paid much attention to that part, but the scraps were enough for her to piece things together.
The Infinite Dragon God Ophis—the strongest existence in that world besides Great Red. Grand in title, perhaps, but from Ophis's view, her story felt more pitiful than glorious.
She had been impressive upon her first appearance in the anime, but her power was soon taken away. Though still strong, she became more of a mascot than a god.
Even as an early boss, she was only a figurehead, a reservoir of power, a deterrent.
Come to think of it, her small build, ear decorations, organizational role, and eventual fate all reminded Ophis of that spinning vampire queen who'd spent an entire season turning in circles.
...Remembering that one, Ophis suddenly felt her own situation wasn't so bad.
At least she hadn't been roasted for half a year.
Putting the plot aside, this world alone was already dangerously unstable. There were at least three beings capable of threatening even Ophis at her peak.
The Beast of 666—Ophis's knowledge about it was incomplete, but the name alone spoke volumes. She marked it down as a threat to be wary of.
The Biblical God—the one said to have sealed 666. A seal could be cast by the strong upon the weak, between equals, or even by the weak upon the strong, so there wasn't enough information to determine who was superior. Still, their power couldn't have been far apart.
Although that so-called God had already perished before the story began, Ophis didn't buy it.
She had no proof, but from comparing similar works stored in her jumbled memories, characters like that—those with a final-boss aura who died abruptly, vaguely, or off-screen—often came back later as the true final boss.
So, she added him to her danger list as well.
And finally... the last one.
Among the three entities that could threaten her, this one was undoubtedly the strongest.
And unfortunately...
It was also one she would have to face someday.
The True Red Dragon God—known as Great Red, the Dragon of Dragons. Its existence transcended rankings, and its strength was said to surpass even Ophis at her prime.
After all, in the original story, it was Great Red who expelled Ophis from the Dimensional Gap.
That meant if she continued to live here, she would inevitably encounter Great Red—and they would clash.
Her inherited knowledge didn't record the details of that battle, so Ophis couldn't be sure...
But if Great Red truly was stronger, she needed to gain enough power to at least survive such a confrontation.
There was also the Dragon Eater, of course—a natural, conceptual counter to her very existence. But for now, Ophis had no way to deal with that. Avoidance would have to do.
Even so, she never once considered leaving the Dimensional Gap.
Perhaps no normal human could withstand this bizarre, ever-shifting, color-smeared void for even a month. But as a dragon, Ophis took comfort in its silence—and she would never allow her domain to be violated.
That left one question: how to stand against Great Red?
Ophis hadn't been born long. Based on her fragmented memories, her encounter with Great Red wouldn't happen anytime soon. She still had plenty of time.
In other words, her future training would have to focus on countering Great Red. If possible, she should also study ways to defend against Trihexa and the Biblical God.
It all sounded... troublesome.
At her core, Ophis still preferred peace—and idleness.
At that moment—
[Yo yo yo! Looks like your mental fluctuations finally stabilized! Got your situation all sorted out? Then how about we have a nice, cheerful chat?]
A bright, lively female voice suddenly rang out—directly inside Ophis's mind.