When they emerged from the crimson glow of the teleportation circle, the air shifted around them, thick with static and the faint scent of ozone.
The group stood in front of an abandoned warehouse at the far edge of Kuoh's industrial district. Its rusted walls and shattered windows gave off an eerie silence that made even the wind seem reluctant to pass through.
None of them were particularly concerned. Each member of Rias Gremory's peerage was more than capable of handling a low-ranking demon. Still, the tension in the air was unmistakable.
"Let's go," Rias said calmly, her long crimson hair swaying with the breeze as she stepped forward.
They entered through the half-open door, expecting resistance - a hiss from the shadows, a sudden strike - but instead, what greeted them made them all stop cold.
The smell of burnt flesh hit first. Then they saw it.
A partially charred corpse lay in the center of a crater. The concrete beneath it was blackened, the body twisted and unrecognizable. Long, jagged scorch marks spread across the floor like spiderwebs, glowing faintly with leftover heat.
For a moment, no one spoke.
"Those marks," Kiba finally said, crouching beside the crater, his sharp eyes scanning the scene. "Could it be fire magic?"
Akeno stepped closer, her heels clicking lightly against the concrete. She knelt gracefully beside Kiba, her fingers hovering above the blackened edges of the crater. The faint residual mana made her skin tingle.
"No," she said softly. "They're burns, yes, but these aren't from fire. This is lightning. I'd recognize it anywhere."
Her voice carried a strange undertone something caught between curiosity and unease.
"Judging by the bruising," Kiba continued, glancing at the body's cracked ribs and disfigured chest, "he wasn't just struck by magic. The culprit used blunt force too. Whoever did this was physically strong."
"Not insignificant," Koneko added simply, her golden eyes fixed on the destroyed ground. "The impact created a crater. That's at least mid-level strength."
Rias folded her arms, her eyes narrowing as she took in the scene. Her crimson aura flickered faintly around her as she analyzed the evidence.
"The situation doesn't look good," she said after a long silence. "But there's no trace of fallen angels or church exorcists. Whoever did this wasn't one of them."
Her voice was steady, but inwardly, irritation burned. Someone had killed a devil in her territory, and that wasn't something the heir of the Gremory clan could ignore. Still, without any clues to follow, she couldn't act impulsively.
"For now, we'll move on," she said finally. "Let's check the next location."
They nodded in unison. After ensuring the area was secured and the body disposed of, the group vanished once more in a wave of red light.
Their next stop was an old, decrepit house on the edge of town. The moment they arrived, Rias's unease deepened the front door was already open.
"Be on guard," she ordered quietly.
They entered, and just as before, the smell of death lingered in the air. Inside, they found another body—this one less burned but twisted unnaturally, as if crushed by invisible force.
Kiba knelt to inspect it, frowning. "No traces of electricity this time. The damage is more... physical."
"Maybe it's more than one person?" Akeno suggested, her tone soft but her eyes sharp.
Kiba examined the body closely, his gloved hand hovering over the bruises. "No. The strikes are too consistent. Every wound hits a vital point. Whoever did this is trained - a martial artist, maybe. Extremely skilled."
Rias's brows furrowed slightly. "So we're dealing with someone who fights up close and uses multiple techniques. Lightning magic and martial combat... That's not a combination you see every day."
"Let's go to the next location," she said firmly. "We have to catch this person."
Her voice carried a trace of frustration now. It wasn't just that someone was killing devils - it was that someone was beating her to them. Three times in a row, someone had gotten to her targets before her, and that grated against every ounce of her pride.
When they reached the third site, the result was the same - a dead devil, body mangled and unrecognizable. The sight only solidified Rias's resolve.
"So he thinks he can do whatever he wants in my territory?" she muttered, her eyes glowing faintly red. "Let's go to the next place."
Akeno said nothing, but a faint, thoughtful smile lingered on her lips as she followed her best friend.
This time, when they arrived at the final known location, Rias raised a hand to stop her team.
"We're not going in," she said quietly. "We'll wait."
The group found a vantage point nearby, hiding their presence with simple concealment spells. The target devil's lair was still intact, faint traces of demonic aura leaking through the cracks of the structure.
"He hasn't been here yet," Kiba observed in a whisper.
"Good," Rias replied. "We'll stay hidden for a while. If this mysterious hunter has been clearing out devils systematically, he'll come here sooner or later."
The team waited in silence as the minutes passed, the sun dipping further beyond the horizon. The air grew colder, and the forest around them was still—too still.
Koneko's ears twitched slightly. "No insects," she said quietly. "No birds either. Just like the other places."
Rias nodded. "Then this place really is next."
She cast one last glance at the building and then turned to Akeno. "We'll leave a familiar to keep watch. The moment he shows up, we'll know."
"Understood," Akeno said softly, summoning a small sphere of purple lightning that floated above her palm. It pulsed once, then shot into the shadows near the house, embedding itself there like a silent sentinel.
Rias straightened and looked at her team. "Let's go. When this person appears... we'll be ready."
The circle beneath them flared once more, and with a shimmer of red light, the Gremory peerage vanished - leaving behind only the faint echo of magic and the watchful glow of Akeno's familiar in the dark.
The next morning, Arthur woke up feeling refreshed, his body lighter and his mind sharp. Today, he was determined to hunt down the last remaining demon and complete his mission.
He got ready quickly and, as usual, left home using Shunpo. The cool morning wind brushed past him as he crossed the quiet streets in an instant.
Last night had been productive. He had spent hours refining his mana control and experimenting with the Dragon Heart that now pulsed steadily within his chest. He still couldn't fully command the immense magical energy flowing through it, but he had learned how to use it effectively.
By combining his physical techniques with bursts of energy, he had discovered ways to enhance his strikes and even unleash short-range blasts of power. His Magic Analysis skill helped him understand the nature of the flow within his body, though his ability to freely cast spells still needed practice.
With time, he knew he would master it.
When he finally arrived at Kuoh Academy, he walked through the halls feeling unusually calm. The normal chatter of students, the faint clatter of shoes against the floor it all felt distant.
He took his seat as the first period began, and before long, the hours started to pass with surprising ease.
Physics? Too simple. Chemistry? Effortless. Mathematics? Barely a challenge.
Thanks to his magically enhanced comprehension and the clarity granted by the Dragon Heart, complex concepts seemed trivial. His memory had reached a point where he could recall entire pages of his textbooks word for word.
For the first time since arriving in this world, he actually felt like a genius student from a cliché anime.
But beneath that small satisfaction burned a stronger excitement.
Today would mark the end of his first major task. If his understanding of the High School DxD timeline was correct, Issei's fateful encounter with Reynare was approaching fast maybe this week, maybe the next. And after that would come Asia Argento's appearance and the first true confrontation with the fallen angels.
His objective was simple protect everyone he could and rewrite the events that once led to tragedy.
When the lunch bell rang, Arthur stayed in his seat instead of heading to the cafeteria. The previous night's training had left him slightly fatigued, and while it wasn't enough to hinder him, he wanted to conserve energy for the upcoming fight.
He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and let the ambient classroom chatter fade into the background. For a brief moment, it felt peaceful until a shift in the air caught his attention.
The energy wavelength brushing against his senses was familiar - graceful, yet heavy, with a faint hum of electricity dancing underneath.
He didn't even need to open his eyes.
Himejima Akeno was standing right in front of his desk.
He hesitated, unsure whether to greet her or pretend to be asleep. He still hadn't figured out what her true intentions were, and caution felt like the safer choice.
A few seconds passed in silence. Then, unexpectedly, he felt fingers brush gently through his hair. The motion was slow and deliberate, the touch both soft and commanding. A surge of electricity - his own nervous reaction, not magic - shot through his body.
He stiffened.
The classroom went silent.
Then came her voice, melodic and teasing, laced with amusement that made his heart skip a beat.
"Wow, I didn't expect my cute boyfriend to be so cruel as to pretend to be asleep and ignore me."
The words hit like a thunderclap. The room froze. He could practically feel every eye in the class turning toward him.
Dozens of gazes landed on him at once - some filled with envy, others with shock, some with heartbreak.
Whispers rippled through the air.
"Boyfriend?"
"Did she just say—?"
"No way, Akeno-senpai has a boyfriend?!"
Arthur could feel the awkward tension closing in around him. It was almost suffocating.
"I wasn't pretending…" he said quickly, his voice quiet but steady. "I'm really tired."
It wasn't a lie. He really was tired. But he also hoped the excuse would be enough to diffuse the situation.
Akeno tilted her head slightly, her eyes glimmering with playful delight. "If that's the case, then I'll forgive you."
She leaned closer, just enough for him to catch the faint scent of her perfume—floral and intoxicating.
"Now come with me and eat your lunch," she said, her tone gentle but leaving no room for argument.
Once again, the classroom erupted in hushed chaos.
Akeno Himejima - the idol of Kuoh Academy, admired by both boys and girls alike - had just declared, openly and casually, that she was dating someone. And not just anyone. Him.
Arthur rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, trying not to notice the burning stares from every corner of the room.
He sighed inwardly.
He really wished the background characters in this world weren't so dramatic about everything - but then again, this was a anime world.
And he was the one who had just broken the rules.