Chapter 2: Shinjiro Hanma

 In a shadowy alley, a tear disturbed the surrounding area. The air shimmered with energy as a human child emerged, yelling briefly before quieting down as the tear closed itself. The alley returned to its eerie silence.

Moments later, a door opened, bearing a sign that read "Exotic Bar Employees Only." A tall man, 6'3" with short black hair and a lean physique, stepped out. His formal black suit contrasted with the grime of the alley, and his golden eyes scanned the surroundings until they settled on the child.

"Were you the cause of the disturbance I felt, little guy?" the man asked, crouching down to poke the child's face. The child grabbed at his hand, eventually clenching a finger with surprising strength.

"Strong for a newborn human," thought the man, feeling the force behind the tiny grip. "The name's Azazel, but you can call me uncle. I'll take you to someone who'll take care of you, don't worry." He picked up the still-fussing child, and a radiant golden magic circle with complex runes appeared beneath his feet, lighting up the dark alley before they both vanished, returning the alley to darkness.

In an undisclosed location, the same golden magic circle reappeared, depositing Azazel and the child in a grand office. The room resembled a rich CEO's domain, featuring a huge desk, a glass wall offering a panoramic view of distant buildings, shelves filled with ancient tomes and modern books, a wine case showcasing the finest vintages, a large couch, and even a bed adorned with luxurious linens.

Azazel set the child down on the couch, his golden eyes meeting the child's deep red gaze. "What should I name you?" he mused, scratching his goatee.

"Shin-jiro Han-ma," gurgled the child, self-naming.

"What the—" Azazel exclaimed, face-planting onto the floor. "Hahaha, Shinjiro Hanma it is."

Azazel laughed, regaining his composure, as a small magic circle appeared near his ear, glowing briefly. Moments later, an elegant woman with long purple hair and matching eyes, dressed in formal attire, entered the room. Shinjiro noted her appearance, reinforcing his impression of the place as belonging to someone important.

"Did you kidnap a kid, Azazel-sama? I never expected you to fall so low," she said, noticing Shinjiro on the couch.

"Man, Penemue, you have such a low opinion of me," grumbled Azazel.

"You don't help your case. So, who is the kid?" Penemue asked, crouching down to look at Shinjiro.

"A kid I found and got interested in. I want to raise him in the Grigori, and I need your help."

"Me?" Penemue responded incredulously, pointing to herself.

"Yes. Come on, I trust you. I don't know how to raise a kid. Aren't all women natural-born mothers?"

Penemue stared at Shinjiro for a few moments before reluctantly agreeing. "That's not how it works, but if it's your order, I'll do as you command, Azazel-sama."

"Great," Azazel exclaimed.

Over the years in Penemue's care, Shinjiro grew at an astonishing rate. Each month saw him growing taller, supported by Azazel's absurd amounts of food and other necessities. His diet consisted of high-protein meals, rich in nutrients to fuel his extraordinary growth. Penemue, initially overwhelmed, quickly adapted to his rapid growth. Despite her inability to understand the relentless drive of this human child, she noticed the malicious grin that spread across Shinjiro's face each time he trained. While off-putting to some, Penemue saw it as her task to guide him, ensuring he did not lose himself to the chaos within.

Shinjiro's days were filled with rigorous training and abundant eating. After all this time, Shinjiro had reached an impressive height of 4'3", his body developing muscles with a fervor that bewildered Penemue. He trained relentlessly, pushing his body to the limits and beyond.

"Why do you train so hard, Shinjiro?" Penemue once asked during a break, handing him a towel to wipe off his sweat.

"To get stronger. Pain is the path to growth," he replied with a determined glint in his eye. Penemue saw the fire in his eyes and understood that this child was different. The training continued, with Penemue guiding him, providing insights, and sometimes just watching over him to ensure he did not push himself too far.

After witnessing his continuous rigorous training and abundant eating throughout the years, Azazel decided to personally intervene.

"He's something else, isn't he?" Azazel remarked, joining them. "I've never seen such a drive in anyone before without other motives."

Penemue nodded as she watched Shinjiro train. "It's both inspiring and worrying. We need to ensure he doesn't lose himself in this pursuit."

Azazel agreed before suddenly appearing behind Shinjiro, tapping him on the shoulder. "Shinjiro, you have shown great growth given you are human and have great potential, but don't forget, strength isn't everything. You need to be smart about how you use it."

Although Shinjiro listened to Azazel's advice, something inside him disagreed with the statement; however, he also found logic in what Azazel stated.

Following this, Azazel introduced Shinjiro to combat training, engaging him with some of his most skilled subordinates. The results were astounding. Shinjiro excelled in pure hand-to-hand combat, relying solely on his physical strength and combat instincts. Although he faced losses when magic or supernatural strength far surpassed human limits were involved, his natural-born combat abilities were remarkable.

Azazel watched with interest. "His physical prowess is incredible, but there's something rejecting magic or other enhancements," he mused. Despite multiple attempts to unlock Shinjiro's magical abilities or train him in other forms of enhancement, each effort met with failure. Each time he studied Shinjiro, he noticed his body rejected anything to do with magic or enhancement that wasn't his own power, as if his body wanted to remain pure and untainted. Such things Azazel couldn't wrap his head around.

Eventually, Shinjiro asked Azazel for permission to join human wars and skirmishes. Though reluctant, Azazel agreed, but not without enduring a lengthy berating session from Penemue. She insisted on accompanying Shinjiro, leaving Azazel without his trusted secretary.

"Pain is essential for growth, Penemue," Shinjiro would often say, echoing his training philosophy. Penemue, understanding that true warriors are forged in adversity, relented. Although she grew fond of him, she ensured that any pain he received was avenged a hundredfold.

Until the age of ten, Shinjiro participated in numerous wars and skirmishes, choosing sides or targeting both. He focused on honing his body and mind through hand-to-hand combat, never using weapons. Penemue took him around the world, secretly watching professional fights. Shinjiro studied these matches, incorporating what he learned into his own fights. Any side he supported invariably gained the upper hand, unless he chose to target both sides. Over time, the legend of the Crimson Reaper emerged, with tales told by traumatized soldiers or natives of the land.

Penemue took care of Shinjiro during these years, cooking for him and watching over him, though she never had to intervene as he never encountered life-threatening situations.

Returning to the Grigori at the age of ten, Shinjiro stood at an impressive 5'3". His long red hair reached the middle of his back, and his muscular build was marred by numerous scars on his torso, though his face, neck, and hands remained untouched.

When Penemue was with him during his fights, she always noticed if he got hurt whether it was his hands, neck, or face they would heal; however, his torso never did.

Curious, she asked him, "Shinjiro, why do the scars on your torso not heal completely?" asked Penemue, knowing the surprising regeneration he possessed.

"Because I want to keep these as a reminder of my hard work but don't want to hinder my image. I don't want to be seen as a monster but as the personification of strength itself." replied Shinjiro as he looked over his body through the reflection of the river in front of him.

Upon his return, Azazel introduced him to another young boy. "What did you need, Azazel?" asked Shinjiro as he entered the room, immediately noticing a boy with short silver hair and a pair of white dragon wings emerging from his back."

"Shinjiro, meet Vali. Vali Lucifer, meet Shinjiro Hanma," said Azazel, introducing them both.

"Lucifer, as in THE Lucifer?" asked Shinjiro, familiar with the supernatural world after enduring boring lectures about important people and events.

"Yes, he's related. Now, I hope you both get along," said Azazel.

Neither Vali nor Shinjiro spoke immediately, but Shinjiro approached Vali, stretching out his hand. Vali followed suit, and Shinjiro tested his grip strength. Although Vali countered with magical enhancement, he was still wet behind the ears and lost.

"Welcome to the Grigori," said Shinjiro with a small grin.

"Whatever," scoffed Vali.

Over the next seven years, both Vali and Shinjiro grew drastically, though Vali more so due to his possession of the Sacred Gear, Divine Dividing, and his heritage. While Vali's overall strength and experience within the supernatural world surpassed Shinjiro's, he never matched Shinjiro in pure hand-to-hand combat. Shinjiro, dedicated to brawling, excelled in close-quarters combat, whereas Vali's fighting style incorporated hand-to-hand combat as part of it but was not the focus of it, unlike Shinjiro. Shinjiro was as if he was made to purely fight with his body alone.

Shinjiro, seeing the gap grow between him and Vali, decided to get involved in the supernatural world. Azazel decided to incorporate him into Grigori affairs as a hired gun to keep his identity under wraps. He passed missions down that he would be able to handle, and as he grew, he naturally got harder missions.

During this time, Shinjiro reached the strength of a middle-class being, growing to a staggering 6'4". His hair remained long, and his muscular build evened out with his height. Vali, on the other hand, reached ultimate class, growing to a sensible 5'4". He grew out his hair slightly below his head, gained muscles, and developed a lean physique because of his training and experience.

Despite his physical prowess, Shinjiro often found himself questioning his inability to tap into magical or other supernatural enhancements. One evening, he confided in Penemue.

"Why can't I use magic like Vali?" he asked, his voice tinged with pure curiosity.

Penemue, who had grown to care for Shinjiro deeply, replied, "Even Azazel does not know, but what is important is your strength is your own, Shinjiro. It's different from Vali's, but no less important. Focus on what makes you strong, and the rest will follow."

Her words resonated with him. He resolved to continue honing his physical abilities, pushing his limits further, knowing that his unique path was what made him special. 

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A/N:

Alright, this chapter is being released early. Seeing as this was pretty much an info dump to set up my OC's backstory, and I found this an easy way to integrate him into DxD, I released it earlier. As everybody knows, the Hanma blood from Baki would not be enough to place anyone at the top of the top in DxD's power ranking, so it is being upgraded in this fanfic. As stated before, in the first chapter, the Hanma blood stems from a long time ago. You can think of my OC's blood as the purest form of a Hanma, and with that, his talent and strength will be elevated accordingly. This is for fun and my enjoyment as well as yours, so the power scaling will probably be off. Anyway, I'll try not to make him too OP or too weak to keep things interesting.

Anyway, enough rambling. For those who saw the comments from yesterday's chapter, I said I was going to do a poll, but I decided I'll let his harem grow. As a pure Hanma, his stamina won't be weak, and what Hanma is afraid of PP training?

List the characters you would be interested in seeing with my OC, no matter who they are, and I'll see how I can make it happen. Of course, if I think the character doesn't make sense, I probably won't include them, like if they are rarely mentioned in the novel or anime, etc.

List potential harem characters here: