The Rusted Chains.

Genshirou Saji felt he had been in a long dream. Everything felt foggy and confusing as he couldn't make a sense of it. If not because of the lack of terrifying scenes, he would assume this is a nightmare.

Uncomfortable coldness struck his body continuously as if he's lying on solid ground. Out of habit, he tried to reach for the blanket, but his body didn't move at all.

Suddenly, his body shook and his eyes opened slowly. It felt like someone was waking him up. As his vision became blurry, he subconsciously thought it's his little sister.

He couldn't help but turn over to sleep and mutter "Five more minutes…"

"Five minutes, my ass"

But what welcomed him was an icy voice that came out of nowhere. His vision shifted as Leo suddenly appeared in his dream and punched him!

Feeling his right cheek burning, the dream vanished into nothing as Genshirou woke up abruptly, only to get punched again by a fist wearing a black glove with a cat skull mark.

Looking at Genshirou twisting like a worm from pain, Killer Queen vanished in thin air shortly after, leaving all sights.

Rolling on the ground and holding his cheek, the pain made Genshirou fully awake as he glared at the front and said "You mother-... huh?"

However, what awaited him was something entirely different.

A black shadow appeared as bone-chilling coldness spread. As if the clouds covered the sky, the pleasant sunlight reduced to a cool shade.

The shadow was a large black robe covering someone from head to toes. The figure held a big scythe in one hand while the other rose, pointing at Genshirou.

Looking at the bony hand without any skin or flesh, he realized that the figure is a skeleton!

"Genshirou Saji… It's time"

As the hazy blue fire burned in its eye sockets, the skeleton stated coldly with an emotionless tone while mist drifted from its mouth.

The horrifying picture was so real, it made Genshirou freeze in place, unable to utter a word.

Genshirou felt someone throwing ice inside his body as the blood drained from his face. Glancing at the grim reaper, he stuttered with difficulty and horror "A-am I dead?! Mommy!"

Is this hell? Should this be the grim reaper?! Wait, aren't I a devil?! Shouldn't I belong to hell from the start?! Genshirou felt his mind going blank.

"No, dumbass. It's time to get up and stop wasting my time" The grim reaper's voice instantly shifted into an awfully familiar and annoying voice.

{The fuck…} Genshirou blinked his eyes. He didn't need a mirror to know how ridiculous his current expression is.

What made him more baffled is the grim reaper losing all realism and becoming slightly cartoonish. Genshirou rubbed his eyes and looked again, but no, the skeleton literally had a blue '^ ^' in its eyes instead of the flames.

The previous cold and eerie atmosphere was grinded to dust by the skeleton current form before clapping with its skeletal hands.

As if an illusionary bubble popped, everything returned to normal and Leo appeared in the same position as the grim reaper.

With his trembling hand, Genshirou pointed at Leo, who wore a harmless smile, unable to say anything.

He recalled everything. From the previous talk to suddenly losing consciousness. His jaw dropped as his mind went blank again.

{Everything was real… } Genshirou wanted to pinch himself, but the pain on his cheek did a better job.

This made him widen his eyes in disbelief {This bastard hit me!}

"Rise and shine, Genshirou. How was the two-minute nap on the solid rooftop?"

After not getting a response, Leo said with a slight smile. It was like everything was an illusion that has nothing to do with him. It felt like he was about to ask Genshirou if he's okay or needed to go to the infirmary.

Recalling what DxD World's Will said before, Leo nodded sagely to himself. He's a very kind person, indeed.

Fortunately, his train of thought is unknown to Genshirou, or else, he'd most likely faint again.

However, recollecting all the past events, the fire burned in Genshirou's chest and erupted like a volcano, making his face red from anger!

"You… you fucker! You hit me! You actually hit me! Twice!!" Pointing at the puzzled Leo, Genshirou felt his burning cheek and was ready to fold his sleeves and get into a fight.

This asshole actually got a cheap shot on him! He knew it! This is the day he'll fight this guy to death! But suddenly, he remembered a certain pink humanoid Stand…

"Hm? I didn't hit you. Ask Killer Queen if you don't believe it" Leo pointed behind him as Killer Queen became visible for Genshirou again.

Sensing someone looking at it, Killer Queen stopped tidying its glove and shifted its vision to meet Genshirou's eyes. The emotionless dead eyes made him swallow back everything he was going to say before Killer Queen vanished again.

However, he still glared at Leo as if flames were going to shoot from his eyes. Of course, he didn't believe it! He still remembers that dream vividly.

"Well, you're welcome to try in dreams if you can" Leo nodded as if everything was for granted, which made Genshirou's eyebrow twitch.

"What is this bullshit logic? Do you think I'm mentally challenged?! I dare you to answer that! Then what about the whole grim reaper thing, huh? Do you want to kill me in my sleep?!"

"Nah, of course, not. Let me be honest with you, that sounded way funnier in my head. I don't know what happened " Leo shrugged, feeling nothing as no one appreciated his sophisticated sense of humor.

"But fret not, even if you die, no grim reaper will appear nor hell will accept you. Go look for another shithole. For example, how about heaven? Lol"

Leo casually waved his hand, completely ignoring the bulging veins on Genshirou's forehead.

Taking several deep breaths to calm his anger and also his trembling heart, Genshirou's body slowly stopped shaking. However, deep in his eyes, a slight fear still flickered each time he glanced at Leo, but at least he calmed a bit.

To be honest, he isn't calm at all! His mind is on a roller-coaster, unable to make sense of what is happening. Various thoughts and emotions bombarded his head, not allowing him to think straight.

Everything just happened too fast for him to comprehend. He came to school, met with the arch-asshole that he knew for years, but after some shit and giggles, surprise!

The asshole status has evolved from a screw loose childhood friend into a potential calamity that not even his president dared to comfort!

Being new to the supernatural world, Genshirou still had a lot to learn about the hierarchy of power. So, for this new devil, Sona being a high-rank, pure-blooded devil, and the one who turned him into a devil, was a very big shot.

Probably even at the peak of power for his current knowledge!

But in his limited understanding, this big shot doesn't even dare to mention the figure before him. She could only label him as extremely dangerous and a dead-end for them if they fought.

Genshirou's mind recalled how many times Sona solemnly warned him to run away if he faced something like this, especially on the level of Killer Queen!

{So, I should be running away now, right?} Laughing wryly at himself, Genshirou didn't know what he should do.

"Yeah, you should run" Leo suddenly said as Genshirou retorted " Shut up, I'm having a problem right now! Let me panic in peace!"

"The audacity of this guy…"

Genshirou ignored Leo and shook his head like he couldn't stand these actions. This rendered Leo speechless.

{You… you taught him well}

Feeling speechless, Ddraig didn't know what else to say.

Despite not knowing how Leo knew what he was thinking about, Genshirou strangely calmed deep down.

Even in the presence of a being that could give him a once-in-a-lifetime self-boom event, Genshirou wasn't shaken that much after the initial surprise.

He can't help it! This bastard is still playing tricks on him like there's no tomorrow! The damn grin on Leo's face seemed to be hitting some nerves he didn't know they even existed. Can't he let him catch a break, goddammit?!

However, this familiar treatment and thought process is one that made him relax. Nothing much has changed about the asshole he knew for years. At most, he has superpowers now… Wait!

This asshole has superpowers! This asshole has superpowers! This. Asshole. Has. Superpowers!!!

As those words echoed in his head, Genshirou's pupils became pinpoint and his face paled again, even worse than before. The weight of this information is more devastating than the sky crumbling!

{The horror!! The menace has superpowers…}

Genshirou felt he'll faint again. No, he is already fainting!

{Who is it?! Who is the maniac that allowed such a thing?! Do you want to doom us all?!}

Meanwhile, DxD World's Will, who has been watching the show, felt speechless.

Leo rubbed his chin while watching Genshirou's expression change. His face became red from anger, then pale from fear, next is a normal expression, and so on.

It looked like some sort of a traffic light. The situation was interesting to watch, to say the least.

"Hmmm, did you cause him brain damage? Didn't you hit him lightly?" Leo turned to Killer Queen, who pointed at him.

"Me? Nah, getting hit in dreams won't cause anything… probably"

Leo's words gradually lost confidence as he looked at Genshirou's expressions. Although he said it as a joke before, maybe this guy is really possessed.

As a good friend, he needs to liberate his buddy. Leo sighed secretly while clenching his fist.

Perhaps he sensed the upcoming hazard, Genshirou trembled a little before he took a deep breath and calmed down.

He stood up slowly and without looking at Leo, he went and grabbed the bottle of water he brought earlier and drank it all in one go!

Under Leo's stare, Genshirou finished the bottle of water quickly before rubbing his throat.

Blinking his eyes, Leo handed his tea can to Genshirou as the latter snatched it swiftly without any hesitation and drank it.

"Better?"

"Yeah… wait, no, fuck you! You damn chunni fucker who wants to give me a heart attack! %&é^@)=&é"*é"&*…!"

Genshirou snapped and started to bombard Leo with insults without any warning! This continued for more than 5 minutes as Leo watched blankly. Where did this guy learn these words? The audacity!

Shrugging his shoulders, Leo sat down on the bench and waited for this to finish.

Only after feeling his throat hurt and dry again did Genshirou stop. Yet, it seemed he still had more insults to say looking at his unsatisfied appearance.

However, Genshirou only sighed before he sat on the bench again.

"Better?"

"Shut up"

Leo repeated the previous question only to receive a glare from Genshirou. So, shut up they did. No one said a word until Genshirou looked at the sky and sighed.

His condition became far better as he sighed again and spoke slowly "What would a devil do in heaven?... Go to burn alive?"

"There's a lot to do, to be honest. Let's say, these angels here aren't truly angel-like in their thought process and work, after all, they have feelings and free will. More importantly, they have politics, that is enough said"

Imagine angels having politics. Leo shook his head without saying more.

As everyone knows, there's no honest politics. Even if there's, they would soon be tainted because of a little thing called compromise. In a situation where fractions of equal or higher power exist, one must learn how to be flexible enough to secure and boost their advantages, which usually isn't a very upright matter.

All in all, politics are dipping your hands in the mud called schemes and tricks aiming for benefits.

Of course, Genshirou didn't think this ahead, neither had the luxury to contemplate about it at the very moment. He could only stare blankly at the sky and say "Shut up, don't talk to me"

Just how did he get here? This was supposed to be a nice and peaceful day.

Rubbing his temples to ease the headache, Genshirou felt everything was unreal, but the facts were right before him. Clenching his teeth, he decided to bite the bullet and say "When did you know?"

"…."

However, he didn't receive an answer for a while. Genshirou raised his head to see Leo got a coffee can from who knows where and was sipping it slowly.

Noticing Genshirou's stare, Leo glanced at him and said " Shut up, don't talk to me"

Hearing those same words, Genshirou felt the blood rushing to his head. As if a nerve exploded, he threw the tea can in his hand towards Leo's face, but the latter just tilted his head to avoid the attack.

"Why… Why are you tormenting me?! Do you think you're funny?!"

"Nah, I'm not really trying. You're just being too easy"

Glaring at Leo's somehow regretful expression, Genshirou sighed one last time before he deflated like a balloon and leaned on the bench.

"Better?"

"… Yeah"

Genshirou rolled his eyes when he heard the same question. He's basically calm right now, no, he just doesn't have any more energy to panic.

"Seriously, when did you know?" Genshirou scratched his head in pain.

"About you being a hellspawn? From day one"

"…."

Genshirou's eyebrow twitched at that name, which isn't really wrong, but he shook his head "No, I mean all of this. This supernatural world, when did you know about it?"

"Ah, that. Well, my situation is a bit complicated, so you can never be sure. One year? Two years? Maybe ten years? Who knows exactly" Leo shrugged and refused to think too much, but his attitude made Genshirou dissatisfied.

This hidden world, full of things that only appear in fantasy, was right in front of everyone's eyes, but not everybody knows about it. Genshirou felt this feeling of ignorance very clearly when he learned about Sona's identity, however, he experienced it much more evidently now.

Someone he knew clearly for years is also a part of this hidden world. How is he supposed to feel? All the thoughts circled in Genshirou's head before turning into a bitter sigh.

It just can't be helped anyway. As for feeling resentment for being kept in the dark? Didn't he just do the same a while ago? Even Genshirou understands that there are things that shouldn't be said casually. After all, for him, you can't just drag normal people into this hidden world without any reason.

"Does uncle and aunt know about it? Or… they are a part of it?" Genshirou mentioned Leo's parents as a dark look appeared on Leo's face.

"No, but they know much more than you for sure. Yet,…" Leo's facial expression turned for the worst as Genshirou swallowed.

This is scary!! Genshirou didn't know how to put it, but it was like facing a wild beast. The intimidating feeling pressed on his mind strongly as if a monster suddenly appeared.

However, Leo covered his face and said like he's giving up. " I told them several times, but they all ignored me and became somehow worried that I would return to my dark chunni days. Hehehehe, do you know what's worse?"

The creepy faint laughter made Genshirou's hair rise up, but Leo continued " My father took me to see his old collection about Energy Guardians, which is totally a boycott of Power Rangers, in the name of learning how to separate hobbies from daily life! Do you know the feeling of sitting and listening to the episodes of a very, very, old show?! I couldn't even reject him because… because he sounded very happy about it, okay?!"

"As for my mother, she snapped immediately! Although she said she respect my hobbies calmly, she swore about taking me to socialize more. Her eyes were very scary! Socialize! Me? Socializing!? I prefer to stare at abominations in the World's Evil! Ahhhhhh!!! My introvert's soul is dying!"

Genshirou looked blankly at Leo having a breakdown. He raised his hand for a moment before lowering it. To be honest, he didn't expect this at all. Yet, he felt this was how it should be. So,… Genshirou clapped his hands and was pleased with Leo's suffering. This is karma! Ah, sweet karma!!

{But now that I think about it, all that stuff this guy said was…} The more he thought about it, the more Genshirou found that all Leo's previous bullshit should actually be real.

All this time, this guy was telling him about it openly and clearly, but he… Genshirou buried his face in his hands. He felt like a massive idiot now. {Wait, maybe this is his real plan! Just to make me feel like a moron! This damn devil!! Pause, no! I'm a devil! AHHHHHHH!!!}

Leo snapped from his breakdown to see Genshirou having an internal conflict, which rendered him speechless. He barely did something and this guy is already giving up on life.

The entire situation was comical and weird. If there was a third party present, they'll be astonished by witnessing these two taking turns in having breakdowns. Is it even possible to time this?

However, Leo paid more attention to something else, which is Genshirou's acceptance.

Kudos to him for accepting the absurd situation quickly despite being new to all of this. Maybe coupled with his familiarity and initial trust with Leo, Genshirou sensed no real danger and threat to his life.

{Those aren't half-bad senses…} Leo took off and cleaned his glasses as his eyes landed on Saji's arm {Vritra, huh? An Indian snek with the mind of a beaver. Hmmmm}

Shaking his head, Leo didn't care much about an idiot lizard. He instead delivered a 'kind' reminder to Genshirou "Shouldn't you think of more important things? Like, what now?"

"Oh, right! Dude, what the hell did you do? Why did the president warn me so much about you? Why did she seem to be scared of you? Why did I find your stand pics in the president's office? Also, Stands are real?! Hold on, does that mean you're the one who wrote that manga?! Does this mean you returned to drawing and painting?"

Genshirou began to bombard Leo with the questions, which made the latter feel a headache.

Leo picked the manga on the side and threw it in the air, startling Genshirou. However, contrary to his expectations, Genshirou widened his eyes when he saw the manga sink in space and spread ripples as if it fell into the water.

Noticing that Genshirou finally stopped, Leo nodded and said quickly "A fun party. Dunno, I don't care about her. Because I'm very kind. Maybe she's a stalker? Yes. No. Never"

Blinking his eyes in bewilderment, Genshirou took a moment to realize that Leo answered all his questions in the same order he asked. But those answers, except the last three, made his lips twitch.

{What the hell because you're kind? Do you really believe I'm mentally challenged?!} Genshirou gathered his hands together and calmed himself. {Happy thoughts, happy and calm thoughts}

He realized he'll not get a serious answer from Leo, so he gave up. But even if Leo won't tell him, he'll find it for himself! Genshirou swore he'll find out all that Sona knows about this guy later {Wait, Sona?}

However, Genshirou finally comprehended something. Sona has met Leo before, but unlike her, who has no clue, Leo seems to be fully aware of her identity! Coupled with Sona's description of the Killer Queen, Genshirou felt this was a big conspiracy!

{Is this some sort of scheme against Sona and the other pure-blooded devil in the school? Is it because they are related to the four Satans?} Suddenly, Genshirou recalled Leo's words about backstabbing him, which made his guess more convincing!

Leo blinked his eyes at Genshirou's train of thoughts. Genshirou was never the type to control his expressions, so his face was like an open book. This made Leo even more speechless, but he still played along.

He cleared his throat and said with a deep voice "It seems you have finally got it. What do you think will happen after you knew about me?"

The serious expression on Leo's face startled Genshirou.

"…"

Genshirou's mind worked quickly, trying to find an answer.

Right, if Leo is a part of a conspiracy, then he's now an obstacle! If he told Sona about this… No, even if he didn't, Genshirou isn't confident of keeping it a secret. He… He simply isn't a good liar.

Suddenly, Leo raised his finger and pointed at Genshirou's face "Do you know what I'm going to do now?"

Genshirou's eyes widened in shock. His throat felt dry as cold sweat dripped from his forehead. The previous menacing feeling has returned! He felt that Killer Queen was staring at him!

"W-what are you going to do? Erase my memories?" After a lot of difficulties, Genshirou managed to squeeze those words, but to his surprise, Leo shook his head, dropped his hand, and said "I'm going to do… nothing, duh"

"I see… Wait, nothing?! WHAT?! What about Sona and knowing your identity?!"

"Why are you asking? Do you perhaps want me to do something?" Leo glanced at Genshirou weirdly, which made the latter shake his head quickly.

"Look, I don't know what plot did you weaved in your head, but I know it's stupid, so shut up"

Genshirou didn't know how to describe it, but he felt every inch of Leo's expression called him a dumbass. The worst part is that he actually started to agree.

"I don't care if you know about me or not. I mean, I have been telling you about it for quite a while now. As for that authority role-playing girl(Sona), you can tell her or do whatever makes you happy" Leo waved his hand with a bored expression and said "I only played along because you suddenly made a conspiracy plot in your head"

"Oh, oh…" Genshirou didn't know what to say. Was it this simple? Nothing to silence him or erase his memory?

This sounds… too easy and cheap. But for Genshirou, this was exactly like something Leo would come up with. Grinding all the seriousness into dust and turning it into something absurd.

"*Sigh* I'm now thinking why did I overwork myself with you. Why did I even bother?" Genshirou collapsed on the bench.

"I know right? I'm surprised you listened to my nonsense. Didn't you build immunity after all those years?"

"Give me a break. I'm still new to supernatural stuff and someone didn't miss any chances to abuse it, you sick psycho!"

"Thank you, I try my best"

"Shut up"

"No, you shut up"

The atmosphere suddenly returned to normal as these two sat down blankly. It felt like they threw everything behind their backs or basically didn't have more energy to continue.

Although Genshirou still felt like he forgot something very important, he shrugged and continued talking with Leo "So, what will happen if the president knows about you?"

Leo fixed his glasses and thought about it before saying "You know, what I said earlier was actually exclusive to you and some others. For these devils and such, I don't prefer them knowing about me"

{It's just pain to deal with them, especially with the World's Will keeping an eye on me} Leo clicked his tongue in annoyance. He didn't want to give the World's Will any chances.

Genshirou didn't feel much surprised about it because Leo was still hiding his identity. It seems he only made an exception because they were friends. Does this mean he's somehow privileged?

This made Genshirou feel a bit touched, but recalling how the process went, those feelings were swiftly eliminated. Thinking about it again, this information is more of a curse than a blessing.

However, he still felt a bit worried and asked "What are you going to do? I promise to keep this a secret as best as I can, but you know… The president is scary. She's bound to catch a clue from me"

Feeling being put between the two sides made Genshirou uncomfortable. On one side is his old friend and on the other side is his current president, who didn't treat him badly at all.

"I don't have many expectations for you, to be frank"

"You!!"

Looking at Leo's blank expression, Genshirou suddenly recalled the urge of punching him.

"But you don't have to worry about those devils" Leo smiled slightly as he gave Genshirou a bad feeling.

"Recently, I have been diagnosed with kindness by the world itself. Apparently, I'm a kind person, a very kind person. Would you look at that"

"So, I'm just going to show them how this kind person is fresh out of mercy and empathy. Hehe…" Leo's smiling expression made Genshirou slightly move away.

Despite the sunny and bright weather, Genshirou felt no warmth. He urgently wanted to pray for Sona right now, but isn't this partially his fault too?!

Holding his forehead in pain, Genshirou didn't know what he's supposed to do. He had a quite good feeling that Sona and the student council would meet a living nightmare if he left things alone.

"Man, can't you just let it go?"

"Of course, I can, If they didn't bother me. But we both know that's not going to happen"

Leo shook his head and opened his hands as Genshirou sighed again.

{This is basically hopeless… Hold up, maybe} Racking his brain trying to find a solution, Genshirou's eyes suddenly flashed.

"So, this is it all, Gen. I hope you had fun because I did" Leo chuckled as he stood up, but he suddenly heard Genshirou calling.

"Leo, listen to me for a minute. How about we do someth-… you do something that'll make me not able to tell the president anything about you? Something like a contract or a seal, you know what I'm saying right?"

The more he spoke, the more Genshirou was convinced of the flexibility of his approach. If everything is going to happen because he can't truly hide from Sona if she asks about Leo, then how about making him unable to say anything at all!

However, when he raised his head, he saw Leo looking at him as if he's seeing a dumbass… again. Dammit, why is he getting good at spotting this look!?

"Bruh, you dare to suggest contracts while you know nothing about them? Are you brave or dumb? I guess both"

"Shut it. If you are so smart, why don't you think of something?" Genshirou rolled his eyes.

"I'm not smart. In fact, I'm an official Fool. And why do I have to think for you, huh? This is your problem! Deal with it alone!"

"No! I refuse to do it alone because…" With incomparable seriousness in his tone, Genshirou's eyes flashed with fighting spirit. But soon, they dimmed as he looked down and said " I can't do anything about it"

A dark and gloomy air suddenly appeared on his body as a self-mocking smile escaped Genshirou's lips.

Looking at the depressed Genshirou, Leo's eyebrow twitched and said " Looking at you now, you're bound to get played in some contracts in the future. Don't take Sitri Sona as an example, she and other devils in this school are a bit of a rare breed among devils. However, I'm much worse than them, so do you still want to do a contract?"

"Man, let me be honest with you now. Compared to the student council, I definitely believe in you more. Despite you being an intolerable, annoying, and irritating jerk, I know you're far more trustworthy than them who took me into a dark room to show off their wings! By the way, I have to say those wings look so bad, they are like something I can make in MS Paint!"

Genshirou declared with a single breath. His voice had hidden resentment when he mentioned the wings as if having those wings after he became a devil is leaving a bad taste in his mouth.

However, listening to those words, Leo's eyes became a bit complicated before he fixed his glasses as they reflected the light and said "Now, you're just making me feel like an asshole. Why thank you, but don't think it'll work"

"Tch"

Genshirou clicked his tongue when he saw his plan didn't work. Rubbing his temples, Leo felt this was getting ridiculous and long.

"But you shouldn't take my words and advice seriously, they never went well. Also, aside from something to seal off your memories, a contract will only make you unable to speak of something. Sitri Sona would still find something wrong because you are just bad at acting. What you are looking for is something to avoid exposing your clumsy lying, which for some reason, you think I can do. Do you think I'm some sort of a wishing machine, huh?! How about I get you a knife from Grail-kun and go stab Sona in the gu-!"

{Hold up…} Suddenly, Leo stopped and thought about it {I have the World's Evil, Heaven's Feel, and also the Greater Holy Grail… I'M GRAIL-KUN!!}

Struck by the enlightenment, Leo's eyes shone with a weird light that made Genshirou shiver. As if made by reflex, a shiny knife appeared in Leo's hand.

"Ah, sorry, I was thinking about something. But you know, your idea isn't actually impossible" Leo rubbed his chin as Genshirou's expression brightened and said " Really. Hmmm, you're not tricking me, right? I just heard you talking about a knife and stabbing…"

Suddenly, Genshirou rubbed his eyes while staring at Leo. He could swear he saw a knife in Leo's hand a second ago.

"Nah, of course, not." Acting as if nothing had happened, Leo opened his empty palm, making Genshirou more puzzled.

However, on top of Leo's palm, a dark point appeared. It made a huge contrast with the surroundings and gave Genshirou a terrible feeling. It felt so deceptive and tricky. He couldn't figure if it's real or not, but when he looked at it again, it became completely normal.

Initiating the Longinus, an eerie black fog that absorbed the light appeared on top of his palm. It twisted like small snakes and coiled around the dark point like a storm.

To Genshirou's astonishment, the fog reduced in size quickly and took a new shape. The black color began to fade gradually and was replaced with a shiny silver hue.

After a few moments, the darkness vanished and a new object rested on Leo's palm. It's a shiny silver coin that looks no different than other coins, even Genshirou didn't feel anything from it.

However, he didn't get to think more because Leo tossed the coin at him. He caught the coin hurriedly and inspected it while asking " What is this?"

The coin shone with a faint silver gleam in Genshirou's hand. It didn't have many unique features, except the heads had the drawing of a weird half-face mask, and one single word was written on the tails, Trickster.

"A small thing I just made. It doesn't have a name, so just call it the Trickster Lucky Coin. As for what it does, well. Hey, Gen, what did you just see now?"

"Huh? I just saw you acting like an idiot. By the way, isn't this lunch break taking too long? Don't we have a class with that scary teacher?" Genshirou said naturally with a blank face, but his expression suddenly changed into shock and said " Wait, what?! I didn't want to say that! But…"

Genshirou felt horrified. At that moment, he felt something taking control over his body and changing all his speech, even his facial expression and tone of voice. Everything felt so smooth like how he usually talks.

"Well, there you have it. Trickster Lucky Coin simply makes you a good liar. It's even smarter than you, so the coin would know when to activate. Delivered to you by the Father of Lies, buy one and get one for free. I have even added a small trick. Try thinking about hiding it."

Genshirou did so and the coin vanished in his palm and when he thought about it again, it appeared instantly. This made his eyes shine like he got a new toy.

"To be honest, I still see this as unnecessary, but whatever makes you happy" Leo shook his head in disapproval.

Genshirou should have just gone and told Sona, so he can try his newest Anti-Sitri Sona device(Knife). Like Grail-kun, his products are the finest in the world! They simply solve all problems with the simplest methods.

"Oh, oh! Is this your ability? Is it also a Sacred Gear?" Genshirou played with the coin in his hands while asking.

"Something along those lines"

"Eh? Ah, I forgot to ask, but what are you, Leo? It couldn't be… are you also a devil?!"

"A devil, you say? Hmmmmm…" Leo fixed his glasses as his tone made Genshirou nervous. {Maybe it was a bad idea to ask}

But Leo only smiled slightly and gently, he clasped his hands on top of his chest in the form of praying before a bright light shone!

Genshirou hurriedly covered his eyes against the blinding light. He struggled to see beyond the light, but what he saw almost made his eyes jump off their sockets.

Leo is still in his place alright, but he has slightly changed. The light covered his very being, dotting his hair and clothes with particles bright as stars, but the most striking was the giant dazzling wings. Each feather reflected the brilliance as if they were made of crystals.

On top of his hand, the brightness gathered into a singularity before it expanded into a flaming halo! Leo opened his eyes and said "Fear not, young one"

"I'm an angel, and one of the purest ones"

*Thud*

At this point, Genshirou fell like a log on the ground. He gazed blankly at the sky with eyes that gave up on life and whispered "Who… Who is it? Who is the sick bastard that allowed this to happen? Just, what is wrong with this world?"

Meanwhile, Toaru World's Will felt someone mentioning 'him'. 'He' didn't know who or bothered to know, but he still wished them a horrible and painful death anyway.

{Small illusions are sure handy} Everything returned to normal as Leo glanced at Genshirou who was questioning life and said " By the way, didn't you forget something?"

"I shouldn't ever again ask you about something?"

"No, the other one"

"What?"

"You have a class now. I have been trying to remind you a couple of times already"

"..."

Genshirou stood up from the ground like a zombie and horror surfaced his face. Leo added the finishing blow "It has been a half-hour"

Without finishing his words, Leo saw Genshirou dashing from the rooftop and vanishing through the door.

"People are always in a rush these days…" Leo shook his head before he looked at school through the rooftop.

However, the sound of footsteps appeared again! Genshirou came running at full speed and extended his palm to Leo.

"What?" Leo blinked his eyes.

"Buy one and get one for free. Give me the second coin" Genshirou said with utmost seriousness that it almost made Leo's glasses fall.

"You harlot! Did you buy it, huh?! I gave it to you!"

"Yes, I did! I paid for it by my mental health!!" Genshirou mentioned all the pranks that Leo just did.

"Tch, fuck off" Leo clicked his tongue and put another coin in Genshirou's hand, which the latter said 'Thank you' and left the rooftop running again.

Leo shook his head before looking around. The world changed in his eyes like a bunch of life energy signals flashed in his sight, especially the one he marked earlier. Now, he wondered how things would play out. Leo closed his eyes before a crimson aura gushed from his body.

{King Crimson!}

With the crimson gleam breaking the world apart into a distorted void, Leo vanished from the spot.

…

Time passed quickly, and soon the school day ended. It's 3:50 PM, and students can be seen leaving Kuoh Academy grounds. These are the usual going to home club members, while some other students choose to stay in school to perform their club activities.

The weather became a bit hotter at this hour as the hazy sun blanketed the street in heat, making it a nice time for dozing off or taking a nap.

"Ehhhh? Why is it closed today too?"

"I don't know. Did something happen to the owner? You know… all those mysterious missing accidents lately"

"Don't jinx it! *Sigh* Their crepes were so good"

A group of students stopped in front of a closed dessert shop. Looking at the red closing sign that has already accumulated some dust, the students left unwillingly.

But on the inside, a pungent and nauseous smell filled the entire shop and was slightly released to the outside. As if a typhoon hit the place, the tables and chairs fragments and parts are scattered everywhere. Greenish-yellow pus dripped from behind the counter, mixed with a disfigured fleshy mess.

The smell finally made people notice something wrong, as the neighbors notified the authorities.

Meanwhile, near the southern district of Kuoh, in the area where old houses are, a weird atmosphere radiated.

*Crunch* *Crunch*

An uncanny sound echoed from a dark alley, covered by shades. If one listened carefully, they might recognize it as teeth chewing on something hard. But it felt more unbearable and left a chill in people's hearts.

Inside the alley, three people with their necks twisted lay on the ground. Yellowish pus dripped from their orifices mixed with blood. Their eyes were already dim and the expression on their faces reflected terror before they died.

On top of one of the corpses, a pale gray figure lowered its head and munched on the man's face. Tearing off a portion of flesh, dripping with blood and pus.

The blood-stick and the pus dripped from the figure munching on an eyeball as a delightful expression. The white substance dripped from its lips, but it didn't mind.

The figure had the shape of a deformed wolf. Its body was filled with sharp bones sticking from every corner and join, releasing greenish pus into the ground. The pus didn't have any corrosive properties, but it seemed like it's following the movement of the creature.

This is a stray devil. A devil who had enough from their master and decided to quit their job. After all, not every deal with devils looks good after consideration. But without the support of their masters, most weaklings will lose their minds and their powers will go haywire. They'll turn into abominations with different forms and shapes.

The current Stray Devil felt so happy these days. The security in some human cities felt so loose these days and he could easily move in them, but it started to recover quickly the past few weeks.

Despite being drunk on the taste of blood, the stray fear of death made him rational. He would leave the city today and lay low after this hunt.

*Thud*

However, the stray suddenly felt a tab on the back. His senses sharpened and jumped from his place and stuck on the wall. Looking right and left, the wolf didn't see anything, but he wanted to turn around, he found his body frozen and his vision angle rose.

*Click!* *BOOM!!*

Before the wolf could comprehend what was happening, his entire body exploded! The explosion flames burst out of his insides, turning his parts into minced meat, splatting on the ground.

Not even the hard bone thorns on his body were spared, they cracked into fragments and shot like bullets across the alley. Abruptly, the yellowish pus tried to gather from the corpses and recover the stray devil, but the explosions followed into all the bodies on the ground. The smoke and flames gathered together into a point before popping out of existence, leaving nothing on the alleyway.

Uncannily, the explosion didn't leave any scorch marks on the ground or damage any object besides the stray and the bodies. Not even the sound of the explosion was heard as no one noticed the anomaly.

A little far away from the alleyway, a young man was walking slowly with a sullen expression.

"Why am I doing this? Isn't this the job of those devils? Where are those exorcists too? Did they quit their jobs too?"

Mumbling to himself, Leo recovered Killer Queen as he kept complaining. As a proud member of the going to home club, he left school exactly at the bell ring! Genshirou had to stay back for student council-related matters.

Although he knew Genshirou might have something else to talk about, Leo couldn't break his record!

But on his usual way back home, he suddenly bumped into a stray devil on the board of daylight. What is worse is that it's close to his home, so he had to eliminate it.

By doing so, he saved some people too. Now, others might be happy about this, but he felt speechless. Leo started to think he's failing more and more in his role as a Beast. First, he saved Chaldea's Last Master, saved the timeline, and now this!

His complaints reached the ears of a certain Red Dragon as he rolled his eyes.

{Then tell me whose fault is that?}

The recent events in the world have made everyone on their tip-toes. Asgard accident, Great Red fall, and also the recent ritual. Who has time to take care of some trashy stray devils?

These are just small ripples that his partner's ridiculous actions have caused in the world, but Ddraig only shook his head. He doesn't really care, but listening to this guy complaining is annoying!

"Wow, you're talking as if those guys care about some human lives." Leo chuckled slightly.

Like hell, the supernatural figures would care about some casualties in the human world. After all, this realm is like a farm for them. Faith for gods, contracts for devils, and so on…

{And do you care?}

"You're supposed to be some sort of an old and wise dragon, Ddraig. I know you can figure it out. I believe in you"

{....}

Leo fixed his glasses as he chatted with Ddraig. His actions of talking to himself made some people look at him weirdly. This place is rather a slightly famous business street in Kuoh town.

A lot of people were coming and going as shops were trying to attract customers.

"If you're a Gemini, born between May 22 and June 5, you will have extremely good fortune in love and business! Come and buy a lottery ticket!"

Glancing at some advertisements on the street, Leo's thoughts wandered far away.

{So, my small effect on the world still remains. Is the World's Will too lazy to erase it, maybe it doesn't care at all, or it just can't do it. Probably all of them. Well, it's also good. Let's see how much you don't care about small stuff}

A small smile surfaced on Leo's lips and made Ddraig narrow his eyes as if something bad was going to happen.

{What are you going to do?}

"Helping a friend to recover. But for that, I need to buy a world map and a bunch of markers"

{What?}

"Don't worry about it, Ddraig. But for now..." Leo clapped his hand together and looked at the sky.

"Oh, the mighty and totally not lazy, annoying, and crybaby World's Will. Are my thoughts not clouded and everything I do for justice? Please, give me a sign!"

With his hands in the form of praying, Leo looked at the sky seriously, trying to find a sign from the great World's Will, but nothing happened. Well, people look at him more weirdly now, so that's a win, right?

{Hmmmmm, nothing…} Leo nodded to himself, but suddenly, several shadows appeared in front of his eyes.

*Splat!*

Taking a side step, Leo looked at his previous location as the feces of pigeons dropped like an airstrike.

"These damn hellspawn…"

Leo looked at those few pigeons like the next sacrifice for a ritual before he said "This should be a sign, right?"

"Hmmm, how do you interpret this? I see, everything is shit! So, I have to clean everything! Especially the actions of the World's Will! I understand now!"

{...}

Ddraig looked at Leo with some judgmental eyes before he sank deeper into the Longinus space.

"Anyhow…" Leo shrugged before moving again, but in his mind, he was calculating the flexibility of his next plan.

As a Beast and Grail-kun, Leo thinks it should be completely possible to perform some maneuvers in this world even without the AIM Field. Although his current power is a bit of a hassle.

For his current power, there are the Annihilation Maker creations like Stands and Palkia on top of them, Gugalanna, a near-infinite amount of mana, and Ddraig's powers, which to be frank, are the most reliable now. After all, this is DXD! The absurd and nonsensical powers shall reign supreme and nothing can stop them!

"Ddraig…"

Leo said but received no response.

{....}

"If we meet trouble here in the future, let's just… Boost everything to oblivion"

{... Finally}

Hand in claw, the Pure Angel and the Red Dragon shook their hands virtually. This marked an oath that might or might not lead to the collapse of the planet, but that's a story for another day.