Looking at the devastation that our fight had wrought in the previously spotless living room, I let out a deep sigh and dismissed the Boosted Gear. With a bit of concentration, my wings disappeared shortly after.

  I cannot stay here anymore.

  Not only because the people that had made this place into a home were now dead, but also because someone was bound to eventually show up and see the carnage the ghoul had left behind. And the ruin I had made out of him in return.

  Despite living in Tokyo all my life, I had neither heard nor seen even a hint that would indicate the existence of ghouls.

  That could mean only one thing: there was some kind of agency in place making sure that their sightings were kept quiet. Despite this being DxD, it was very likely that the CCG still existed. If that was really the case, I had no interest in learning what their reactions to finding a devil at the scene of the crime would be.

  Would they see me as a victim of ghoul-related violence or immediately attack me as an enemy of humanity? I felt like the answer to that question was better left unknown for now. After all, if they attacked me, I would be forced to kill them for it.

  Not only did I have no interest in killing innocent humans that were just doing their job, but like most predators, I knew one thing about humanity for certain.

  Kill one, and more will come.

  The endless flood of human bodies chasing after me to avenge their comrades would only cease once I had killed them all.

  I did not want to do that. No matter how deranged some Ghoul Investigators appeared in the show, in the end, they were the good guys. They were actively putting their lives on the line each day to keep their people safe. There was nothing more admirable than that.

  Working for the CCG likely had an even bigger mortality rate than the AOT scouts. I truly had no interest in making the lives of those brave humans even worse.

  Even so, I had to wonder how they would cover this incident up. As a devil, I knew that I had access to mind magic.

  Whenever they were discovered doing something they should not be doing out in the human world, my people would use it to brainwash the unsuspecting public into forgetting what they had seen.

  How would a human agency like the CCG handle this? Animal attack in the middle of Tokyo? A gas leak? I honestly was curious to find out. It was unfortunate that I would likely be long gone by the time they made any official announcements.

  With one last look at the dead ghoul, I turned around and went looking for the nearest mirror.

  I admittedly felt tempted to vandalize the ghoul's corpse a bit before I left. Maybe spit on it. That temptation ended up leaving as quickly as it came. Such behavior was childish and beneath me. I might be vengeful, but I was not petty.

  He was dead. I killed him. My people were avenged. That was enough for me.

  Finding what I was looking for shortly after, I looked into the mirror and observed my current state.

  It is not as bad as I thought it would be.

  The ghoul did not manage to inflict any serious injuries on me, and as such, most of the blood clinging to my clothes and limbs was his. Still, I knew that I could not leave the house in such a state. I would barely make it across the street before somebody ended up calling the police.

  I looked at my reflection with discerning eyes and started thinking hard.

  Devil magic.

  It was perhaps the most versatile and elusive form of magic I had ever heard of. It was quite literally based on the user’s imagination. Theoretically, imagination and power were the only restrictions the magic system placed upon its user when it came to what one could accomplish with it.

  And yet, that was not completely true either. Certain things would forever remain out of a devil's reach. Like the bloodline abilities of the Pillar families and powers opposite to our nature, like light-based magic. But other than that? Not even the sky was the limit.

  I looked at my hand and focused on my unique family magic. I had already tapped into it earlier in the fight, so I knew that this was possible. With bated breath, I watched as my right hand grew sharp claws and my skin turned red before growing crimson scales.

  I quickly stopped my transformation and forced my hand to regain its human appearance. This was just supposed to be a quick test after all.

  I am a dragon.

  As a fully realized member of House Buné—and wasn't it just unbelievable that I never made that connection before—I was a dragon just as much as I was a devil.

  My family held within us the very essence of those apex predators. And yet, if I remembered it right, it was extremely rare for a Buné to actually ignite that dormant spark and fully transform into a dragon.

  I was one such case. And as if that was not enough, I was also the Red Dragon Emperor of this generation.

  This is just unbelievable. It is almost too perfect.

  It should not have been possible. Sacred Gears were given to humanity by the Lord of Heaven so that they may use them to protect themselves and their fellow humans from the monsters that preyed upon them in the night.

  The thirteen Longinus Sacred Gears chief amongst them. Once Heaven's System chose a human to be born with one of those god-killing weapons, they were supposed to grow up to be the best humanity had to offer.

  Kings and queens of their species. Heroes and Generals taking the fight to the supernaturals that treated them as nothing but cattle.

  The Boosted Gear was listed as a mid-tier Longinus amongst the original thirteen. But that was only because it was simply too powerful for a mere human to wield to its fullest potential.

  Its main ability was to double the user's power every ten seconds endlessly, but that was only in theory. In reality there was a hard limit. It could only increase its wielder's power for as long as they themselves could handle the strain that power put on their bodies. The moment that limit was reached, their power would reset back to its baseline.

  Given the more…fragile constitution of even the most extraordinary of humans, that limit was usually reached rather quickly.

  That was why weapons like the true Longinus, the spear that pierced the son of Heaven before he died, and the Zenith Tempest were rated as higher. Even a simple human could wield them to their full potential without any major drawbacks.

  As a devil and dragon hybrid, that limit did not apply to me. Even more so, as a Buné, I was almost too suited for this specific Sacred Gear.

  I remembered Issei, who would have originally been chosen by Heaven’s system to be Ddraig's new wielder, once sacrificing his arm to the red dragon in order to draw more power from the boosted gear. Because he was not a true dragon, he had to cripple himself.

  I, on the other hand, already was a dragon by sheer virtue of my birthright as a Buné.

  If I ever needed proof that big G is dead in this world as well, I have it now. There is no way he would have allowed a being like me to exist.

  Vali was destined to become the most powerful White Dragon Emperor ever because he was a half-devil and a descendant of Lucifer who wielded the Divine Dividing.

  Well, I was a half-devil as well. Not only that, I was a half-devil from a bloodline born to become dragons. The Boosted Gear was made for me.

  I stared at myself intensely in the mirror for a while longer, until I forced myself back to reality.

  The first thing I had to do was find a place to stay for the night. While that wretched ghoul did not manage to leave any major wounds on me, the whole ordeal was extremely taxing on my childish and untrained body. I was exhausted. Not enough to require sleep just yet, but certainly plenty to need a quick break to let myself tank up on some energy.

  Devil magic is based on imagination. Imagination and pure concentrated demonic energy.

  I lacked neither of those.

  I observed myself in the mirror and superimposed the image of myself, but older, onto my mirrored self.

  I could not afford to look like a child for what I had planned next. It took a few tries to visualize the illusion, but once I had a clear image in mind, it was only a matter of supplying it with enough demonic energy. Energy I possessed in excess.

  Satisfied with my new look. I went to the door with a stoic look on my face. I had made up my mind. I did not want it to, but this phase of my life had ended. It was time for me to move on.

  I walked out into the street and headed for the nearest hotel I knew of. It was the middle of the night, yet the streets were not empty. There were people walking by me on all sides. My illusion held true, and nobody paid me any more attention than they would usually.

  After a half hour of walking, I was faced with a new challenge.

  How do I check in with no reservation, identification papers, or money?

  The answer was once again, magic. Mind-bender devil magic, to be precise. This application of the art was even easier than the illusion one.

  I waved my hand in front of the receptionist in my best impression of the Jedi Mind Trick and told her that I was a VIP client that she had been expecting for weeks and that she should give me the best suite they had available for the night.

  It worked like a charm.

  I didn’t want to push my luck, so I would likely not stay longer than the night. After she gave me the keys, I went upstairs and entered the beautiful room that unfolded before me.

  Yes. I could get used to this.

  Something inside me told me that this was how I was supposed to live, like anything less than opulence and splendor was somehow beneath me. Both my devil and dragon sides were in agreement with that.

  Suppressing the urge to gather all the valuables in the room and roll around in them like a dog in a puddle, I sat on the bed and summoned the Boosted Gear.

  It is time.

  I turned my attention inward and focused on the web of threads inside of me tying the Boosted Gear to my soul. I followed that connection, and it did not take long before I arrived in the Soul Space I shared with the original Red Dragon Emperor.

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  It was not quite what I had been expecting.

  I observed with interest as crimson light illuminated the baffling scene. There was no true up and down in this realm. Neither was there a floor, nor was there a ceiling. I was floating in what felt like pure nothingness. The only thing I shared that space with was an absolutely humongous dragon.

  Ddraig appeared to be an infinite distance away and yet also right in front of me.

  The Dragon of Domination looked down at me with no expression on his draconic face. He neither moved nor did he say a single word. He did not need to. His presence spoke for him. Pure concentrated pressure descended on me, seeking to force me to my knees. To make me submit. To fill my heart with fear and awe at the superior being in front of me.

  I refused.

  It took me some time to figure out where that pool of defiance I felt inside of me came from. Was it the Pride of a Dragon? The irreverence of a devil? The Endurance of Humanity? Perhaps it was all of those factors combined that made me refuse to lower my head before the Heavenly Dragon.

  Maybe it would have been different were this the Red Dragon in his prime in front of me. Seeking to see me submit to him, but that was not the adversary I faced today. All this was was the remnant of that being. His true body had been slain a millennia ago. Processed for materials and Soul manufactured into a weapon.

  This version of the Red Dragon would never be enough to make me bow. I would not allow it.

  The very moment that thought passed through my head, the pressure I had started to adapt to immediately disappeared. Ddraig looked at me with approval and nodded in acknowledgment. His previously threatening body language unfurled into a more casual lounge.

  "Well done, Partner. Please excuse my little test. You are without doubt the most unique host I have ever had. A human, a devil, and also…a dragon. I must admit, I would not have believed it if I did not have you here before me right now. Faced with such an anomaly, I simply had to witness for myself the mettle a creature like you would be made of.“

  "How come you sound so surprised? You have been inside of me all my life, no? You likely knew of my heritage even before I did.“

  "That is not how the Sacred Gears work, Partner. I was frozen inside your soul, dormant, until you awoke me today.“

  He glanced at me speculatively. "And what a surprise that was! Heaven's System chooses my human hosts based on how closely their souls are aligned to what it means to be the Red Dragon Emperor…for that host to be part dragon already and part of the devil race as well on top of that!”

  He let out a booming snort that thundered through the empty space surrounding. ?Yahweh must be rolling around in his grave right now, knowing that a being like you is allowed to exist in this world. Heaven's System has fallen even lower than I thought possible.“

  I took Ddraig's bemused ramblings in stride. I knew that I was awesome. My very existence was a miracle. As far as I was concerned, Ddraig was just stating the obvious.

  I decided to get the dragon's head back onto more important things by asking the real questions that had plagued me since earlier, when I first understood where the pride I had always felt inside of me came from. It was the Pride of a Dragon.

  "Say Ddraig…there is something that I have been wondering about. How do you really feel about being put into this“ I glanced around at the crimson space surrounding us "…cage?”

  The dragon's amused expression turned blank from one moment to the next. Then, he peered down at me from his towering height with an expression filled with unfathomable weariness.

  "How I feel about it is of no consequence. This is my fate now, as it has been for the last thousand years. I no longer mind it. I have lived a life longer than you could even begin to imagine. I have been glorious. I have dominated. I have raged with the fury of a thousand suns, and in the end… I was defeated. Now I am here and amuse myself by witnessing the lives of interesting beings like you. That is all.“

  I stared at the crimson dragon incredulously. Like a rising tide, wild, irrational anger suffused my being.

  That is all?

  "Are you not angry at what has been done to you? Do you not desire freedom? Do you not wish to rip me apart for using your power without even asking? Where is your Dragon Pride? You are the Heavenly Red Dragon who stole the very principle of domination from Big G himself! How can I take pride in calling myself a dragon if the epitome of our species behaves like this when faced with defeat? You are a disappointment!“

  Ddraig did not rise to my bait at all. He simply shrugged his enormous shoulders and spoke in a tone of voice filled with boundless patience. It was only when faced with that complete lack of impulsiveness that the reality of his existence was made clear to me. This was a being who had been alive for countless millennia. Seen empires rise and fall. Killed gods and in turn was killed by them.

  Why would a being like that care about my disappointment? I had yet to earn that amount of consideration.

  But I will

  "I understand why this would be hard for you to comprehend, young dragon. I was once just like you, long ago. When I was first locked into this place, I raged. I refused to partner with my hosts and watched half a dozen of them die across half a dozen of their lifetimes.

  After over a century of inaction, I realized the folly of my behaviour. Out of pride, I had let my name be dragged through the mud. You see, it is not just power the Boosted Gear offers my wielders. You become the Red Dragon Emperor in the eyes of the world. You have yet to understand what that means, but you will. By not lending my human hosts my aid, they were eventually all tracked down by my supernatural enemies who had been attracted by the dragon aura my wielders released because of me.

  They were all killed.

  The Red Dragon Emperor was killed half a dozen times with utter ease. I could not stand the thought of that any longer, and so I began to teach them how to properly utilize my power. Yet still, they all died anyway. Some were mighty, some remained weak, but in the end. All were just human. I have seen too many of my wielders struggle desperately to overcome the challenges my presence inevitably invites into their lives to resent you for having been born with me in your Soul."

  I momentarily felt stunned. A brief look into the psychology of the ancient dragon was enough to fully take the heat out of my anger.

  What can I even say to that?

  "Tell me honestly. Do you desire freedom?“

  The Great Dragon let out a deep sigh. "What I desire or do not desire is neither here nor there. Not anymore. Do not concern yourself with such things any further. We have wasted enough time already. Instead, tell me, why have you come here? I saw your fight with that disgusting abomination. That ghoul who invaded your lair and killed your people. Instead of asking me pointless questions, tell me what you will do now, Partner.“

  I scrutinized Draig with a conflicted expression. Truth be told, I did not know how I felt about having another dragon living inside my body. It rubbed me wrong in all kinds of ways.

  Maybe that was why I was so insistent on finding out whether he wished to leave his cage? I was myself not sure if I even wanted him here.

  I was a Buné. I had no idea how the original Lucifer and Lilith accomplished it, but they had created a line of devils that held within them a spark that, when ignited, could turn them into dragons. That process was called dragonification. I was one of them. I could feel inside myself the potential to shed my human form and assume the form of a magnificent dragon. That was who I was now.

  The Last Buné. The only natural Devil Dragon of this world. That was who I wanted my enemies to fear …not the Red Dragon Emperor. My Pride rebelled fiercely against the idea.

  The Boosted Gear was a complete cheat that allowed even a chump like Issei to become a top-tier fighter. I did not want to take such shortcuts. I wanted to be strong because I was strong. Because I made myself strong.

  I sighed and looked at Draig with reproach. Choosing to ignore his previous question. "Why did you have to appear inside me? This sucks. And now, because of you, I will have to deal with that tsundere brat Vali chasing me around for eternity calling me his Destined Rival.“

  Ddraig‘s head flinched back in surprise at my sudden change in temperament. "Who is Vali?“

  I sighed again, exasperated this time. "Don't worry about it. We will meet him soon enough. It is unavoidable. Anyways, to answer your previous question, I want to leave this country for a couple of years and go on some adventures around the world. There are many more places to see than just Japan after all.“ I glanced at the dragon with consideration. "Do you have any special recommendations?“

  Draid appeared lost in memory as he answered me with a wistful tone. "I would advise you to avoid the Hindu Pantheon at all costs. They do not take kindly to outsiders. And they are mighty; even I can admit that. Same thing with the Aztec. They are not particularly powerful, but they are crazy."

  He let out a snort and looked me in the eyes again. "If you are seeking adventures, your best bet would be the Olympian Pantheon. They now reside in a young country called the United States of America. They migrated there with their human worshippers, following the Flame of the West, and claimed the land after waging a war of extinction against the Native Pantheon. While I do not particularly care for the Olympians and their spawn—nobody does—they have a convenient thing called the Mist over there. It makes it so that supernaturals can live freely out in the open without having to consider mortals“

  The mist? That certainly brought up a few memories.

  Seriously. What kind of world did I end up in? What’s next? Am I going to stumble upon a door that will lead me to Narnia?

  "How do you even know about that? Have you not been sealed in here for the last thousand years? The United States has existed for a fraction of that time.“ I realized the folly of my question as soon as I asked it.

  Ddraig simply grunted. "I had a host about a century ago who was American. He died fighting Ares for some reason I do not recall anymore. He was a fleeting acquaintance. He unlocked me in his youth and immediately let the power get to his head. He died a few years later. It seems like all of my hosts are determined to, at least at one point in their lives, try their hands at becoming the first Longinus wielder to actually kill a deity with their god-killing weapon. I trust that you will be more reasonable.“

  I simply hummed at that noncommittally. Choosing not to comment on his unasked question. I completely understood their desire. Being able to call yourself a Godkiller was almost as cool as being a dragon! If I died before having at least a couple images of myself with a god's severed head tied to my belt, I would consider it a life wasted.

  Ddraig stared at me blankly, probably having guessed my thoughts. "Just go. I think you have spent more than enough time here. If you require my aid, summon me. I will be watching “

  I huffed in amusement at the dragons tone and quickly exited our shared Soul Space.

  —————-

  I opened my eyes back in the opulent hotel room, sitting on the comfortable bed.

  Now, what to do next?

  While I had already decided to have fun with it. Some things were non-negotiable. I was a Buné. I had a claim to that name. I wanted my birthright back. I did not know who it was that placed me into the human world, but I did know that in DxD canon, House Buné was considered extinct.

  That whole situation stank of Devil Politics.

  The next thing I would not compromise on was my Evil Pieces. I wanted them. I needed them. I desired them.

  I felt my devilish greed flare up uncontrollably at the thought of the Evil Pieces. The sudden eruption of emotion was stronger than what I was prepared for, and I briefly felt myself being overtaken by a dark, insidious impulse.

  I want to build up my own peerage. I know where some of the most beautiful and outstanding people in this world are hidden. I want them! I want to own them. I want to possess them. I want to hide them away in my lair and guard them from any who would dare take them from me!

  I forcefully pulled myself out of that sudden downward spiral of emotion.

  What the hell was that?

  I knew that I fell more easily to temptation and sin in this new body. With my true origin revealed to me, I even had an explanation for that now, but it had never been that overwhelming before.

  Actually, how is it even possible that I had to unlock my Devil Heritage? That did not make sense. My Heritage was not like my Sacred Gear. I was born a devil. I should have had access to this power since my infant days.

  Were they sealed away? Did the fucking devils who abandoned me into the human world seal away half of my being? Are these impulses my devil side coming back?

  If that was indeed the case…it would spell no end of trouble for me. I sighed to myself at that thought.

  This fucking day just will not end, throwing bullshit at me.

  As was my way, I took my mind off the uncomfortable thought and focused on something more pleasant. Plotting my rise to power, to be exact.

  That would begin in earnest once I started building up my peerage.

  To do that I needed the Evil Pieces. To get the Evil Pieces, I needed power. I refused to negotiate with my fellow devils from a position of weakness. I would talk to them while holding at least the majority of the cards, or not at all.

  Luckily I still had time. It was currently 2002. If I remember it right, DxD was not going to start for another few years. I would have to check in on a yearly basis to see if Kuho Academy had already shifted from an all-girl school to mixed gender. That was the year my chosen targets would arrive in the human world.

  The sisters of the two most important Satans: Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri.

  They would be my ticket back into Devil Society. But until then, I had to gather power. In the supernatural world, it all came back to power in the end.

  While I still felt undecided whether I liked having Ddraig within me, I could not deny the advantage his presence could afford me in the short term.

  And if I was already going to make use of him? I might as well give all in and become the greatest Red Dragon Emperor this world has ever seen while I'm at it. The thirteen Longious had never killed a god before? I would change that. The Boosted Gear was a mid-tier Longinus? Who the hell decided that? I would not rest until my name was carved in blood amongst the highest echelons of power this world could afford.

  I strolled towards the window to the balcony with determined steps. The light of dawn was beginning to spread across the horizon. The night had passed fast.

  For now, I still had at least a couple more years left to grow. Then I would come back here to Japan and reclaim what was mine.

  Until that day comes, I guess I do not mind partaking in some side quests.

  The world of DxD was vast. Literally every myth and legend was real. I did not doubt that I would find some ways to amuse myself until the time was right.

  I opened the door to the balcony and stepped outside. I took a moment to let the first lights of the sun graze my skin before looking down at Tokyo.

  With my mind made up, I spread my wings and jumped up into the sky above. If some human saw me take off, I did not care. For the next few years, whatever happened in Japan would not be my problem.

  A deep chuckle escaped me at that thought and my ears filled with the sound of air tearing apart as I blasted through the sky, heading east.

  With some luck, I might even be able to avoid that problematic family until I am strong enough to not instantly be turned into a deer for offending them.