Author Notes 1:
Hi guys, Happy Easter!
We finish Season 1 with this chapter and Volume 2 of the light novel.
Last week, I couldn't post it because I had unforeseen consequences happening.
Good thing I wrote more, and I think this is the biggest chapter of this fic.
So the delay was good in the end (?).
Enjoy this chapter.
A bit more than one-third of the fic is complete at this point. Let's goooooo.
Thanks to all my readers. Please leave some reviews and Power Stones now that the rankings are restarting.
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-Samuel Pov-
The last couple of days passed after the mirror incident.
I didn't do much these days—training, hobbies, thinking about everything, going to school, stargazing at night for a bit before going to sleep. Kuoh is peaceful when there's no villain trying to destroy it just because.
I like the city, not gonna lie.
Funny thing—two days ago, I saw Issei's parents at the market. Haha, of course, we didn't talk, but it was good to see other people "I know" going on with their lives. Issei is probably having his most ruthless training right now... Haha, work hard, Issei!
Going back to the mirror incident... It's like getting insight into my future. About what will happen to me.
But the incident is still fresh in my mind. I can't put it into words or fully comprehend it in my head, but somehow, my soul understands.
I keep getting stronger every week. Eventually, I will become something... more. Like my reflection then? Cool.
A god? Plausible. The gacha can give me that.
I'll keep thinking about this later.
Entering the gothic-themed store, I see the witch that owns it.
"Yo." I greet her.
"Ah~ my night just got better." The dark witch says in a playful tone.
Yep, sorry, girl. Last time, I was lacking a bit, but not today.
"I'm here to buy some things—in gold, of course." I let her know my intentions.
"For sure, anything~" Cordelia passes a hand close to her breast.
This woman...
.
..
...
After I buy whatever magical thing I found interesting, I pay her in gold.
I'm having the time of my life buying all of these magical artifacts. One of my fantasies fulfilled.
"Always nice to do business with you, Samuel~ You're my favorite now." Cordelia says, making the crazy amount of gold bars disappear.
"Sure. See ya." I turn around to leave.
"Wait!" she says.
Uh oh.
"Yes?" Please don't say something that'll make me search for another store to buy from now on.
"I want to give you a tarot reading." She says oddly seriously.
That's... an odd request.
"Why?" I ask her.
"I don't know..." Cordelia says, unsure.
I let the silence linger, waiting for a response.
"...I don't know, just a gut feeling." She shrugs.
I pray to get more female characters in the gacha from now on. Women's intuition is crazy.
You know what? Let's do it. Magic exists, and she's a witch who can do magic. Let's see how things go. Hope she's not a fraud.
"Well... sure, sounds interesting. Didn't know you offered tarot readings."
"Only to the ones I find interesting~" She says sultrily.
I can't help but chuckle when I realize something.
"Mmmh?" She tilts her head to one side, looking at me while pulling the tarot deck onto the counter.
"Dark goth witch... odd-looking store... tarot reading. Is the stereotype intended?" I can't help but giggle.
"Ass..." she mutters while one eye twitches, though she still wears her characteristic smile.
"How do we do it, then?" I look at her tarot deck—a pretty shady-looking deck, not gonna lie.
"Imbue your energy by touching the deck. Magic will do the rest." She hands me the deck.
"Okay." I flare a bit of my magical energy.
After that, she's looking me dead in the eye, both eyes wide open.
Oops. Baran assimilation, right? He has crazy mana reserves, plus mine too. Well, it's nothing important.
"That was interesting. Do it again." She says seriously.
"Nah."
"Hmph!" She harrumphs and starts shuffling the deck.
She's using magic.
So, is this the real thing, or...?
"I won't ask you questions during the session. You seem like the type that doesn't like them, so I'll lay out three cards, and we can both draw our own conclusions." She's in work mode, I see.
"True." I say. Really, stop with the woman's intuition thing.
I know the meaning of the cards, so this'll do.
"First one." She takes a card and places it straight.
The Fool.
Expected. I started a new "journey" with a gacha system, so here we are.
They say The Fool represents infinite possibilities and potential too, right?
"Go on." With a nod from me, she takes the next card.
"Second one." She places the card straight.
The Emperor.
"Of course." I smirk at the card while shaking my head.
King shenanigans I've done before. Noted.
I signal for her to continue, and with a smile, she places the last card.
The Star.
When I see the card, I remember his eyes in the mirror for some reason...
And suddenly, a warm sensation envelops me.
This is it!
I like to call these kinds of moments an "inside check," so to speak. It's happened before!
I think I get it now.
"Thanks, Cordelia. I get it now." I give her my honest smile.
She looks at me, confused.
"...Sure?" she says, giving me a look.
I leave the store with a smile.
Of course, it was The Stars!
How did I not notice earlier?
-------------------------
After that, I teleport to my house and now I'm on the roof looking at the sky, asking myself a question:
How does divinity work?
And how can someone awaken divinity?
I can think of four cases right now.
The most common case is being the son of two gods. Normally after you grow up, you gain control over a certain dominion/phenomenon of nature or a concept. More powerful gods have more abstract concepts. Great Red? Dragon God of Dreams. Ophis? Control over one abstract infinity, I guess? That one's complicated.
"Top 3" Shiva, the God of Destruction... I wonder what will happen between us when I kill Indra.
Another example is from the game Hades, where it's said that Zagreus, son of Hades (the protagonist), will become the God of Blood. I guess it's whatever you have the most affinity for. If you play the game, it's kinda obvious Zagreus's journey is a bloody one... even when he "dies," haha. And since he's the son of a god, it makes sense for him.
The second case: You're a demigod. One of your parents is a god, the other is "mortal." Taking a guess here too... it would mean you have less divinity, less control over your dominion... but divinity nonetheless.
Third case, and I take this with a grain of salt, you need feats. BIG feats. And in a universe like this one, it makes sense. You get strong, keep training your abilities, defeat powerful foes... Forms of extending your lifespan exist here, so you can break the mortal chains. At some point, you'll gain affinity for a concept or dominion/phenomenon of nature. It can be anything. Look at Loki, he's a god of lies and magic.
And what happens if you defeat and kill a god? In other works of fiction like Campione, you can steal their divinity...But I think... you become something more. It's an insane feat, after all. If you can kill a god, you're not normal. Maybe you were never normal to begin with.
Will the world allow an apotheosis then? Or is it a completely different matter? Does it work like that or not? Can you ascend on your own?
ARGH! What a complicated matter!
If I really ascend, people will believe it's a natural apotheosis, haha. Imagine their faces when they think I ascended normally—HAHAHA! Well, they'll be half-right. I plan to use this method too, along with the fourth case if I can.
Let's think about the fourth case...
Fourth case... you have a gacha system or something similar. LOL. It's only a matter of time before you get a god. Could be anyone with any dominion. Is this why I gained Escanor and have an affinity with the sun? It's a star, after all.
To be honest, if I can become a god, I don't want to be another boring god of fire or god of thunder... too many gods already have those divinities.
And how does that even work? My take is that different gods share dominions—some are better than others at wielding their power. Affinity, raw power, the god's age, comprehension of their nature and themselves, etc. Most well-known gods can also use their believers' faith as fuel.
A god can have multiple divinities too. Indra, for example, is the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall. No wonder a lot of people here put him in the top 4, just below Shiva, hehe.
Going back to me... I have most of the requirements. Crazy strong? Check. At peace with myself? Check. I just need feats... or a good gacha roll if I can't achieve apotheosis.
First, I'll kill Kokabiel... wait. Kokabiel, the Angel of the Stars... the Star of God. IT'S ALL COMING TOGETHER! Then I really need to kill that bastard. I'm sure it'll count as a feat—he's Ultimate-level, after all. Angels have divinity too, so it has to count.
The Stars huh? I look up at the night sky. I wonder what kind of divinity that is and what it means to have it. I sit in silence, thinking about everything while staring upward.
I realize now. Indra will be my final boss in all of this. Not just because he's the strongest member of the Khaos Brigade... but because he's the most cunning bastard of the bunch. After the whole Kyoto fiasco caused by the Hero Faction, he sent Sun Wukong to "help" with the problem. He's done the same thing before too, he creates the problem and then "provides" the solution. An old trick in the book. The sad thing is, it worked because he walked away without consequences.
I really hate that kind of person. I hate them the most. He was caught lying too. This shit ain't right.
Of course, some people realized it, like Yasaka, the victim of the whole fiasco, or Azazel, who was there during Kyoto's chaos. But who can say anything to the top 4 in the world? Worse if you're weaker than him, like in those two cases. Even worse—if things escalate, Shiva might get involved, and then it's joever for you. You can only grit your teeth and swallow your anger... or die fighting.
Sigh. Gods and their shitty agendas.
That's why I'll kill him and make things right. Disgusting bastard. I don't care if Shiva or Sun Wukong tries to interfere. I'll genocide the whole Hindu pantheon if they jump into this. I don't care.
By the way, hands down, this is the worst Sun Wukong in all of fiction, haha.
That's why Indra will be my final boss. Rizevim? Trihexa? Outer gods? Pfff. I can break the other Khaos Brigade members in half with my bare hands. If everything goes well, Trihexa won't even awaken... but I'll still kill it. One less pest in the world.
But Indra? I'll give him my personal attention. When we fight, I'll go crazy. A straight 1vs1, because I don't want him running away or pulling surprises. Not that he could run if I do what I'm planning... hehehe. I've got some ideas... hehehe.
I lay down on the roof with a deep sigh, stargazing. What a long ride I have ahead of me. Being the anti-hero is hard, haha—but being the hero is shittier. Just look at Issei, lol. Zero awareness of what's happening, just punching forward like a dumbass, shouting about breasts and giving shonen-tard speeches. Painfully stupid and simplistic, your classic shonen protagonist.
Things need to go better.
Time to sleep. Tomorrow, I have school... sigh. Whatever happens, happens.
-------------------------
After the school day, Sona wanted to talk with me in the student council room.
We're friends on Devilnet, heh. I was surprised when I saw her friend request - more surprised when I realized she actually has an account and uses Devilnet.
Ajuka remains my favorite Devil, and I haven't even meet him yet.
Hope Sona doesn't have some hidden agenda here.
Not gonna lie, I'm curious. So I'm heading there right now.
Oh~
Grayfia is there. She just teleported in.
After a moment, I open the doors and stride in confidently.
Sona and her peerage plus Grayfia are all here. Interesting bunch - let's see what this is about.
I notice something strange about them - their eyes widen slightly and their knees flex...like they were about to kneel but stopped themselves.
Can't be right?
Did they sense it intrinsically and instinctively?
Baran the Demon King assimilation for the win!
Hail to the king.
"Sup girls." I said. Saji was here too, but who cares?
"Lancaster..." Sona nods with a complex expression as she looks at me.
"Lancaster...-sama," Grayfia says slowly, almost hesitating on the honorific.
HAHAHA Baran assimilation is making me peak.
"Grayfia, was it? Nice to meet you. Well girls, what's this about?" Let's get to the point.
"Maou-sama wants to invite you to watch the Rating Game." Sona says.
YES! YES! YES!
"YES!" I respond instantly, I'm genuinely interested in seeing how things play out.
My enthusiastic response surprises them all.
"Really? I expected you to refuse after... what happened last time." Sona says.
"I'm surprised too. Didn't think Sirzechs would invite me, he's not exactly my biggest fan. Why's that?" I smirk at Grayfia.
"My husband was being... unreasonable at the time. He wants to make amends by inviting you to the Rating Game and to talk." the white-haired woman explains.
Okay? Is this a "keep your friends close and enemies closer" move? Well, he is an expert at that - Great King Faction and Old Satan Faction shenanigans and all.
Or maybe he genuinely wants to make amends... his sister does attend this school, and having an unknown monster like me around... I can understand his concern.
If things go south and he tries anything, I can always crush him.
"I accept. I'm curious to see if Gremory fails or not." Complete honesty here.
"Then here's the teleportation scroll, Lancaster-sama. The Rating Game is tomorrow. Sitri-sama will fill you in on the details." With that, she hands me the scroll, nods, and excuses herself, teleporting away.
"Cool, so how's this gonna work.?" I ask Sona.
"My family has been designated to supervise the Rating Game, so I'll be there with my peerage and my sister..." Sona says with a troubled expression.
Haha, poor girl. Sona-tan is gonna have a rough time.
Serafall will be there too? Sirzechs, you twat... you told her, huh? Haha.
Wouldn't be crazy to assume she's there for the same reason as Sirzechs.
Sigh. These two siscons love their sisters way too much.
"Message me when it's time?"
With a sigh, she responds: "Carefree as always. Sure, see you tomorrow then."
"Thanks, bye girls." I wave at them and teleport home.
Let's fucking go. I've got front row seats to the Rating Game.
-------------------------
-Samuel Pov-
The day has come. I adjust my clothes in front of the mirror, checking Sona "okay" message on my phone.
Time to see if destiny can really change for other people.
I use the scroll to teleport, though not without taking some precautions first, just in case they try pulling a fast one on me. The teleport goes smoothly, and I find myself facing Grayfia calm expression.
"Lancaster-sama, please follow me." she says evenly.
I flare my senses to scan the surroundings - Sona, her peerage, Sirzechs, Serafall, and Grayfia are all present. Okay, no surprises... for now.
We enter a room with a massive screen where everyone's gathered.
"Yo." I greet casually.
I catch Sirzechs and Serafall subtly flexing their knees. HAHAHA, they feel it too?
After composing himself and blinking a couple of times, Sirzechs addresses me: "Lancaster-san, thank you for coming."
"Sure. I'm interested to see how this Rating Game plays out. Thanks for the invite though." I reply.
"Hi~ I'm Serafall Leviathan, Magical Girl in Charge of Foreign Affairs!" She introduces herself with a wink and dramatic pose, her serious suit transforming into her magical girl outfit mid-spin.
Heh, that was amusing. Why do all powerful devils seem to be missing a few marbles? Then again, most strong people are a bit unhinged, myself included.
Sirzechs looks away with a resigned smile - clearly long accustomed to her antics. I glance at Sona, who's staring at the floor with secondhand embarrassment, my playful smirk only deepening her blush.
"Nice to meet you, Leviathan-san." I nod.
"You can call me Levia-tan or Sera-chan~" she teases.
Pfft.
"Onee-sama!" Sona protests, her face burning crimson.
"Serafall will do." I say, cutting through the nonsense.
Serafall pouts dramatically. "I've heard so much about you from Sirzechs, Lancaster~"
"Good things, I hope?" I smirk.
"Haha, no." she shakes her head cheerfully.
"..." Sirzechs remains silent.
Lol, did she just throw him under the bus?
"Mostly that you were strong - and he was right! My knees nearly gave out when I saw you... for a second I thought it was love!" She clutches her chest theatrically.
This woman is too much. Haha.
Baran's influence really coming in clutch, who knew the Demon King would be my wingman? In the future if i want to seduce a devil woman it will be usefull.
Sona has fully given up, face buried in her hands.
"Well, thank you," I say, deciding to move on. "Where do we sit to watch the Rating Game?"
"Right here, Lancaster-san." Sirzechs gestures.
Props to him, he's being a proper host. I take my seat with Sirzechs on my right and Serafall to my left.
"..."
What exactly have I walked into?
The others settle into their seats around us.
"So, how was the training? Effective?" I ask Sirzechs.
"Yes," he replies curtly. Tch, give me more details, you damn siscon.
"Ruthless?" I press.
"You could say that. Riser and his peerage stand no chance." he states with absolute confidence.
My eyebrows shoot up... Well now. This might actually be interesting.
"Not just him, others helped train them too. He even asked for my assistance." Serafall adds.
What.
Damn. So he threw money and influence behind this. Why not do this years ago then? Is he stupid?
"Ahem... Serafall." Sirzechs coughs pointedly.
"Don't be shy, Sirzechs-chan~" Serafall beams, striking another magical girl pose that makes Sirzechs' eye twitch.
Pfft.
"It's about to start." Sona interjects from behind us.
Grayfia's voice fills the room as she explains the Rating Game setup and positions... Just get on with it already.
Finally, both teams appear on screen and, I can't believe my eyes.
GASPER'S THERE! Wearing a paper bag over his head, but he's present!
This is going to be a massacre. Riser is cooked.
"He's Gasper Vladi, one of my sister's Bishops." Sirzechs explains.
"Oh, I see." I reply neutrally.
Not much of an explanation, but whatever. I already know some things hehe. Looks like Sirzechs and Rias are throwing everything they've got at this.
No Gasper shenanigans this time? Did they drill him like some bootcamp sergeant?
Rias and her peerage appear next, marching in perfect formation with deadly serious expressions. They're practically radiating confidence. Aura farmers.
Well, Riser's the only real challenge here, let's be honest.
The first fight starts in the school gym. Issei begins by summoning his... wait, what?
The upgraded Boosted Gear Gift already? No way he achieved Balance Breaker this soon.
"Issei got an upgrade... Did you help him reach Balance Breaker?" I ask Sirzechs.
"Tannin and I ran out of time..." Sirzechs sighs.
Damn, he really went all-out with their training.
"Shame. Would've been cool to see Balance Breaker." I remark as Issei preemptively boosts Koneko and Kiba. Look at that, planning ahead instead of charging in blindly. Not completely brain-dead anymore.
Rias, Akeno, Gasper and Asia seem to be sticking together. Interesting strategy.
Then Riser's peerage appears on screen... Yep, there's the bootleg Chun-Li, the twin lolis with chainsaws, and Mira.
Scanning the other screens showing Riser's forces... Hahaha.
Riser's a certified degenerate.
Catgirls, dancers, maids, knights, and a witch - all dressed in themed outfits. No way he made them wear those just for him... right?
The fight begins...
Issei assumes a textbook boxing stance.
"Good. You taught him boxing," I note.
"Boxing, kickboxing, and Muay Thai," Sirzechs adds.
Ah right - Sirzechs knows his hand-to-hand. He's not just a walking Power of Destruction nuke. Good for Issei, actual training beats his reckless untrained brawler charges.
As a martial artist myself, I'm curious to see how this plays out.
Koneko vs. Xulean, and Issei versus three Pawns.
The three Pawns rush Issei.
Jab. Punch. Kick.
Three moves, three Pawns eliminated.
Perfect spacing. Issei could've continued his combo but stops precisely as the girls collapse like ragdolls.
My jaw nearly drops before I catch myself.
Who is this guy? No nonsense, nearly flawless execution. Clean efficiency.
I can't believe I'm seeing this... a competent Issei?
Koneko's no different - she grabs Xulean's arms and delivers a brutal double-legged dropkick to his face. Poetic justice for the Chun-Li fan.
I'm so glad I got invited to see this.
"You have my respect from now on." I tell Sirzechs.
Credit where it's due - the man did good work.
Sirzechs looks momentarily confused before nodding.
"I didn't expect you to make friends at your age, Sirzechs-chan~" Serafall teases.
"You're only a year younger than me..." he mutters.
Friends? Nah. If that's the case, it's way too early.
The Rating Game continues. Issei boosts Rias and Akeno this time - smart move.
Outside the gym, they encounter the rest of Riser's peerage (minus Riser himself). Oh~ Ravel's there too.
Time to see how they handle a larger engagement.
I don't blink, not wanting to miss a second. I'm actually enjoying this, not gonna lie.
Gasper begins stopping time...
Wait... SHOUT "ZA WARUDO" you femboy bastard! FULFILL THE PROPHECY!
I'll have Momo quirk to craft him a proper Stone Mask from JoJo - way better than that paper bag. This I swear.
While I'm mentally rambling, Rias and Akeno proceed to bombard Riser's peerage.
Damn.
Twin orbs, one Power of Destruction and one lightning, engulf the opposition. They don't even let Ravel speak, haha. No mercy whatsoever.
They're leaving nothing to chance.
"W-what... how?" Sona mutters incredulously behind me.
"Damn. Those two are really living up to their High-Class Devil status now," I remark.
Rias isn't a fraud anymore.
"You'll have a hard time catching up now," I tell Sona, earning a frown from Serafall.
Hehe, Rias was already luckier than her before - now she's stronger too. Sona's in for a rough time.
The screen shows only Riser remains. Oh my god, they're actually doing it.
They're stalling, letting Issei double boost everyone.
They're about to jump Riser.
"It's so over." I say as Rias team rush on Riser's location.
"Indeed." Sirzechs and Serafall echo simultaneously.
Amusingly, Riser's in a defensive stance - he must sense how screwed he is. That expression... he's actually serious now.
Rias opens with controlled Power of Destruction blasts, severing both his arms mid-attack. That's new.
Gasper stops time again as the team positions themselves... like they're setting up a raid boss, heh.
During this, Issei promotes to Queen.
The coordination is flawless - Issei, Koneko and Kiba delivering melee punishment, Rias and Akeno bombarding from range, Gasper and Asia providing support.
Yep. It's joever.
Riser screams in pain and panic as Kiba's flame-eating swords pierce his legs, forcing him to his knees. But they don't stop there, more blades stab into his torso. Oof.
Issei and Koneko pummel him mercilessly - I actually see teeth flying from Issei gauntlet strike.
Akeno snipes holy lightning beams into the back of his skull, disrupting his nervous system. Riser can't even focus to fight back at this point.
Asia embraces her inner gamer girl, perfectly timing heals to counter any minor burns, enabling the beatdown to continue. She's positioned safely between Rias and Gasper - ideal support placement.
This might be the most entertained I've been since arriving here. Maybe because it's fresh? Better executed? Who knows.
The plot jumped out of the window.
The room is dead silent, watching the brutal dismantling.
Riser's become a porcupine of swords. Every time he lifts his head, he eats punches and holy lightning.
Akeno giving him backshots, hehe.
I'm almost feeling bad for Riser at this point.
Issei slams his face into the ground, cracking the floor, while Kiba pins each arm with swords, they are taking some liberties because Riser regeneration.
His healing can't keep up - those holy lightning headshots were nasty... oof.
Oh?
Rias approaches slowly... Wait.
Is she doing the intimidating aura farm walk on purpose?
"Are you giving up, or shall we continue?" Her voice echoes through the arena.
Damn.
The "Better Rias" meme isn't a joke anymore, it's reality.
"Y-yes... I s-surrender," Riser stammers.
That face - he's absolutely terrified.
That was a fast rating game. Don't they breake a record or something?
"Rias Gremory wins the game." Grayfia announces as the screen cuts to black.
The room remains silent until I break it.
"Absolute cinema." I declare, striking a dramatic pose.
Everyone stares blankly before I continue:
"Thanks again for the invite, it was more than worth it. My satisfaction is immeasurable, and my day is saved."
"No problem, Lancaster-san. As we said, we wanted to make amends." Sirzechs nods.
It's probably better long-term if we remain on..."amicable" terms.
I normally wouldn't do this, but... sigh, might as well. I've got plans that could use this later.
All of this to kill more easily certain puny god.
Here goes nothing...
"You know what? Let me add you on the Devilnet." I offer.
Everyone blinks in surprise.
"Sure." Sirzechs accepts unaffected.
"Me too!" Serafall beams.
Well, at this point...
I end up adding both.
"Wait! You didn't let me put hearts in my name!" Serafall pouts.
"No way." I stick my tongue out teasingly.
Standing and stretching, I address the room.
"Well, see you all. Pass my congratulations to Rias and her peerage."
With that, I teleport home.
-------------------------
Author Notes 2:
So yeah, that was my take on divinity and how it works in this universe.
I've been planting those "inside check" moments for the MC throughout past chapters for a reason. Indeed, his divinity will be tied to The Stars. One reader said the sun/stars in earlier chapters, good one.
I can promise this won't just be some basic fire and light affinity. Stars represent so much more... and I've got big plans for where this is going.
As always, I'll be reading your comments on this chapter and other topics.
Happy Easter, everyone! Go enjoy some chocolate eggs. I know I will.
See you in the next chapter.