Bab 162: In the End, I Carried It All Alone
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 5): Haramura, Rias, do you want to know information about your future? Though I suspect Rias' situation might have already changed.]
Previously, when dealing with the villains chat group, there was a member from the High School DxD world, a fallen angel, who happened to be the original female lead the protagonist initially liked.
However, due to the interference of the villains chat group, the plot underwent drastic changes. Raynare successfully seized the Boosted Gear from the protagonist, so the original lead lost his value in being reincarnated as a devil. As for what happens next, even Eriri wasn't sure.
She was also unsure if there were parallel universes in the High School DxD world.
[Haramura Nodoka (Level 1, Stage 2): The future, huh?]
[Haramura Nodoka (Level 1, Stage 2): Hmm... Could you please upload it to the chat group?]
Haramura Nodoka had already read through the group announcements and learned about the memory images and what they entailed.
To prevent new members from harboring misconceptions about their identities, Arifureta had included detailed explanations in the group announcements, clarifying how different worlds were connected. This way, members wouldn't assume they were simply fictional characters.
Because of this, both Haramura Nodoka and the other newcomers like Rias weren't too bothered by questions about their identities—just curious about what the future might hold.
Hearing Eriri's offer, Rias couldn't help but feel uneasy. She knew that an Eighth Level powerhouse like Eriri wouldn't casually mention such things unless they were significant. If Eriri was bringing it up, it meant the change was likely substantial, possibly enough to affect the entire world.
[Rias Gremory (Level 2, Stage 8): What change?]
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 5): I'll upload the memory images of your world first. You should understand the changes after watching them.]
[Ding, Eriri (Level 8, Stage 5) has uploaded the memory images of High School DxD Seasons 1-4.]
[Ding, Eriri (Level 8, Stage 5) has uploaded the memory images of Saki, Saki: Episode of Side A, and Saki: The Nationals.]
[Rias Gremory (Level 2, Stage 8): Thank you. I'll go watch the memory images first.]
Rias immediately recognized that it referred to her world. Without hesitation, she clicked to watch the immersive version, not wanting to waste time slowly watching the episodes.
Haramura, too, was eager. She had agreed with her father to win the high school national mahjong tournament in order to stay in Nagano and continue playing with her friends. Given her current situation, her chances seemed slim, so she wanted to see if she succeeded.
[Ruri Gokou (Level 2, Stage 9): Whoa, multiple seasons? Looks like I've got a lot to catch up on. But I'll wait until after school to watch.]
[Arifureta (Level 4, Stage 2/Group Leader): High School DxD, huh? Who needs classes? Time to dive in!]
[Ruri Gokou (Level 2, Stage 9): Wait, am I the only one in the group who actually attends class? shrug emoji]
[Yuuki Asuna (Level 3, Stage 3): Nope, I don't watch anything during class either!]
[Yuuki Asuna (Level 3, Stage 3): I just fake being sick to go to the nurse's office and watch there!]
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 5): Asuna, you're becoming rebellious. This must be Chika's bad influence.]
Chika Fujiwara , still unable to speak due to her mute status, saw Eriri's comment while she was about to dive into the newly uploaded memory images. Three large question marks immediately popped into her mind.
"Is she bullying me because I can't respond?!" Chika Fujiwara thought indignantly. But what could she do? She was clearly outmatched. Even if she wanted to retaliate physically, she knew that Eriri would turn the tables and have her at her mercy.
"Sigh, in the end, I carry all the burdens alone," Chika lamented dramatically in her mind.
The next moment, she raised her hand confidently and declared to the teacher, "Sensei, I'm feeling unwell. I'd like to go to the nurse's office to rest!"
…
"So that's how it is!"
After finishing all four seasons of High School DxD, Rias finally understood what Eriri meant by "changes" and found that some of her suspicions were now even deeper.
Not long ago, Rias had noticed a junior at school who seemed to possess a Sacred Gear. After a period of observation, she was almost certain.
However, just as she was about to approach this student named Issei Hyoudou to recruit him as her servant, he had mysteriously vanished. Despite sending people to search all over Kuoh Town, there was no trace of him.
At the time, Rias had assumed that whatever Sacred Gear Issei possessed wasn't particularly remarkable, so while his disappearance was unfortunate, it didn't bother her too much.
But now, having watched the future through the memory images, she felt more puzzled than ever. This disappearance had to be the change Eriri mentioned.
"I didn't realize he carried the Boosted Gear of the Red Dragon Emperor. So it was supposed to resolve my engagement issue," Rias sighed, feeling a bit regretful, though not sad.
Whatever was supposed to happen in that future never came to pass in reality. She had never spoken a word to Issei, so there were no feelings to speak of.
Moreover, now that she had joined the chat group, her fate was bound to change. Annulment of her engagement was no longer such a troublesome matter, so whether or not Issei had the Boosted Gear didn't matter anymore.
[Rias Gremory (Level 2, Stage 8): I've finished watching. Thank you, Eriri, for providing the information.]
[Arifureta (Level 4, Stage 2/Group Leader): Wow, High School DxD is spicy. The Switch Princess?]
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 5): The Switch Princess has a truly stunning figure!]
[Ruri Gokou (Level 2, Stage 9): Switch Princess? Sounds like something inappropriate.]
[Rias Gremory (Level 2, Stage 8): Ah… please stop. That's not me! embarrassed emoji]
Eriri's and Arifureta's playful words almost caused Rias to spit out her tea. She managed to keep it in but quickly put her cup down, covering her mouth as her face flushed.
Rias couldn't help but feel a bit resentful toward Issei, the original protagonist. Though this future was now void, the portrayal of her in those images was ridiculous.
"Public nudity? How could something so outrageous happen? I'm a pure and dignified maiden! My body has never been seen by a man, and I wouldn't allow it either," Rias thought indignantly.
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 5): So, did you notice any significant changes?]
[Rias Gremory (Level 2, Stage 8): Yes, it seems the original protagonist has disappeared.]
[Arifureta (Level 4, Stage 2/Group Leader): Wait, Issei Hyoudou, that pervert, is gone? That's great news!]
[Rias Gremory (Level 2, Stage 8): …]
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 5): As expected. It looks like your world doesn't have parallel universes.]
[Rias Gremory (Level 2, Stage 8): Do you know something, Eriri?]
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 5): Mm... Issei Hyoudou probably kicked the bucket. The Boosted Gear of the Red Dragon Emperor was recovered by the chat group and sold for 5 million points.]
[Rias Gremory (Level 2, Stage 8): …]
[Rias Gremory (Level 2, Stage 8): Wait, did you visit our world, Eriri?]
Rias felt a little dazed. That kind of powerful Sacred Gear was just… gone? Sacred Gears were rare, and God-Slaying Sacred Gears were even rarer.
She couldn't help but wonder how much value the Boosted Gear had in the chat group. Based on the group's point system, 5 million points would be enough to raise her power to Level 4, Stage 9, making her a peak-level transcendent.
Now, Rias was tempted to find a Sacred Gear tool to trade for points herself.
However, what surprised her even more was that Eriri had somehow managed to obtain it without ever stepping foot into her world.
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 5): Nope, I haven't been to your world yet, but I might visit in the future. Will you welcome me if I do?]
[Rias Gremory (Level 2, Stage 8): Of course, you're always welcome.]
Rias was now seriously considering asking Eriri for help with her engagement. The memory images had shown that her engagement to Riser Phenex would soon become an issue, with her fiancé arriving alongside her sister-in-law, Grayfia, to confront her at Kuoh Academy.
But now, without Issei and the Boosted Gear, Rias had no convenient way to resolve the problem on her own. She hadn't yet gathered enough points to push her power beyond the level of a high-ranking devil, and her current strength wasn't enough to defeat Riser in a legitimate match.
Having Eriri on her side could easily solve the engagement issue. Through the recent conversations and the live stream, Rias had gotten a fairly good sense of Eriri's personality. She knew Eriri wasn't someone who would harm the innocent without reason, and if treated well, she could be surprisingly easy to get along with.
[Ruri Gokou (Level 2, Stage 9): Wait, so was this Issei Hyoudou guy part of the villains chat group?]
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 5): Nope, Issei wasn't involved. He was killed by Raynare, who then stole his Boosted Gear. You guys probably remember Raynare from the villains chat group, right? She was the winged fallen angel.]
[Ruri Gokou (Level 2, Stage 9): Oh, I don't think I noticed her...]
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 5): Not surprising, you were busy getting your butt kicked at the time. No time to notice anyone else.]
[Ruri Gokou (Level 2, Stage 9): …]
[Arifureta (Level 4, Stage 2/Group Leader): Oh, now that you mention it, she was killed by one hit, right? So the red gauntlet she had was the Boosted Gear?]
[Rias Gremory (Level 2, Stage 8): That makes sense now...]
After watching the memory images, Rias was familiar with the name Raynare. In the original story, Raynare had been the first antagonist Issei faced, a low-tier fallen angel. But after joining the villains chat group, it seemed Raynare had quickly become a high-tier fallen angel, even comparable to Rias herself in power.
It was fortunate that Raynare had already been eliminated by one of Eriri's comrades, or else she could have posed a great threat to Rias and her family in the future.
What Rias didn't know was that Raynare joining the villains chat group was the very reason she had been able to join the Multiverse Same-Sex ♀ Friendship Group in the first place.
After absorbing the villains chat group, Little Skirt had gained access to all the information stored in it, including the coordinates of the worlds its members hailed from. When Little Skirt invited new members, the chances of selecting individuals from these known coordinates were much higher.
Otherwise, the odds of any one person being selected from an infinite number of universes were astronomically slim.
[Kiss-Shot (Level 3, Stage 9): Whew, I finally finished watching. That was pretty intense. High School DxD was fun, but...]
[Rias Gremory (Level 2, Stage 8): Wait, don't tell me you're thinking...]
[Kiss-Shot (Level 3, Stage 9): Um, Rias, does your world really work that way? The whole Switch Princess thing…]
[Haramura Nodoka (Level 1, Stage 2): …]
[Rias Gremory (Level 2, Stage 8): I knew it! Please, let's not bring that up! embarrassed emoji]
Rias was starting to feel a growing frustration toward the now-deceased Issei Hyoudou and the creators of her memory images. Not only had they portrayed events that never happened, but they had also exaggerated some extremely embarrassing situations.
What comforted her a little was that, thanks to some convenient "holy light" censorship, none of the chat members had seen her exposed body. Still, it was a relief to know that not everything was visible to them.
However, if Rias had known that this censorship wasn't part of the original series, but was instead intentionally added by Eriri, she might have had a different reaction.
[Rias Gremory (Level 2, Stage 8): Eriri, is it possible for you to delete the High School DxD memory images from the chat group? Please, I'm begging you!]
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 5): Well, I could...]
[Arifureta (Level 4, Stage 2/Group Leader): Wait a minute, why didn't you ask me for help? I'm the group leader, after all.]
[Elsie (Level 3, Stage 7): That's probably because everyone knows you're the 'fake group leader'.]
[Kiss-Shot (Level 3, Stage 9): Mm, I thought so too.]
[Arifureta (Level 4, Stage 2/Group Leader): Hey!]
[Rias Gremory (Level 2, Stage 8): Oops, sorry about that. Group Leader, could you help me with this request instead?]
[Arifureta (Level 4, Stage 2/Group Leader): No problem, leave it to me!]
[Rias Gremory (Level 2, Stage 8): Thank you so much!]
[Arifureta (Level 4, Stage 2/Group Leader): …]
[Rias Gremory (Level 2, Stage 8): ?]
[Arifureta (Level 4, Stage 2/Group Leader): screenshot emoji]
[Arifureta (Level 4, Stage 2/Group Leader): Ahaha… turns out I don't have the authority to delete the memory images after all! squatting in the corner emoji]
[Rias Gremory (Level 2, Stage 8): …]
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 5): laughing emoji]
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