Chương 1: Chapter 1: Baraqiel's Joker
(Kuoh Academy, Kuoh Town, Kyoto Prefecture, Kansai Region, Japan, Asia, Earth, DxD / Draconic Deus Universe)
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(Ryūjin Himejima POV)
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''We've got a problem, old man.'' He said to Azazel.
''They killed someone before you arrived, right?'' Azazel responded with a sigh.
''Yeah, but that's not the worst part. It was the Welsh Dragon. Girl got lucky though, she had a flier from Gremory before it happened. Now she's Gremory's Pawn. What do you want me to do?'' He asked Azazel.
''What are our options?'' Asks Azazel.
''I could end it, kill the rogues. But that raises questions. Puts the Devils on edge, last thing we need and it doesn't give the Red Dragon Empress closure. I didn't want to make the offer, but if we want any hope of credibility at the peace table we hope to convene, then I'll have to make contact.'' Says Ryūjin.
''I'm sorry kid, I know it's not the reunion you were hoping for.'' Azazel said.
''It is what it is, but there's no use crying over spilled milk. You'll have to arrange the meeting though, I don't want to tip the rogues off. It's not easy hiding my presence.'' Says Ryūjin.
''Ryoukou town?'' Azazel asks.
''Yeah, send them to my place.'' Says Ryūjin.
''Your house or your Company?'' Asks Azazel.
''My Company. I ain't letting them know where I live.'' He says, even if it does hurt to say that considering Akeno's part of the Gremory Group.
''I'll contact Sirzechs.'' Azazel sighs.
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(POV Shift: Rias Gremory)
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She didn't know why her brother suddenly contacted her asking her to meet with the head of Ryūjin Industries.
All he had said was that she needed to take everyone with her. Thus Sona was temporarily placed in charge of Kuoh while her group made the trip to Ryoukou Town.
She'd protested because Ryoukou Town belonged to the Fallen Angels, and she was currently dealing with a group of them ignoring her authority as Governor over Kuoh.
But Zechs had insisted.
The Governor-General had granted her special permission for the trip and her brother had all but begged her not to embarrass him and their house by making him tell the Governor-General to take back his permission. In the face of that she couldn't say no, even if it required her to be escorted by two Fallen Angels.
She and her Peerage were presently in the Boardroom of the company waiting.
''Why are you still here? The CEO isn't a Fallen Angel.'' She heard Akeno ask the two sharply.
''Tsk, tsk, tsk. Come now sweet sister, have you really forgotten your own brother?'' Snapping their attention to the head of the table, they see a Fallen Angel in the CEO's chair.
''Ryūjin?'' She heard Akeno ask, her voice sounding weaker than Rias had ever heard it.
''You look like mom.'' The Fallen Angel said, and that was enough for Akeno to leap into his arms.
''I thought you were dead!'' Akeno said, crying.
''Just passed out from exhaustion. Though…what exactly is your excuse for abandoning me and mom?'' He said a little colder before chuckling at Akeno's face. ''Relax little sister, I'm only joking.'' He said before turning his attention to her. ''Thank you.'' She heard him mouth to her in a barest whisper. She understood what for quickly enough.
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(POV Shift: Akeno Himejima)
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He was alive!
He was alive and she'd not let him escape her again!
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(POV Shift: Ryūjin Himejima)
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About half an hour was how long it took Akeno to calm down enough that he was able to have a conversation with the Gremory Group.
''First let me extend my apologies to the Pawn of Gremory, I was on my way to put a stop to the whole situation you endured when I was delayed by several hours unexpectedly. Had it not been for that delay Raynare never would have had the opportunity to kill you.'' He told the girl who by all accounts should have been a boy.
''It's no problem I…I just realized I never asked for your name.'' She said.
''If you didn't hear Akeno say it, my name is Ryūjin Himejima. I'm the Joker of the Spades for Grigori, and head of the
Grigori special Operations division.'' Says Ryūjin.
''What exactly does that mean? Joker of Spades?'' Kiba asked.
''If the Great Satan positions were Evil Pieces, I would be Lucifer. That's close as I can explain it.'' Says Ryūjin.
''But the Fallen Angels don't have Evil Pieces.'' Koneko says.
''No, we do not, but we do have something far better Shirone.'' Ryūjin says, shocking the girl that he knows her real name.
''Meaning what?'' Asks Rias.
''I am the child of a Fallen Angel and a Human, yet I am a full-blooded Fallen Angel. After years of nagging, I got Azazel to create our own Reincarnation system based on a deck of Cards. Naturally, I was the first to be Reincarnated. My father made me his Joker of Spades. There will only ever be Four Jokers at any one time though. One four each suit. Our job is to act as the lynchpin of each suit, and our Power is increased massively as a result. We are still beholden to the Fallen Angel who Reincarnated us however. I have my own group within the System.'' Says Ryūjin, nodding to the two who'd escorted Gremory and company here.
''Why did you wish to meet with us?'' Rias asks.
''I didn't, I was left with no other choice. My orders were to subdue rogues without your knowledge, your Pawn's death forced my hand. You've no idea how fortunate you are to have Reincarnated her. Ironic, considering my best friend will beat the tar out of her when they meet.'' Says Ryūjin as Rias gets agitated.
''Is that a threat?!'' She asks dangerously.
''Hardly, she's the Red Dragon Empress, my best friend is the White Dragon Emperor.'' Says Ryūjin.
''Isane is…'' Rias says in surprise.
''Why are you surprised? She took up eight Pawn pieces and you assumed she had a Twice Critical? She's not even the only one in this room with a Longinus.'' Says Ryūjin, giving Rias a critical look.
''Does that mean, The ones who escorted us here have Longinus Sacred Gears too?'' Asks Kiba.
''No…I do. I am the Wielder of Telos Karma. But onto more important matters, I'm here to offer a quick and easy solution to the problem you're currently facing.'' Says Ryūjin.
''Now just a minute you can't drop bombs like that on us and then move on like it's nothing.'' Rias protested.
''Oh please, that's hardly the biggest bomb I could've dropped on you, just listen closely, red. I want the rogues you're dealing with returned to HQ. But here's the thing, they're in league with a piece of filth from the Astaroth Clan. I'll be killing him eventually regardless of what you say, but that's besides the point, let me take Raynare and Company back to HQ, and I'll let you have an incredibly valuable servant fall right into your lap.'' Says Ryūjin.
''What kind of Servant?'' Rias asks, her greed showing.
''The kind I'm not even allowed to be offering. I was going to make her my number Three. But my orders supersede my personal desires. Besides, I already have one of the strongest Decks within the Fallen Saints, this girl might be nothing special now, but she'll be a powerhouse someday.'' Says Ryūjin.
''You've given me much to ponder.'' Rias says.
''I'll be around sooner or later Gremory. I'll be sending someone for your answer. Just know I'm grabbing the rogues one way or another. This meeting was meant as a courtesy as much as it was about seeing Akeno again.'' Says Ryūjin.
''I don't want to leave you.'' Akeno said, speaking up for the first time in a while.
''I'll leave you my number and-'' He's cut off by:
''Play with me daddy!'' A small girl with black and blonde hair runs into the boardroom and hugs his leg.
''Alice, daddy is a bit busy right now, but he'd like to introduce you to someone. This is your Aunty Akeno.'' Ryūjin said, picking her up and holding her before Akeno.
''Why she look like Grandma?'' Alice asked.
''Because she's daddy's twin sister.'' Says Ryūjin with a small smile.
Akeno's eyes well up as she holds her niece.
''I've missed so much.'' Says Akeno.
''Not as much as you'd think.'' Says Ryūjin.
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He'd bid farewell to Rias and her household when Sae came running to him after realizing that Alice had vanished.
Thankfully however for Sae's sake, Alice was with him. Tobio's girlfriend adored Alice, but the little one's penchant for running off on her own had caused Sae no small amount of stress in recent months. He wondered whether or not Akeno would have a similar stress issue with own children in the future? It was worth considering.
Speaking of his twin, he'd exchanged numbers with Akeno, and provided Rias a means to get into contact with him. Wasn't how he'd have liked the meeting to go, he would've preferred to have shown up during the engagement party, his entire Deck with him and fucked over Riser. But he'd been forced to cut a deal with Gremory.
He had to agree to let Asia fall into her hands as well, unfortunate but hardly an obstacle. He already had a healer for his group after all, Asia joining him would have made him a glutton, and Shigune was already their resident Glutton.
He didn't need two.
Arriving at his home he was unsurprised to find his father already there. Baraqiel was playing with the rest of his grandchildren.
''Grandpa!'' Alice shrieked, flying towards Baraqiel soon as she saw him, her two black Wings revealing themselves.
''Alice, were you with daddy today?'' Asks Baraqiel.
''Hmm hmm, We met aunty too!'' Alice said, innocently unaware of how her grandpa shifted uncomfortably at that.
''Go check on your mother Alice, she has a sweet for you.'' Says Baraqiel.
''Okay, grandpa.'' Alice said, running off to find her mother.
''How was she?'' Baraqiel asked him.
''She seemed okay. Still hates your guts, but that's to be expected I suppose. I didn't tell her about mom. Didn't see the point in overloading her, especially since Alice showed up during the meeting.'' Says Ryūjin.
''How do you want to go about it?'' Baraqiel asked him.
''Slowly, I'll introduce her slowly. We'll start with Tobio, and go from there.'' Says Ryūjin as he nods to his father.
''I heard they killed the Welsh Dragon, but couldn't extract the Sacred Gear. Should I be worried that the Red Dragon Empress is so near my daughter?'' Asks Baraqiel.
''Hard to say, she was staring at me lustfully for most of the meeting. In any case, I better go meet with the rest of the horde.'' Says Ryūjin as Baraqiel chuckles dryly.
''The best and worst part of having children, never enough time.'' Baraqiel says, as Ryūjin stops halfway through the door.
''My goal has always been to get strong enough to be left alone with my family.'' Ryūjin says simply, as he walks further into his house to greet the rest of his family.
''Welcome back!'' He heard, turning to find his Queen of Spades, Lavinia Reni waiting for him with her hands full of their twins. Alice was one of their three children, and the oldest of his five. His other two belonged to a certain lazy and hormonal black Nekoshou. Yeah, that's right, he had kids with Kuroka. He and Vali were assigned by Azazel to track down a group of Devils that had strayed too far into the Fallen Angels territory. Sure enough they had been hunting Kuroka, and after killing them and Vali snubbing her advances, she latched onto him.
'Cough' Gold Digger! ' Cough'
He wasn't entirely sure if it was just about repopulation with Kuroka, but he did care for her enough to keep her around.
Regardless, the sex with her was fantastic and he could experiment quite a bit with Kuroka. Lavinia wasn't the kind of woman you got too kinky with.
It took them a while to get into that part of their relationship, longer than it had taken with Kuroka, but Kuroka wasn't too surprising given what he knew from his last life.
''Where's Kuroka?'' He asked Lavinia.
''She's sleeping, your activities last night exhausted her.'' Ryūjin chuckled nervously at the glare he was getting from his Queen. He'd had quite a night with Kuroka last night. She wanted more children to repopulate her race and obviously that meant some intimate time together.
Which was why he was delayed.
Ironic since he'd actually made plans to leave earlier, Kuroka anticipated that and shit happened. Suffice to say he'd be putting his foot down next time. Someone dying because he was delayed by having sex was not something he needed on his conscience. He got lucky purely because of the fact that Rias Gremory had reincarnated Hyoudou.
Hyoudou who was apparently female and that meant one of two things.
Either he was in an alternate DxD Verse or he was in the main one and by adding another male to the mix whosoever transmigrated his ass here decided someone - Issei - had to be genderbent to balance out an already disproportionate balance between males and females.
Not that he was complaining.
He was a pervert and she was growing quite nicely. Not as big as Lavinia or Kuroka, but they are both older than the girl and her Demonic Power hasn't grown enough to affect her bust size. Not that he minded, he wasn't attracted by something as base as a woman's body, it certainly helped them in his eyes, but it wasn't what he was after in any kind of Partner. No, he valued the personality more than anything else.
''Won't happen again.'' He told Lavinia.
''Don't lie to me.'' Lavinia says, poking his cheek.
''Fine, let me rephrase. It won't happen when I've got an important mission to get to.'' Ryūjin amends, and Lavinia grunts or rather she huffs cutely before walking away with the twins.
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(POV Shift: Rias Gremory)
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It'd been a day and a half since Akeno's brother had made a tempting offer for her to accept. But no matter how tempting it was, she would not agree to it. Why? Because of two very important reasons. He wasn't trustworthy and it wouldn't give Isane closure.
He admitted he planned to kill someone from the Astaroth Clan regardless of what she said and that he hadn't planned on contacting her at all, the fact he was delayed and Isane died as a result left him no other option. That didn't seem trustworthy to her.
She understood it she supposed, from the way he'd introduced himself he was in charge of the Grigori's Covert Operations, which actually made her question whether or not he was a Cadre or Leader-Class Fallen Angel. If he wasn't, then he had to be pretty damn close to being it. The revelation of their own version of Evil pieces was a significant piece of information, and one she'd passed on to the higher ups. His claims of having one of the strongest groups could have been bluster, but she couldn't discount the possibility it was actually true.
He claimed to be a Longinus user, and claimed Isane was one as well. The latter claim had made enough sense for her to ask Satan Beelzebub to run some tests, and while the data was officially inconclusive, he'd privately admitted he had enough doubts to say it might not be the Boosted Gear, but those doubts were far outweighed by the surety it was the Boosted Gear. Which also brought her to the matter of the fact that this very same Fallen Angel was Akeno's Brother and apparently not only had a Longinus, but was friends - best friends - with the White Dragon Emperor.
That kind of information had revealed a lot more than the average person might believe. It all but confirmed that Telos Karma and Divine Dividing were on the side of Grigori. It also raised the threat of Akeno's brother considerably. As a Fallen Angel he had access to Holy Power and as Akeno's twin and someone who had undoubtedly embraced their Fallen Angel side enough to more than likely have the same Holy Lightning of Baraqiel, he was easily in the upper echelons of High-Class if not a straight up Ultimate-Class in rank.
This would make him the crowning jewel of any Devil's Peerage, because of the threat all those put together posed to another Devil. Sadly this meant unless a more powerful Devil Reincarnated him and was willing to trade him to her. The dream if having him in her group would always be a dream.
But it also gave her concerns, not about him. But about Akeno. And that was her biggest issue right now.
A couple hours after leaving, it finally dawned on her best friend that her brother was on her father's side. Not specifically Grigori, because just being in Grigori didn't mean he was there willingly. He radiated a Holy Aura far greater than anything Akeno had ever brought out. Likely meaning he'd received training from Baraqiel.
Akeno wasn't taking that realization well. She was moody and broody.
She'd give it the day before she tried talking to Akeno. Better to let her cool off a little before trying to talk.
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(POV Shift: Ryūjin Himejima)
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Ryūjin was in his training room, lifting weights…in an environment set to 30x the Earth's natural gravity.
Vali was doing the same.
''You say she is the Red Dragon?'' Vali finally asked after ten minutes of what was likely fantasizing about an epic clash between rivals.
''Yes, and before you ask, she's nothing special. No bloodline or special abilities beyond Ddraig from what I've been able to detect. Near as I can tell Ddraig is still asleep. Quite surprised my presence didn't wake his ass up to be honest. After all Telos Karma is not the only Longinus I had, so why didn't he react to me?'' Asks Ryūjin.
''{{It's possible he did, but because you were not my host, he deemed you not worth the bother of actually going through the process of a rapid awakening.}}'' He heard Albion say.
''Say basically what you're saying white one is that because at most I've got some of your residual presence around me he woke up just enough to decide whether or not he should fully awaken?'' Asks Ryūjin.
''Yes.'' Was the white lizards response.
''Lazy bastard!'' Ryūjin growled under his breath. If there was one thing he loathed more than absolutely anything, it was being underestimated or considered nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
He was a Cadre for God sakes, and his body count included more than just one lofty name.
''You know it's amusing to think, you're a training maniac and I'm a battle maniac. Yet except for the first fight we've had, there's never been a conclusive victor. I who have all the genetic superiority and inherited talent, against you who have trained under a handful of teachers and carefully and quickly honed your natural talents and ability to be on my level. Yet even as you stagnate, I cannot beat you.'' Says Vali.
''Is there a point somewhere in there?'' He asked Vali, somewhat annoyed at the reminder of why he ultimately decided to become a Reincarnated and thus full-blooded Fallen Angel at all.
''My point is that even if you only manage to fight me to a draw, you've never actually lost to me. You can't beat me and thus you make a good starting point for my rival to focus on. If she is able to beat you she may prove a worthy adversary.'' Says Vali.
''You say that, yet her only distinct advantage over me is the fact her Boosted Gear ranks higher than Telos Karma. Don't forget, I still have one of the Big Four up my sleeve.'' Says Ryūjin enjoying the look of annoyance on Vali's face quite a lot.
''A Second Longinus, one you've never deigned to use against me. You'd actually consider using it on her?'' He asks, and although the first part was said in a tone that clearly showed Vali's aggravation at not being considered worth the effort of revealing Ryūjin's hidden ace, the question he asked was said in a way that told Ryūjin he was genuinely curious about whether Ryūjin would consider revealing his ace in the hole.
''Perhaps, never underestimate a pervert who follows the path of Righteousness.'' Says Ryūjin as he finishes his weightlifting. ''As it stands you'll have two perfect opportunities to observe her worth soon enough. Firstly, you'll get a copy if my report regarding the situation with Raynare and two… I hear Riser Phenex Is going to make an appearance to force Gremory's hand.'' Says Ryūjin.
''You expect a rating game.'' Vali realizes.
''Correct, and unless this Hyoudou girl attains Balance Breaker or Juggernaut Drive, they'll lose. Giving us an opportunity to make the perfect statement.'' Says Ryūjin.
''You're planning a raid if they lose.'' Vali says.
''Let's call it what it is: a gigantic fuck you. Phenex will inevitably grow bored of Gremory and try to have his way with my sister. That can't be allowed to happen under any circumstances. So if the Gremory Group loses, I'm going to blow up the front door. You're welcome to come along.'' Says Ryūjin.
''I'll think about it.'' Vali grunts.
''Well, in the meantime, I best shower and head to bed. I promised Lavi a night with just us tonight.'' He says as he gets up to leave.
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(POV Shift: Raynare)
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Something was wrong, the Gremory group and her pathetic victim had gone to Ryoukou Town. That was Lord Ryūjin's territory.
Her beloved was one of the Strongest Fallen Angels around. He reached his peak as a Hybrid, and became Leader-Class at twelve years old. Two years later he was Reincarnated as the Joker of Spades and became a member of his father's Deck.
Shortly after that, he got his own Deck and recruited the exceptional or extraordinary. As it stood, she was neither, but that would change soon enough. It was unfortunate she'd been unable to get her hands on that little sluts Twice Critical. It would have made acquiring the Twilight Healing instantly make her subsequent value skyrocket.
Her beloved already had a healer in his group it was true, but having a Twice Critical as well as a Twilight Healing would have given her the versatility her beloved so highly valued. With suitable training, she would be able to use the doubling of power granted by a Twice Critical to improve the Twilight Healing's Sacred Gear's abilities. She'd done some research and theoretically that could be applied a number of different ways, on the one hand, she could target her future Gear's rate of healing. In that regard she could either improve how fast the Sacred Gear healed or how much it could heal a serious injury. Or she could boost the overall power of the Sacred Gear's healing power. Her Lord's healer was said to be the best, but her abilities as a fighter were said to be limited.
Twilight Healing would never beat that, but the Twice Critical would have given her more uses than just a healer. Twice Critical after all was a Sacred Gear born from the leftovers of the Red Dragon Ddraig's corpse. Meaning that it's aura was more potent, and thus that as well could be of greater use.
All she'd ever done was try to be useful, first to Heaven and Lord Raphael, who was her commander during the twilight days of the war. She was simply a part of a small handful of Angels at the time who were on hand to deal with Lord Baraqiel's accidental incursion into Heaven's territory. She - like Kalawarner and Mitleet - had joined Raphael in confronting Lord Baraqiel. Lord Ryūjin was just a young boy at the time, but like Kala and Mitleet, she'd Fallen because of him. It had ended up being just a small skirmish between Raphael and Baraqiel. But one encounter with him and what he'd end up doing, and they fell.
When she'd been assigned here by Lord Azazel, she'd had the blessing of seeing her beloved shirtless and sweaty. Suffice to say she'd had to pleasure herself extensively to be mission ready.
She and Kala both.
All this was to become worthy of him.
She would not fail, she couldn't…
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(POV Shift: Rias Gremory)
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They had a problem.
One that necessitated a face-to-face meeting with their recent acquaintance. Looks like Akeno got to see her brother sooner than anticipated.
Though how pleasant it would be remained to be seen.
Hopefully it wouldn't come to a fight, she didn't know who Akeno would side with and thus she could be outnumbered easily.
But there was no way Akeno would lose out on the opportunity to meet with her brother, putting her in a bind.
''Oh come off it Gremory, no need to look so worried!'' She shot up to her feet and saw the topic of her thoughts lounging around on one of her couches.
''You!? How did you?! But?!'' She didn't even know where to start.
''Why so unhappy?'' Ryūjin asked comically.
''I could have just gotten out of the shower!'' She protests, trying not to blush.
''I'd like that, I can come back and we can make it happen if you like?'' He says, and she can't help but blush now.
''Don't say things like that.'' She protests.
''Why not? I like you enough Gremory. Your easy on the eyes, but you also have the most important part I look for in any woman I have a desire to have a serious relationship with.'' He says, and she feels her blush grow in intensity. Despite that however, she finds herself curious by what that part might be.
Regaining her composure, she grows smug as she looks at him. ''And what part would that be?'' She asks him.
''Despite everything, your a good person at your core, and you don't put your status or title on such an overly grand pedastal, because in the end - just like me - you wish to be seen as who you really are. In your case, you wish to be seen as Rias Gremory the person, something nearly every person here see's you as, in the underworld everyone else see's you as Rias Gremory, heiress to the Gremory Family. I know what that weight feels like, how insurmountable overcoming it can look to be. Best you can do is just take it one day at a time Gremory.'' He tells her, and she doesn't need Magic to know he's being honest.
''Thank you.'' She tells him honestly. It was a relief to know she was not the only one who who felt like she did at times. But it was quite flattering that he was able to not only discern how she felt, but saw her that way and had a similar desire.
''In any case, I received word that Freed had gotten involved. That means Raynare is speeding up her timeline. You're not taking my deal are you?'' Asks the Fallen Angel.
''No, I'm not. Does that make you my enemy?'' Asks Rias after taking a minute to calm herself from her new emotions, hoping he doesn't see her as his enemy.
''No, oddly enough it does not. That does however mean I'm going to have to step in regardless. Rogues they might be, but they are not worth the effort of Excommunication. Making us their reluctant leaders. I'll let your Pawn get a little closure, after that they belong to me. Consider this your only free pass with me Gremory. Anything in the future has to be an even trade.'' Says Ryūjin, as he sits up, and Rias lets out a breath she didn't even know that she was holding.
''I understand, and thank you.'' Says Rias.
''I'll see if I can get eyes on Raynare's group, if anything actionable occurs I'll have my cousin come to you.'' Says Ryūjin, before turning to her. ''Let me know when that twit Fiance of yours is about to show up, if he so much as looks at Akeno with lust, I'll give him a black eye.'' At that, she smiles in amusement.
''She can handle herself you know, and it's practically guaranteed he'll look at Akeno like that.'' Rias says wrly.
''I was going to work my way up to castration, but I can skip to it if you like.'' Says Ryūjin and Rias laughs at that.
''Like to agree to that as I might, I'm afraid I have to decline the offer.'' Says Rias.
''I wasn't offering. I'm giving him a black eye.'' Ryūjin says and Rias can tell he's completely serious, which admittedly somewhat scares her. ''Ah, at any rate, I have a rat to create. Later Rias.'' Ryūjin says as he dissipated.
''A projection?'' She breathed, that took high a level of skill in advanced magic.
She'd need to notify Sona about that detail.
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(POV Shift: Kalawarner)
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She was so fucked!
Raynare had sent her out to investigate a disturbance in their barriers, and before her was Lord Ryūjin.
She would have creamed herself then and there if not for the displeasure radiating from him.
''How can I serve you? Lord Ryūjin?'' She said prostrating herself before him.
''I need eyes and ears within Raynare's group. Can I rely upon you? Eh Kalawarner?'' He asks her and she shudders at the fact he knows her name.
''Of course my Lord, command me.'' She says.
''Let me know when Asia Argento arrives in Japan. I want to intercept her.'' Says Lord Ryūjin.
''Of course my Lord, I can divert her to any location you wish personally.'' She offered.
''No, I said I'd intercept her. Meaning me. Your job for the moment is to be my eyes and ears in Raynare's group. I'll give you a means to let me know when she's here in Japan, after that I'll make first contact with her. Under absolutely know circumstances are you to break your cover as my rat in Raynare's circle unless I tell you to. Understood?' He asks her sharply.
''Yes, my Lord!'' She Said obediently.
''Good girl, now then…try not to enjoy this too much.'' Says Lord Ryūjin.
…
…
…
…
…
Suffice to say she couldn't help herself.
She'd enjoyed it.
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(POV Shift: Ryūjin Himejima)
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He hadn't slept with Kalawarner.
She had to earn that reward for her service.
He remembered the name of every Angel he's caused to fall from grace. Kalawarner simply had the distinction of being more memorable due to the fact that in the same battle he'd caused Mittleet and Raynare to fall. Three angels for the price of one.
He wasn't especially proud of that battle, or how he caused them to fall. But Raphael deserved that black mark to his name. That's what he gets for picking a fight with his father in front of him. Granted he was only eight at the time and was largely responsible for the skirmish, so he didn't do a lot of damage because of how short the skirmish actually ended up being, but causing three angels to fall in a single battle before reaching a peak of strength won him no small amount of acclaim from the War Department. It was nagging Azazel Daily for a full two years into creating a Reincarnation System that worked and as such ultimately offered them a way to more quickly and rapidly replenish their numbers that had gotten his foot into the door of the War Department.
In the years since he'd trained under a variety of teachers, which is why even after reaching his bottleneck, he'd maintained his edge against Vali. Every time it looked like he was about to lose he'd break out something new to use to defend against Vali or he'd combine two of them against his friend.
He had trained extensively under six extremely talented and very legendary warriors, including at least one god! The first person he'd learned from had been his father, and the last was a byproduct of his third teacher pulling some strings.
It was worthwhile to note that ones own power didn't necessarily automatically increase ones number of wings. Power was just assumed because eventually ones own experience and how they used their power and skills to increase their strength typically factored in to gaining more power and thus more wings.
For example, by the time he got three pairs of wings, simply by virtue of increasing his power, he'd begun to stagnate, leading him to train under his Father to acquire an increased proficiency in both Holy Lightning and his Holy Power overall. His second teacher had helped with the latter, and as a result he gained another pair.
It was only after completing his training under his sixth teacher that he gained ten wings and was thus was made Leader-Class. After that he would join the fight against the Wizards of Oz and later Satanael. Which was how he'd recruited Tobio, Natsume, Shigune, and Lavinia to his deck.
They were his first members.
That made a total Deck of five with Three Longinus Users at that time. But right now? His deck had a total number of Seven Members with only two non-Longinus users in his Deck. Even so their Sacred Gears were high-tier ones and that was why he had one of the stronger Decks in the Grigori. His Deck boasted five people with a Longinus and that was nothing to sneeze at.
But now that he had his rat in Raynare's group he could intercept Asia in place of Hyoudou and befriend her and thus recruit her as a result. He had his healer already, but Asia also had additional value as a Dragontamer. That would help him a great deal against future foes. The Evil Dragons in partcular were of a concern given the raid he'd done on the Tepes family. Him and Vali had ended up at the border of Romania on one of their missions, but then Albion had detected Crom Cruach, Grendel, and Apophis. Since the last two were supposed to have been dead, that meant that Valerie was being forced to abuse her Longinus to revive them. And since he'd read up on said Longninus beforehand he was able to convince Vali to join him and they ended up fighting the three Dragons, however briefly.
Having a Dragontamer like Asia who was also a healer, would significantly improve their chances against future encounters against not just the Evil Dragons, but Hoyoudou and Vali. Plus, since Issei was a girl…would she still be perverted towards Asia or the others? Or was she - like just about every non-supernatural girl in the school - carrying a torch for Kiba? He'd probably have to enroll at Kuoh Academy either after he dealt with Raynare's group or after he dealt with Riser. If he could find that out it might or might not help him in a battle against the girl if Vali had his way.
''Gremory you there?'' He asked after deciding to call her via Magic Circle.
''Yes, what is it?'' She asked tiredly.
''I have eyes and ears in the group. When my cousin arrives, forcibly summon your Peerage if they haven't arrived already. I'll do my bit, and give you their location afterwards.'' He tells her before hanging up.
Time for bed he thinks….
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(POV Shift: Tobio Ikuse)
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The boss had him on standby awaiting word to deliver information to the Gremory heiress. He said it wouldn't likely be more than a week, but quite possibly a day or two. So he was making it count by visiting Sae frequently and for long periods.
Thanks to the boss, he got her and all the other students back and thanks to him he was able to heal her. That was two massive weights off of his shoulders. Joining his deck seemed like the least that he could do under the circumstances.
The benefits outweighed the losses as well. Having access to his own source of Holy Power had been very beneficial. Lycaon said that it had made the properties of his blade even more lethal. Tobio didn't know for sure if that was a good thing as he'd only ever gone full power against Satanael. Which predated his Reincarnation.
But if it helped him face foes out of his league so be it.
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(POV Shift: Ryūjin Himejima)
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Kalawarner had signaled him to Asia's arrival. He tracked her down immediately. He could not afford to let Hyoudou get there first.
Thinking about logically as he flew, he did not understand why he was so keen to get to Asia. He already had a better healer already within his Deck, he reminded himself. As useful as her Dragon taming was, it wasn't critical he get to Asia. Actually theoretically…he could get to Asia first and still afford to lose her to Gremory. So long as he got there first and followed what he remembered, he should be alright. But again, now that he was close to getting to Assia, he was able to think logically.
Maybe this was one of his impulse moments. He was usually able to control his impulses, so why was he only now getting some clarity as he neared Asia's location? This was hardly the first time he'd had this kind of situation. It had happened with Tobio and Lavinia both.
He rushed to get them into his group, rather than waiting and as a result Azazel had to be bribed into juicing up his deck.
Except the difference this time was that Asia's Sacred Gear - although higher mid-tier - was nothing too special. It was the kind of Gear that although rare and considerably more powerful than your average Sacred Gear regardless of whether or not it was a healing-type, was not powerful enough to constitute a higher card than three. Azazel's coding for the Fallen Saints meant that the Queen, Jack, Joker, Ace, and the Ten and Nine were the most powerful Cards, with The Joker being the most Powerful overall, but the Queen, Jack, and Ace being the most powerful within any given Deck.
Now for whatever reason Azazel saw fit to add two Jack's to each suit. Meaning that their numbers theoretically could line up with a Devils Peerage.
Azazel took inspiration from Beelzebub as well by creating Boost Cards. These were essentially the Mutation Pieces of the Fallen Saints. By default Joker's were Boost Cards. At his own suggestion, the Queens of Joker's and their Ace, and Jacks were made Boost Cards, which were essentially Mutation Pieces. Now, a fun fact about the Joker Cards being Boost Cards was that each of the Four Joker Card's was imbued with a special ability unique to one of the Cadres.
For example, The Joker of Clubs was to be gifted his Father's Holy Lightning.
But he was given another Cadre's Holy ability. Azazel claimed it was for diversity among the suits. Ryūjin wasn't sure if he believed him. Additionally, although the King, Queen, Jacks, and Ace Cards were automatically Boost Cards, like with the Evil Pieces, the level of the multiplier was randomized, and in the event that any other Card's were going to be Boost Cards, the chances would be increasingly less likely the more powerful one's King, Queen, Jacks, or Ace Card's were. There was however a chance for a Fallen Angel who hit an exceptional growth to see their unused Card's become Boost Cards. For example, the fight against the Evil Dragons had made his number 4 card exceptionally powerful because in that battle he'd been able to combine Senjutsu with his Holy Power.
It made him curious as to how Asia's Twilight Healing would be affected by both Holy Power, the Holy Elemental Magic he'd received from being the Joker of Spades, and a Boost Card. as he was a Joker, his Boost Card's would receive access to the Holy Power of the Fallen Angel who served as the Deck Master of Spade Suit.
Speaking of Asia Argento….
''Excuse Me? Does anyone here speak Italian?'' He heard a voice that belonged to Asia.
''Do you need help miss?'' Ryūjin asked Asia.
''Oh thank God, I thought I'd never find a local who spoke Italian.'' Said Asia, and Ryūjin ignores the throbbing pain in his head he gets as a result of Asia invoking his grandfathers name.
''It's certainly a possibility, I'm not actually a local you see. My sister lives here, but I'm from the neighboring Ryoukou Town. I only know Italian because I spent time in Calabria, Sicily.'' He told her, which wasn't a complete lie.
''Then, could you help me find my way? I need to get to the local church.'' Said Asia, as her stomach rumbled slightly.
''First, how about we get something to eat?'' Asks Ryūjin. ''By the way, my name is Ryūta, Ryūta Shinra, but everyone just calls me Ryū.'' Said Ryūjin, uttering his first lie, and feeling sick to his stomach for lying to such a sweet and innocent girl.
''Thank you, that sounds nice. My name is Asia, Asia Argento.'' Asia said a little embarrassed by her stomach rumbling. Her embarrassment increased somewhat when he offered her his arm.
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(POV Shift: Raynare)
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Where was that dumb little slut! She should have been here already. Kalawarner told her she watched her board the plane and that said plane had then took off for Japan.
So where the fuck was Asia Argento?!
She was necessary to become useful to her beloved. That Sacred Gear of hers was powerful enough to get her onto her Lord's radar, but not enough to guarantee her a place at his side. She'd have to comb this town for a suitable replacement for that Hyoudou girl's Twice Critical. There was at least one other Dragon-Type Sacred Gear in this town according to the Sacred Gear Scanner she had.
Was there another?
If the nun didn't arrive soon, she'd send Kalawarner out to collect her.
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(POV Shift: Asia Argento)
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She'd had so much fun with Ryū. He took her to a restaurant where she had her first burger, after that he led her to the church. He saw her use her Sacred Gift of healing from God and didn't seem scared in the slightest.
He revealed that he also had such a gift, but he had been ordered by his father never to reveal it to anyone. She understood why, her gift wasn't always seen as such. She'd been excommunicated because she'd been able to and did in fact heal a Devil.
His father must have a similar fear.
After that he led her to the church, and from there he'd had to leave her because of a phone call he'd gotten. But they'd promised to meet up again later in the park where'd they'd met
She'd be lying if she said it wasn't a relief that she had someone to see that was kinder to her than her current company. The Fallen could be cruel at times, but they'd taken her in when no one else had. She owed them.
But Ryū had been kinder to her in a day than they ever had in the three years she'd been with them.
But she had a debt.
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(POV Shift: Ryūjin Himejima)
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The first meeting with Asia had gone as well as expected. He had Tobio inform Gremory that she should have actionable intel in two days at the earliest and should begin getting her group ready.
When Raynare inevitably took Asia, he'd play the part and let her be taken before going to the Gremory Group himself. He'd take Tobio to make sure that Rias abided by the rules.
Isane Hyoudou got her battle with Raynare, but the punishment would not be theirs to apply.
He'd leave Tobio to take care of the others. After that, he'd go with Hyoudou to deal with Raynare. He'd still play the part of someone from the Five Principal Clan's, but he'd step in at the right moment. He'd not be able to hide his Fallen Angel heritage and thus he would introduce himself as Ryūta Shinra, Ace of Ryūjin.
It'd be a long and arduous task, making everything work out perfectly. But If his first contact with Asia worked out It'd be worth it.
All he needed was to be patient, and for Rias Gremory to be just as patient as he was.
For the moment though, he had some free time on his hands, maybe he should pay Akeno a visit?
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(Author's Note:)
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Decided to end it there folks.
Now then a lot for me to cover in this AN, so I'll try to explain it as best I can and as simply as Possibly in as short an Author's Note that I am able.
Firstly The Joker of Spades comes title comes from the fact that Ryūjin is the Joker of Spades in the Fallen Saints. Now to clarify he is his father's Subordinate, but his Joker role puts him directly in a position of Authority amongst the Suits.
Secondly, he at a purely experience-based level he is on par with a Cadre. He doesn't have Ten Wings, but his position as a Joker and that experience coupled with his skills technically makes him Cadre-Class. Now for the unaware, Cadre's are alternatively named Leader-Class since they form the group from which the Governor-General and Vice Governor-General are selected from.
Thirdly Ryūjin does have two Longinus, he has the thirteenth that he makes no attempts to hide, and another he keeps under wraps. Now whether or not it actually is in the top four strongest or the claims were simply bluster remains to be decided by me.
Fourthly, I decided to make Ryūjin debut in the opening episodes/volumes for three simple reasons. Firstly it serves as a good opportunity for developing his character and his relationships. Secondly it allows me to open the proverbial door for a potential nudge with Sirzechs Lucifer. Thus when it gets back to the sis-con that such a powerful person is in Kuoh and has a vested interest in potentially preventing Riser marrying Rias, he might be willing to mediate when Ryūjin breaks down the Phenex Families front door. The third reason is because it also allows me more time to establish relationships between Ryūjin and other characters.
Now for my fifth reason, Genderbending Issei. This is a complex number of reasons. I've never made attempts to hide the fact I dislike Issei. I respect his character enough, but I'm not overly fond of his character nevertheless. However that's not why I genderbent him.
I genderbent him because in the first place, outside of the Hentai genre it's increasingly rare for someone with as much perversion as him to be female. Second, I wanted to experiment a little with a Female Issei because it would automatically change how she was killed and thus Raynare's tactics, allowing me the opportunity to change Raynare's arc and overall legacy a little bit. Third, I write in a fem Issei even less than I do his Canon gender, so it's new territory for me. Fourth having a perverted female Issei allows me to potentially explore the wider female side of perversion at Kuoh Academy instead of just the two other pervs who are male.
My Sixth tipic is, just because Ryūjin has gone to Romania and battled the Evil Dragons and Tepes Faction does not automatically mean Valerie Tepes is his healer. It could be the girl who served as Shooting Stars Bishop, Le Fay Pendragon, or Meredith Ordinton even. Which is another reason I'm leaving it deliberately ambiguous as to their identity. Besides, Sephiroth Graal isn't strictly a Healing-type Sacred Gear, it deals with the principle of Life and thus the Principle of Death. So theoretically it could wound as well as heal.
Seventh, we'll be seeing one or two new members next chapter, and Ryūjin may or may not recruit Asia. The topic of his impulse moments is something I want to be apart of his personality and his mental health, he can be so set on one outcome, but as he gets to the tipping point of making that decision or near said tipping point, he'll be able to gain a degree of logic and understanding about things. If you've read my past DxD fics you'll notice I'm somewhat indecisive with Peerages and Decks. I want to have Ryūjin overcome that indecisiveness in my place and truly become the Strongest Fallen Angel with the Strongest Fallen Saints Deck.
I suppose my final note would be regarding why I placed Kuoh Town in Kyoto Prefecture. Simply put, the train ride in DxD Hero didn't seem to be a particularly long one from what little we see if it, for me that's reason enough to slap them into the same prefecture.
That pretty much covers everything worth bringing up for the moment. So that's really it for now. See you next chapter.
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Thanks to Lewis Wilson, Mitchell Howard, David Martinez, ROGUE505 Saver, Morgan Sinn, Mathew T Linderman, Luck George, Kyle Diano, Zeldris Wrath, D3EATH707, Julien, and Duy for their support on P-atreon.
And also a big thank you to Cody, Luci Alarra, TJ Cruz, Beastmode2003, Kunta, Availon90, Gavin Barclay, Dragonslayer29, Jacarya Robinson, Nathan Just, Francisco J Guzman, Axlii, Reece Hutton, and Ken Harris for their past support on Patreon.
The next Chapter is currently available on my relaunched and rebuilt P-atreon, to access simply search the following link, but without the dash between the P and A, Two tiers with the same benefits but different contexts. The chapters on P-atreon will be published when the chapters following them are done and dusted and ready to publish over here on this site.
p-atreon.com/TheRagFromTheCragCorner22
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