As the continuation of Volume twenty-four, I present you here the twenty-fifth volume. Actually, this would be the final volume for High School DxD. What an end. Oh, but it doesn't mean that High School DxD itself will end. I wrote the details on the second half of the afterword, but starting from the next issue, it will be [True High School DxD] starting all over again from Volume 1. This means that the unlabelled DxD that has continued until Volume 25 has ended on a high note.
Although it became something like 'Rossweisse should be on the front cover of Rossweisse's volume!', I was asked 'What would you choose for the end of DxD?', and I answered with jokes like "Rossweisse, of course!". I originally wanted to rejuvenate the numbering after the fourth arc, but as the timing wasn't good, we ended up getting into the final arc. And even though I started this afterword with something rather heavy, I would like to talk about many things as it's the last volume.
Ten years of serialisation have passed.
This year (2018) is the ten year anniversary as it's the tenth year of High School DxD's serialisation. In the serialisation world where going for five years is even considered to be amazing, and not to mention that I was able to continue writing the light novel for ten years, that is all because of the fans and staff. Once again, I would like to say thank you.
If we look back on these ten years, there were a series of challenges and struggles in each arc. While the first arc (Volume 1~2) was the start of the story, I think those two parts themselves are a complete story. The DxD world continued to expand from there as it continued to the second arc, third arc and more. Because this was my first series, I struggled with it. To change into something new…the fourth arc and the last arc were the most difficult (The Red Dragon Emperor's Awakening and the Tournament arc) themes, as I struggled while still continuing to write. Especially the last arc, which was pretty hard to write. The tournament and team battles, inflation expressions and things like that made me rack my brains on each Volume.
And currently, the hardest part is mainly the Gods. First of all, the super strong and major Gods went to the Isolation Barrier Field to fight against Trihexa, and when I researched on major battle-type Gods (other than the Hindu mythology), there were less than I thought there would be (there were many culture types and art types. Also, there were Gods that were similar to those previously mentioned in the story. Although I don't really mind about the villains being similar). And there are also Gods who don't like a fight that has been predetermined, and in the end, I always got a poor result, and unexpectedly ended up not putting them in even though I wanted to. I was also troubled as there are Gods who are strong, but because they are too minor, what would it be if these Gods fought and trampled the main character with unparalleled strength, and in the end, the tournament turned out this way. Or rather, the more I researched about it, there was something with the Hindu mythology that made me troubled by how should I put them and I couldn't put them. But, I think God Mahabali did something rather bad…
Also, as I put them in, I excluded Gods who might give me something like punishment or cause something bad to me as well. Mainly the connection with the Japanese Gods, that is. I excluded those which would be bad to me if I put them into my writings.
That's why, while there was the circumstance of the story (the protagonists' growth, legends of the monsters, Longinus' setting), I made those other than the Gods who have come out before starting from Sakra and other important Gods withdrew or similar form. I realised that just because this is a tournament arc, it doesn't mean that I can put everything in there.
Every time I add an arc, I felt like I was about to explode myself as I was in dilemma thinking about the story's setting, mythology, and legends. Well, as a result, the growth of the protagonists' side also swung completely though.
And now, to [True High School DxD]
The [True High School DxD] arc that will be starting from the next issue will be the same, the last arc. Then, why did I rejuvenate the numbering? While there were also some grown-up circumstances, my opinion as the writer is because I want to make Ise and Rias act together one more time. While drawing Ise's team in the tournament arc was fun, as expected, I wanted to write about the Gremory peerage of that time + alpha, so I thought of getting a fresh start in True DxD depicting the team at that time and writing about the rest of the tournament.
I wanted to pick up those who ended up in a different team starting from Rias, Akeno and Koneko. One of the factors is also because writing the battle of Rating Games has always been hard for me. If a fight based on rules becomes continuous, the compatibility with this work often goes bad. That's why I think I want to make the missed Ise as the Gremory Peerage (even though, the fact that he is a [King] doesn't change) play an active role. I will be making the surface as the Tournament while the rear side is the story between Ise peerage + Gremory Peerage (+ several people from the members of team [DxD]).
I didn't have any intention of making this unlabelled series super long. I am planning to make the continuation of the Tournament arc the ending. Volumes twenty-two to twenty-five are the preliminary stage arc, while the main stage arc starts from True DxD. I am hoping that the story about the alliance of the rulers of Hell, the remaining Longinus (including the new Longinus), as well as the Gods that I mentioned before can be told, as that would make me happy.
The plan will be longer than the one I mentioned in the afterword of volume twenty-two. Also, the [Twelve Chosen Heavenly Breasts] that appeared this time will also be told.
One more thing, the man that holds [Innovate Clear] and [Telos Karma] that finally appeared this time, Kanzaki Mitsuya, is based on the protagonist of my debut work [Denpachi]. —However, it's not like they are linked, as the Mitsuya in [Denpachi] is a different person. If you think about the Mitsuya in DxD as someone who got there because he was involved in another matter, it will be fine. You won't have any problem if you don't read [Denpachi] first. In the end, it's just the parallel of DxD. Well, I think it's fine if you just think of it like a star system.
Now, my thanks. People who have been along with me until the end of this unlabelled series, Miyama Zero-sama, chief editor T-sama, thank you very much. I am also counting on you with the continuation, [True].
The next volume [True High School DxD] is planned for release around summer.
—And, before that, starting from April this year the new TV anime series [High School DxD HERO] will be broadcast. [HERO] is by the combination of Ise's [H] and [ERO], which holds the meaning of the birth of the Oppai Dragon. The content will be volume nine and ten.
Thank you for going along with [True DxD], [DxD HERO] and [The Fallen Dog God —SLASHDOG—] this year without a break.