Life.3 Our New Friend Is The Mysterious Diva
Part 1
We returned from the subjugation of the unknown Devils. As we arrived at the Hyoudou residence, Rias and Ravel explained to the higher-ups of the Underworld about the successful subjugation, the encounter with the mysterious girl, and that we would look after her—. The song that was sung by the purple-haired girl did cause me and Bova some trouble, but as soon as it stopped, our bodies returned to a normal condition. Just in case, we reported the situation to the Grigori, who were knowledgeable on the Sacred Gear research, as well. The girl that we looked after was sleeping in a separate room. There were also surveillants placed to watch her so that she didn't leave the house. After a few hours had passed, we were contacted by the higher-ups of the Underworld. The spacious VIP room on the top floor of the Hyoudou residence was set up as a reception room. There, the members involved in the subjugation convened for a meeting (Bova also attended by shrinking his body). A magic circle was then created in the middle of a table in the VIP room, projecting a figure of one of the higher-ups. The higher-up was — Maou-sama. Maou Ajuka Beelzebub-sama. Currently, he was the only remaining one who held the seat of a Maou from among the Four Great Satans. Beelzebub-sama showed his gratitude to us for the subjugation, and also spoke about the purple-haired girl.
[Her name is — Leviathan. Ingvild Leviathan. She's a descendant of the previous Maou Leviathan. Plus, she's half-human.]
[—!?]
Everyone was completely shocked by that report.
Of course! One of the Maou Leviathan… To make things worse, she was the descendant of the previous Leviathan! The Devils' government of the current Underworld had been reorganised after the civil war which occurred in the past. After the great war between Angels, Fallen Angels, and Devils, all sides suffered such severe losses that the birth of the next generations kept declining dangerously, putting the survival of the entire race at risk. Among them, a civil war was instigated by the Devils who held the blood of the previous Four Great Satans. They wished to continue the war and resist to the bitter end, and they fought against those who wished for the conflict to stop. As a result, the side who attempted a coup d'etat won, and those who held the blood of the previous Maous were chased out to the fringes of the Underworld. After that, the Four Great Satans became something not hereditary, but rather a succession to the Devils who were powerful at that time. Ajuka Beelzebub-sama was one of the powerful people at that time, similar to Rias's brother, Sirzechs-sama who took up the name of Lucifer. One of the reasons why the House of Gremory was a prestigious noble family was that it had produced a Maou.
On the other hand, the expelled Devils who inherited the blood of previous Maous lived in poverty in the outskirts of the Underworld. However…last year, they united with the terrorist organisation Khaos Brigade, creating the Old Maou Faction, and they propagated war against the current Devil government, as well as other mythologies. Those who bore the previous Maou's blood… There were other people like the purple-haired girl — Ingvild, who had mixed with humans. One of them was my Heavenly Dragon rival, Vali Lucifer. He was the great-grandchild of the previous Lucifer, and his mother was a human. As a result, he had the power and talent from possessing the blood of Lucifer, while he also possessed a Sacred Gear as a human, which gave him unrivaled strength. I asked Beelzebub-sama.
"A-Are you saying that she's the same as Vali?"
[It's a different case, but you can say that it's the same in terms of being the descendant of the previous Maou, while also having human blood and a Sacred Gear.]
…Are you serious? Another case like Vali's…I didn't even know how to react… No, I had heard that there were cases of descendants from the High-class Devils of the former Seventy Two Pillars who had survived as half-humans. However, I thought there were no other pure descendants of the previous Maou who were half-human other than Vali as he was a really rare case. Beelzebub-sama then continued
[That girl has been afflicted with a sleeping illness for a long time.]
—.
I felt familiar with that illness. I spoke about the case that I remembered.
"Speaking of a sleeping illness, Sairaorg-san's mother also had one."
Beelzebub-sama gave his affirmation.
[That's right, she also suffered from the same thing. However, a while ago, her consciousness returned miraculously. And the reason for that is that the Sacred Gear which she owns awakened.]
Well, Sairaorg-san's mother also woke up miraculously, but from what I'd heard, there wasn't any cure for that disease yet. In Ingvild's case, it was her Sacred Gear that affected her, huh… Beelzebub-sama continued and said shocking things.
[The Sacred Gear that she owns…is one of the five newly classified Longinus, [Nereid Kyrie]]
[—!?]
Everyone was once again shocked by this report! T-That girl, she was a Longinus user!? Plus, it's the new type one. Speaking of Longinus, it was a name for rare types of Sacred Gear that held strong…no, power and abilities which deviated greatly from all the other Sacred Gears. I also had one of them. [Boosted Gear] was a Longinus, and similarly, the one that my rival Vali had, [Divine Dividing], was one of the Longinus as well. Many of my comrades… or should I say people who were a part of [DxD] were Longinus users. Gasper and Lint-san who were present here were also Longinus users.
Until a while ago — [True Longinus], [Zenith Tempest], [Annihilation Maker], [Dimension Lost], [Boosted Gear], [Divine Dividing], [Sephiroth Graal], [Incinerate Anthem], [Canis Lykaon], [Regulus Nemea], [Absolute Demise], [Innovate Clear], [Telos Karma], those were all the thirteen Longinus that were validated, but there were new Longinus that were observed recently. The five Longinus that were added were [Aeon Balor], [Alphecca Tyrant], [Unknown Dictator], [Nereid Kyrie] and [Star Buster Star Blaster], thus making a total of eighteen longinus present. Gasper's Longinus was one of the new ones, [Aeon Balor]. The same as Ingvild, as she held the new Longinus [Nereid Kyrie]. Kiba replied.
"If I'm not mistaken, that is one of the high-level Longinus, right?"
Just like Kiba said, there were some Longinus that were considered top-class as they were more powerful and vicious. Until now, the four Longinus that were considered as top-class were [True Longinus], [Zenith Tempest], [Annihilation Maker], and [Dimension Lost]. With the newly added ones, there were two that were considered as top-class, [Nereid Kyrie] and [Star Buster Star Blaster]. Depending on the way it was used, a top-class one could even destroy a whole country, which would have considerable impact on the world. Though it seemed like there were some Longinus that were detested and went against common rules, making their use a taboo. Beelzebub-sama said
[A top-class type is severely dangerous. When the Grigori was doing research on her Sacred Gear, she had just woken up. But then, Ingvild concealed her own presence. And that is the same as what happened during this incident.]
Disappearing in the middle of the investigation, huh… Wait, so she disappeared, and she was here when she was next found? J-Just what in the world happened to that girl…? While we had various doubts, there was someone who entered the room.
"We also did some investigation on Ingvild Leviathan previously."
The one who entered the room was a handsome guy who had an eyepatch on his right eye! He also wore his usual and characteristic Han-style clothing.
"Cao Cao!"
I called the guy's name. He was the former ringleader of Khaos Brigade's Hero Faction. We had fought several times, and he certainly did give us trouble. However, we somehow managed to defeat this guy. After that, a lot of things happened, and he was now a vanguard for Mount Meru's boss, Sakra. He had somewhat become less of a bad guy as he often helped us [DxD] when something happened. This guy also had one of the top-class Longinus. Plus, he was the user of [True Longinus], the strongest Longinus that was said to be the first Longinus. Cao Cao was also participating in the Rating Game World Tournament, and the team that he led got into the main stage. Cao Cao said to Ravel, who was preparing tea
"Uhm, I'll have hot milk instead. Please go easy on the sugar."
Ravel went 'okay, okay' as she went down to get the milk. I was curious as he also ordered hot milk the last time we met, so I asked him about it. Cao Cao laughed blankly.
"I have a child's taste buds, and I think that a cheese hamburger is the world's tastiest dish. Well, but I'm fine with that."
Cao Cao returned to the topic and said.
"It seems like Ingvild Leviathan was kidnapped by the unknown Devils…no, the one who's backing them."
Kidnapped by the guys who controlled the unknown Devils… So, was it safe to assume that it was the rulers of Hell? As we thought about such things, Beelzebub-sama said.
[I guess I can't keep this a secret from you guys now. The unknown Devils that are rampaging across the Underworld and the territory of other mythologies, they were born from the mother of Devils, Lilith.]
[—]
…So it was exactly like what his Eminence Strada had imagined. Still, everyone was shocked by this. Also, we kept receiving shocking news, but you know that it was not good for our hearts, right? Beelzebub-sama continued.
[As we investigated the composition of their bodies, we found that they have the same qualities as the ancient Devils…in other words, the first-generation nobles that Lilith-sama directly gave birth to. And worse, we saw some traces that Lilith-sama was forced to gave birth to them in a rough situation and force their growth, as we could see the part that controlled magic had some defects in it.]
The same as the noble Devils… Well, it was normal since their mother was the same I guess… Rias asked Beelzebub-sama.
"Lilith-sama gave birth to them… Well, Beelzebub-sama, if that's the case, who found and forced Lilith-sama to give birth to those new Devils? So, it's just like what we thought…"
Beelzebub-sama nodded submissively in response to Rias's words.
[…Just like you guys predicted, the rulers of Hell led by Hades have found Lilith-sama and produced the Devils.]
So it was those guys! Those guys had such dangerous ideology that they even tried to put my father in danger. …Just as I expected, they had crafted dangerous plans and had begun executing them! Beelzebub-sama continued.
[Even though we already know that, they'll pretend they know nothing. Because although they clearly do hold hostility towards us, they haven't clearly declared war yet.]
Xenovia made an unpleasant face.
"And I really want to go attack them like, right now, but…it's not really legitimately simple, huh. We are also part of [DxD]. We need concrete proof that'll serve as a reason."
It was your usual belligerent Xenovia, but compared to our first meeting, she could now look at things more calmly. Maybe it was because she became the president of Kuoh Academy's student council. Ravel made a frightened expression in response to this talk. Somehow, her thoughts looked like it was somewhere else because she was too scared.
"…Maou-sama, if the transcendental beings that are participating in the Rating Game World Tournament are…"
The image of the copper-haired young male Devil Balberith, as well as the long and jade-haired Devil girl Verrine that we previously met before popped into everyone's head in response to those words. They were a part of a team that was led by a Grim Reaper from the Netherworld. And their power was said to be Transcendental-class, which was equal to a God's. They also went to the main stage with their overwhelming power. However, there were only three names that were confirmed as Transcendental class as of now, including Rias's brother Sirzechs-sama, as well as Ajuka Beelzebub-sama. Then, suddenly, there were two names that appeared as Transcendental-class. And those two were from the team that the Netherworld's Grim Reaper led—. What we could understand from that was enough to make us completely shiver! —Hades and the others used the Devils' mother, Lilith, and produced Transcendental beings!? Everyone became speechless as a result of that too. After a moment of silence, Irina burst out as she stood up and screamed.
"I-If they can artificially produce transcendental beings…won't that tip the power balance of all mythologies?"
What Irina said was true, as the power of transcendental beings was of that caliber. In fact, in the past coup d’état that happened in the Underworld, the old government was able to be overthrown because transcendental beings like Sirzechs-sama and Ajuka Beelzebub-sama played a big role. If they created transcendental beings on purpose…that was a big problem. The fight against the rulers of Hell whose subordinates were transcendental beings…just imagining it made us go pale. Beelzebub-sama said.
[Just like you guys said, Hades and the others are conducting an experiment on creating transcendental beings. However, rather than being able to produce transcendental beings at will, it seems more likely that their experiments with Lilith-sama have only been able to produce transcendental beings at random. Just think the unknown Devils as something that's born as a process of the experiment on creating transcendental beings. That means, we should assume that they sent those failed Devils to every mythology's territory to carry out another experiment.]
…So their goal was to carry out an experiment on creating transcendental beings! To think that the Devils that we subjugated were just extras… Using the mother of Devils Lilith to conduct an experiment on making transcendental beings, Hades and the others surely had thought up something crazy! …Their act was similar to Rizevim, who used the Holy Grail Longinus to revive the legendary Evil Dragons. But they were hard to deal with as they were Gods! Beelzebub-sama then continued.
[Now, this is just my speculation, but I think it's already not possible to conduct further experiments on creating transcendental beings.]
—.
…You weren't kidding, right? You were saying that the likes of Balberith and Verrine wouldn't increase? Beelzebub-sama said this.
[Lilith-sama's body won't withstand it. Because when we counted the amount of Devils that appeared in all mythologies, she seemed to have given birth to quite a lot of Devils in a short span. They can't force her anymore.]
…I see, so the number of transcendental beings wouldn't increase suddenly. Well, if that were to happen, we'd surely be annihilated. Just the thought of a thousand people at Sirzechs-sama's class. We'd die no matter how you looked at it! Kuoh Town would be blown apart in an instant! Beelzebub-sama tried to calm us down as he laughed and said.
[I want you guys to entrust the issue of the whereabouts of the artificial transcendental beings and Lilith-sama to me. However, if you guys do encounter the artificial transcendental beings, please consider leaving them alive, okay?]
—Everyone responded.
[Understood.]
…Well, I guess there was a possibility of killing them if they laid their hand on my subordinates. Cao Cao changed the topic as he asked Beelzebub-sama.
"Now, what do we do with Ingvild Leviathan?"
Beelzebub-sama answered.
[Umu. She's still lightheaded since her consciousness came back, so she hasn't regained her memory yet. It's safe to say that she's still fuzzy. Also, about the special abilities of the new Longinus… It's really dangerous. [Nereid Kyrie], it has two special abilities. The first is the power to make a Dragon powerless, or enslavement by her voice. The other one is controlling the sea. This is also troublesome. In other words, she can control a large group of Dragons, and even sink urban areas by controlling the sea. Depending on the way it's being used, it is a Sacred Gear that can easily affect the world in a bad way. That's why it's categorised as a top-class Longinus.]
The power to make Dragons powerless and the power to control the seaaaa!? …So that's why Bova and I lost our power when we heard the song… Also, controlling the sea…wasn't that a dangerous one!? She'd be able to sink urban areas…!
I-I mean, I'd heard about the Sacred Gear that could control the weather, but not one that could control the sea. That being said, although it was a new Longinus, it was absurd that, depending on the way it was used, it could control the whole ocean…! I guess that was the reason she was targeted. The ability to make the living being that was said to be the strongest, Dragons, powerless. The ability to control the sea that covered more than half of the human world. It was only natural that there were mythologies who wanted the Sacred Gear that could do such things. What a frightening thing to be kidnapped by the rulers of Hell! But, she was so lucky that she was somewhere where we could watch over her. Beelzebub-sama then said this frightening thing.
[The first problem is, does her singing voice work on a Dragon Gods or not? The beings who abducted her might have that as their final goal.]
[—!?]
We were dumbfounded in response to Beelzebub's frightening forecast. If she could make Dragons powerless and enslave them… Then it might affect the world's strongest Dragons, [Ouroboros Dragon] Ophis and [Apocalypse Dragon] Great Red! If those two were to be enslaved… It was so frightening that even by imagining it, we got goosebumps. Although we didn't know if it did have that kind of power or not, we couldn't take our eyes off her. If she were to be abducted and used by the enemy's organisation…t was going to be bad! Beelzebub-sama completely changed as he laughed.
[And as such possibilities were taken as a consideration, you guys should keep watching over her… Furthermore, I want to save people who have the blood of the previous Maous. Both sympathetically and politically.]
Ravel said.
"… There are still groups who support the previous Maous after all."
Vali, who bore the blood of the previous Maou, also did join a terrorist organisation for a while, but he was actively participating in the tournament now. The support from the people who respected the previous Lucifer was so great that even the politicians wished to be in contact. Though he looked like he rejected it as it was troublesome. Beelzebub-sama said.
[It can also serve as a way to get their support, and if we can get our hands on them first… If I speak more about the government's speculation, it might affect your activities as [DxD]. We, the higher-ups, only have simple orders; the protection of Ingvild Leviathan, and I want you guys to defeat the enemy's boss…the one behind all of this, as they might come back to take back that girl.]
Rias asked to confirm.
"Even if the enemy…is a God, you want us to defeat him?"
Beelzebub-sama fearlessly laughed.
[You ask such things now? You guys are the team that has the power to defeat even Gods. I want you to act as the one that will deter against all mythologies.]
[Understood!]
Now that we had left the artificial transcendental beings to the higher-ups, we could focus on the things in front of us. I would protect Ingvild from the bad guys! My forte was protecting girls, you know! It was good that it was simple! —And, Cao Cao told Beelzebub-sama.
"Looks like the talk is finished. The investigation that you asked, I'll continue it along with the [Slash Dog] Team in the long run, because there is a possibility that there is a connection."
[I'm counting on you.]
As he confirmed that, Cao Cao left us a few words as he tried to leave the room.
"And now, the only question left is, why was Ingvild Leviathan in this area? It's either within their expectations, or perhaps… Well, I guess we'll find out."
Cao Cao left the Hyoudou Residence as he said that—.
Part 2
A few hours after the meeting with Beelzebub-sama—. The purple-haired girl, Ingvild Leviathan, was sleeping in the Hyoudou Residence's spare room. She was sleeping as she was still affected by Rossweisse-san's hypnotism magic. Outside the room, my comrade's familiar was placed to watch her so that when Ingvild woke up, she didn't leave her room. I organised the information about Ingvild that I got from Beelzebub-sama. She was the descendant of the previous Maou Leviathan. She was a precious existence. On top of that, she also held the new Longinus, and its power was being targeted. The ones targeting her was the mastermind that sent the unknown Devils to the Kuoh Town area. Though we still didn't know who it was, it was basically confirmed that they had a connection to the rulers of Hell. …I was sure the ringleader was an evil God.
And about Ingvild's personal information… I was really surprised when I was told about her information. She had just woken up from her sleeping disease, and…she became afflicted with that disease more than a hundred years ago. The fact that she was a descendant of the Leviathan had also just come to light. According to the rumors, only the noble Devils that were a part of the previous Maou Leviathan faction knew about this information. And those noble Devils hid the girl who was affected by the sleeping disease in their own territory. …I was surprised by the fact that things like this were still being hidden.
Though she bore human blood, if she was the descendant of the previous Leviathan, the current government would surely make a ruckus about it. But this meant that even the Old Maou Faction that was a part of Khaos Brigade also didn't know about this. On the contrary, we were the ones who felt surprised, as when the imprisoned Old Maou Faction members were interrogated, they looked like they didn't know anything. Beelzebub-sama also said that there was someone in the Old Maou Faction who went by the name of Katerea Leviathan who bore the blood of the previous Leviathan's blood legitimately… but Katerea probably wasn't told anything about this. If she had known, she would have killed Ingvild Leviathan who's a half-human… As to why the Devils of the previous Leviathan faction didn't tell Katerea was…I couldn't imagine the situation of that in the previous government.
…Ingvild was born in the human world, and we knew that she was raised in a certain beach city in Europe from her testimony when she had just woken up from her sleeping illness. The Underworld Government also didn't know how it happened, but it looked like quite a while ago, when the beings who bore Leviathan's blood came to visit the human world, they made children with humans, and those children were left in the human world. Or something like that. And she was one of the children that were left behind. Ingvild had probably awakened her Leviathan power through genetic atavism. And here I thought the government must had at least known about the children that were left in the human world and had a connection to Leviathan, but…I guess it wasn't weird if that information might be concealed because the coup d'etat was successful. There was also the thing with the previous Lucifer's descendant, Vali… I guess it was impossible to grasp everything. …It made me wonder if there were also any descendants of the previous Maou Beelzebub and Asmodeus as a result of interacting with humans when the Underworld government didn't know. But, wait, they might have existed but were disposed of, and as a result, only Vali and Ingvild were left now… Well, even if we thought about such things now, it's not like we would get any answers…
Now, I wondered when did the Devils who hid Ingvild knew about her and hid her. …It seemed like Ingvild's parents summoned a Devil in order to save their daughter from the sleeping illness. And that summoned Devil knew about her real identity and hid her in their territory. …Did her parents that summoned a Devil in order to save their sleeping daughter know that their daughter's Devil power had awakened? Did her parents rely on the Devil as their last resort in order to save their daughter from the incurable disease? Either the Devils of the previous Leviathan faction were called by mere accident, or they knew about this. I could only say what was in my imagination about that. …If more than a hundred years had passed, then her parents would've been—. …I guess there was no helping it that I became gloomy thinking about that information.
However, this meant that the sleeping disease that she and Sairaorg's mother had didn't kill her even after sleeping for a hundred years. Although I knew that the body would slowly weaken because of not waking up and the host would eventually die… But, for Devils who lived for ten thousand years, was sleeping for a hundred years not a problem? I didn't know the answer as well as I was no expert on that. However—. I couldn't even imagine sleeping for a hundred years. It was a hundred years, you know? You did nothing but sleep for as long as the life of humans with a long lifespan… Plus, she was raised in the human world. She must've been raised as a human until her Devil power awakened.
…
…It was unfathomable for me. It was when I was thinking about Ingvild's situation. Finally, the door of my room was knocked on. The one who entered was Ravel.
"Ise-sama, Ingvild-sama has woken up."
—.
…Well, I was her only acquaintance. I guess I should try to talk to her. I went to the guest bedroom where Ingvild was.
Asia and I went inside the room where Ingvild was. Since she might not be able to calm down if there were too many people, the ones chosen were me, who had met her before, and Asia, who didn't look intimidating. Ingvild sat on the bed. I pulled a chair to side of the bed and sat, while Asia stood some distance behind. Ingvild had the same sleepy look when I met her. I wonder if it was the after-effects of the sleeping disease… According to the gossip, her memories wouldn't return having been sleeping for a hundred years, so a lot of things were going to be vague. From the previous talk, I knew the fact that she had been sleeping for a hundred years, as well as the special power that resided inside her — Longinus. …Well, the last thing she remembered was her spending her daily life in a beach city in the human world with her parents after all… Ingvild opened her mouth.
"This is the Red Dragon-san's house, right?"
Beelzebub-sama said that she must've known me as [Red Dragon] because of [Nereid Kyrie]'s specialty. That Longinus was also capable of controlling even Dragons, so she must have somehow known about the Dragon in my body — Ddraig. I laughed and answered.
"Yes, this is the house that I…we live in. We haven't introduced ourselves, have we? My name is Hyoudou Issei, and the girl over there is Asia Argento. Nice to meet you."
Even though I did know her name, I wouldn't call her by it yet. She might become vigilant if I did, so I should have her introduce herself first. As I thought that, she introduced herself.
"My name is Ingvild and my surname is… I can't remember it. But the people that I met at the hospital and the mysterious establishment called me Leviathan…"
Her Sacred Gear awakened soon after she had woken up. Or rather, it looked like it was her Sacred Gear that actually woke her up. The Devils that hid her knew that they couldn't keep her under their control, so they contacted the Underworld's Government and the Fallen Angels' organisation, the Grigori. Shortly thereafter, the Devils of the Underworld, as well as the Fallen Angels, found out a thing or two about her existence. The Devil higher-ups who knew about the Sacred Gear residing in her body cooperated with the Grigori which specialised in Sacred Gear research to perform an analysis on Ingvild's ability.
What we knew about Ingvild's ability was that her power was infused in the song that she sang, and that the song was capable of affecting Dragons. And then, when the researches found out that she was raised in a beach city and took her to the sea of the human world, they realized that there was another ability, the power to control the sea. Depending on its usage, those two special abilities might greatly affect the world, thus it was categorised as a new Longinus. On top of that, it was as a top-class one—. As to why her Sacred Gear — Longinus had awakened now, it looked like there hadn't been any answers from the researchers. And amidst that, she concealed her whereabouts. I guess she must have been kidnapped by the beings with malicious intent upon finding out about the new classification of her Longinus. I asked once again.
"Hey, Ingvild. Why were you in that park and…that deserted area?"
I rushed to the point, but looking at her condition, it seemed like I couldn't hide this information from her as well, so I decided to ask her directly. She murmured.
"…The sea"
"Huh?"
She continued as I heard her words.
"I saw the sea, and when I realised it, I was in an unfamiliar place…and when I was singing a song in that park, I met Red Dragon-san."
…When you realised, you were in an unfamiliar place…
Ddraig said.
[There is a possibility that she teleported to places using magic circles unconsciously.]
…Was this also one of the after-effects of the sleeping disease? But that shouldn't be related… Anyway, she did remember that she met me at the park.
"Did you remember the time you were at the place with deserted houses?"
I asked that. The place when she suddenly appeared and sang a song that made Bova and me suffer.
"…?"
She looked at me with her orange eyes and only shook her head. …So she didn't remember about that… Was it unconsciously or was it under someone's orders?
Well, as I didn't feel any hostility, I thought the latter one might be a possibility when she appeared near the deserted areas. I should have Rossweisse-san investigate if any spells were done on her, and I guess we'd know then. Uhmm…I didn't think that this conversation would proceed any further, so I guess I should ask about her instead.
"Ingvild, you are—"
After that, I asked about what happened after she woke up. This was her answer… She was supposed to be spending her days in the human world, yet she was in the Underworld when she woke up. She knew the fact that she bore Devil's blood. She went to the Underworld in order to heal her sleeping disease. It seemed like she was also told about the fact that a Sacred Gear resided in her body. The Devils and Fallen Angel researchers were also kind and they were helpful. She knew that the power was in her singing voice. She was surprised when a Dragon that cooperated in the experiment appeared in front of her, but it fell asleep when she sang a song, and she found it cute. She was brought to the sea in the human world in the middle of an experiment. And it seemed like it was there when she remembered…her hometown, the beach city. And then, she was also told the fact that — more than a hundred years had passed.
"… I was seventeen years old. But, when I woke up, I was told that I am a one hundred and seventeen year old granny. Yet when I looked in the mirror, my appearance is still seventeen years old… Strange, huh?"
Ingvild murmured something rather sad. Having strong Devil blood in her, it appeared that her characteristics tended to be that of a Devil since her lifespan was about the same as a Devil. Because of that, her appearance didn't change even after a hundred years. Well, since she was a Devil, she could change her looks by using demonic energy so there wouldn't be any bodily changes caused by aging. But, she had been living as a human, so it must have been difficult for her to grasp the concept when she fell ill to that sleeping disease. Even though she had been sleeping for a hundred years, she was still alive. She didn't grow old, and when she looked at the mirror, her reflection was exactly the same as when she was seventeen years old. She then said something impressive.
"I heard that my mother and father are dead. I'm sure that the granny who lived next to me, that kid who lived up the hill, and the fisherman who often delivered fish to us have already passed away. —It's as if the present time was just a dream."
…I couldn't answer her. This was my first time dealing with a case like this…I was screwed… Asia opened her mouth amidst that.
"Ise-san. Let's go to the sea with everyone."
—.
O-Ohhhhhh! Nice advice, Asia-chan! As expected from my bride!
"That's nice! Ingvild!"
I stood up and said to Ingvild.
"Let's go to the sea! I'll convince my friends so that I can take you to the sea!"
She said that she was lost because she wanted to see the sea. If that was the case, then she might remember something and recover her lost sensations if we brought her to the sea! Ingvild tilted her head in curiosity, but I quickly decided to discuss it with my friends—.
Part 3
"Going to the sea after the summer holiday feels great too, huh."
"Indeed!"
The ones who said that were Xenovia and Irina in their swimsuits as they jumped into the sea. After I talked to Rias and my other comrades about the situation, we agreed to go to the beach together with the new and old Occult Research Club members in order to increase our guard against the people that targeted her and watch over her closely. And as such, we transported ourselves to a beach that was owned by the Gremory family in the human world the next day. The sand was different from the beach that we went to before. It was an unpopulated island with white sand and the best ocean view! I got goosebumps just by looking at it! A barrier was cast upon the surroundings of the Island by Rossweisse-san. We also prepared a cave in the unpopulated island where the bats of the Vampire group could wait and go out in case of emergency, as the sun was pretty bright. Gasper, who was okay under the sun, was under a parasol saying 'It sure is hot', looking exhausted. As you could see, we were divided into those who chose to swim and those who chose to rest under parasols. Well, I was personally thankful that the girls had changed into swimsuits. It was a feast for my eyes after all! And Ingvild was—.
"…"
She only stood on the sand and stared at the sea. We made sure to always look after her as well. I said to Asia.
"It's nice that you suggested that we all go to the beach, Asia."
As I said that, Asia made a smile and answered.
"Yes. Walking in an unknown area will probably make her feel uneasy, so…I thought maybe it'd be great if we take Ingvild-san somewhere familiar so she can calm down."
—.
… I see, Asia came to Japan as she was chased out because of the power that resided in her body after all… I guess she knew how Ingvild would feel. I asked Rossweisse-san.
"There's not gonna be any problem even if the guys who target Ingvild show up here, right?"
It was quite a challenge to bring her to the sea as her Sacred Gear was related to the sea and the people who wanted to abduct her might show up again. Rossweisse-san said.
"Yes. I've set up a magic barrier that will forcefully transport them to the Grigori's research institute if they do really come and target her. Our plan was originally to bring her here once she settled with us after all."
Rias asked Rossweisse.
"Rossweisse, explain that conversation from a little while ago to everyone."
Rossweisse-san nodded and said to everyone resting under the parasols
"What I can conclude from the Grigori's information and my research about Ingvild-san is that magic was cast on her which forcefully transports her even to remote places. In other words, it's brainwashing. That is the reason why she appeared in the Devils' subjugation and sealed Issei and Bova's power. But despite being quite powerful, it appears to not function properly as it was inconsistent."
Despite being a powerful brainwashing technique, it was not functioning properly… What a weird story. Rossweisse-san continued.
"The magic was a God-class' one. It is ancient Olympus magic. The one who abducted her must be one of the rulers of Hell, who is Olympus' primordial God. As for the why the magic didn't function properly, probably, the power that Ingvild was born with…the demonic power of the descendant of the Maou Leviathan resists it. My opinion is that even God-class magic won't be able to affect the demonic power of Maou's descendants easily."
Yes, I just heard that. The one who abducted her was one of the primordial Gods of Olympus. I'd heard some of the rulers of Hell were primordial Gods. You could say that they were always sharp and alert given that they acted pretty soon after acquiring information on the new Longinus.
"It'll probably take some time to dispel the magic as it's still being analysed."
As expected of Rossweisse-san! It looked like she was already on the move. Rossweisse-san continued further.
"The Grigori also had some information about Ingvild-san's Sacred Gear. The power to appease Dragons and control the sea…it looks like the former is stronger, but the latter is said to be improving…"
So the power to appease Dragons was stronger. …Well, I personally thought that that was the troublesome one. Rias said.
"I don't know which primordial God is the mastermind, but the power they seek must be the former one. The sea one is…even if they can use it, I don't think they will."
"And the reason is?"
As I asked that, Rias answered.
"There's no sea in the Underworld. That means there's no meaning in having that power. Even if Devils and Fallen Angels do get in their way, they can't do anything if there's no sea. Even though there are some lakes, I doubt it will have any effect… But there is a chance that it can change its special characteristic into a subspecies. Ingvild grew up in a seaside city and wanted to see the ocean even in this situation, so I can't imagine that she could master the ability to control lakes now."
Rias looked at Ingvild. She had been staring at the sea, and sometimes would walk to it. Rias continued.
"Also, they won't use the power to control the sea in the human world. They can't just deny the Gods whom people believed in. After all, Gods are supposed to save humans. Even if the transcendental beings of other religions became despised, they can't just do foolish things like destroying the human world. But it's another matter if they become desperate."
So even a God couldn't destroy the beings who believed in them, huh. Well, I guess that was true. The God we were fighting wasn't a crafty terrorist like Rizevim. That's what I would like to believe, but I thought that there were already a significant number of casualties from the human side as a result of the unknown Devils and Grim Reapers that were sent to Kuoh town and its surroundings. Akeno-san also added.
"However, it's a troublesome power… I guess they are thinking that it's nice to have Ingvild-san's power close at hand."
She could control the sea anytime she wanted, you know! I guess there was some meaning in having someone who could oppress Gods of other mythologies close at hand. I see, so in conclusion, there was a high possibility that it was the primordial Gods that were part of the rulers of Hell that abducted Ingvild-san. Ingvild-san's power to control Dragons was more dominant. Brainwashing magic was cast upon Ingvild. But, the magic looked like it wasn't stable and didn't function properly as it was intended? …So did it mean the primordial Gods wanted the power to quell Dragons? I then said.
"So the mastermind's goal is Ingvild's power to suppress Dragons, huh?"
The Dragon inside me spoke so that everyone could hear.
[Dragons are the strongest beings even among all mythologies. Especially nowadays, since beings like partner, Vali Lucifer, and Crom Cruach who can easily deal with Gods have appeared. Plus, ways of getting stronger using the power of Dragons are established. Some good examples are Asia Argento who controls Fafnir, Saji Genshirou who wears the Dragon King's armor, and the current chief God of the Norse mythology, Vidar. If it is possible to control these strong Dragons with the power of the song…I'm sure mythologies could be easily changed.]
…I see, by suppressing and controlling the strongest living being, it was possible to change mythologies. And once again, I knew the terror of a top-class Longinus. Another top-class Longinus was… he Dimension Lost that was owned by Georg of the Hero Faction could also transport a large number of people to arbitrary places in extreme cases. Depending on the way it was used, it could even destroy a whole country. If one were to be transported into a place where no living being could live…it was terrifying. Similarly, the Annihilation Maker that was owned by Leonardo of the Hero Faction could produce a large number of giant monsters in extreme cases. A small country would just be trampled over in mere hours. The tools that can destroy Gods—. Longinus were called that, but in reality, that name seemed to be connected with abilities that were simply powerful and abnormal. It was natural that all mythologies were closely observing the Longinus users. Well, as long as one wasn't considered as an enemy, they were actually quite free to do whatever they wanted. It wasn't like Longinus users like me always had rigid thoughts. …I also wanted Ingvild to be like that. That's why, if I didn't protect her from the people who brainwashed her—. Rias smiled.
"Fufufu, Ise, you are making a face that says 'I will protect her no matter what'."
Did my face show what I was thinking? I scratched the back of my head as I smiled wryly.
"Hahaha, I just can't help it as I see a girl who is troubled."
The girls that gathered under the parasols lightly laughed in response to this. Asia said.
"But thanks to that, I was saved too."
Akeno-san continued.
"That's the good part of our husband. —And…"
Akeno-san took out several baskets that she brought. She opened it and took out sandwiches and onigiri!
"Let's have a meal, shall we?"
Ooh! Akeno-san's handmade bento! This was the best! As if knowing that lunch had been taken out, everyone who was playing in the sea also rushed here.
"Lunch, huh!"
"I'll eat! I'll eat!"
Xenovia and Irina quickly rushed over and came under the parasols.
"… Let's hurry up and eat."
Koneko-chan, who liked eating, already took out plates and drinks as she was in her battle mode. Ravel said to me.
"Ise-sama, why don't we invite Ingvild to join us."
That's right. I stood up from that place, and—
"All right, I'll call her."
I walked over to Ingvild. As I got closer to her while she was still staring at the sea—.
"—♪ —♪"
I could hear her singing voice. My Dragon power was not affected, and it was just like normal… No, what a beautiful voice. It was gentle, and just hearing it made me feel calm and healed—. As if she had noticed my presence, she stopped singing.
"As expected, you're great at singing."
As I gave such praise, Ingvild went silent for a moment before saying.
"…Thanks."
"No, no, I am serious, your singing is really great."
As I said that, she shook her head.
"Thank you for bringing me to the sea."
She finally — smiled a little bit. It was a really, really cute smile. I stood next to her and asked.
"The sea, so you really like it, eh?"
"… I was born and raised in a seaside city, so of course, I was exposed to the sound, colour and smell of the sea."
Well, of course you would fall in love with the sea. I then said to her.
"Let's go to the sea again then."
"…But, after this, I will go somewhere where my powers are going to be studied, right? I may not be able to come."
"That's not true. I will bring you to the sea."
Her orange eyes reflected me within them—.
"Really?"
"Yes. I might look like this, but I am actually a celebrity in the Devil world. Plus, I am a little bit well known by the higher-ups. I am sure bringing a girl to the sea won't be any problem. If I say 'She's my friend!', it will work somehow. If the research facility refuses, just say 'I am the Oppai Dragon's friend!', and I'm sure it will give you some flexibility."
As I said that, she opened her mouth and slightly laughed.
"Fufu. Okay. I will become Oppai Dragon's friend."
"Yeah, let's be friends. Also, my name's Ise. Everyone calls me that. You should, too."
"Ise. Okay, Ise."
Great. It looked like I should be able to get close to her. Having been asleep for more than a hundred years, Ingvild had already lost her relatives, and even her fate was being toyed with by her own powers. I strongly felt that, at the very least, I wanted to be her friend. Oh, that's right, I was about to invite her to have lunch.
"Ingvild, let's have—."
It was the moment I called out. —The uninhabited island was filled with darkness! It was perfectly sunny before, but now, it was like night as the darkness spread.
My comrades were also alert and stood up in response to the situation! Rossweisse-san looked up at the sky! As she did that, she saw the barriers surrounding this uninhabited island get affected as cracks could be seen! It was certain that someone was attacking us from the outside!
"Kuh!"
Rossweisse-san reached up to the sky with her hands and created magic circles. She was trying to strengthen the barrier. However, the barrier was broken before that! The sound 'Boom!' could be heard as the barrier was destroyed. Soon after the barrier was destroyed, a black aura swirled around in front of us in a corner of the sandy beach as a human figure appeared there. The one who stood there was — a woman who wore a cute frilly dress. She had long, black hair and looked like a child that anyone would want to protect. And above all, her clothes really emphasised her breasts! Because she was wearing a corset jumper skirt, her breasts were pushed up to appear more voluptuous… My eyes were completely fixed on her oppai! Also, her breasts were pretty big! However, we knew that that girl was unusual as a tremendous dark aura covered her body. I stood in front of Ingvild and became more alert, and the reason I did that was because she was staring at Ingvild. I was sure she must be the mastermind who was targeting her. The cute girl who was letting out dark aura boldly introduced herself as she swept her hair back.
['Sekiryuutei of the Blazing Truth' Hyoudou Issei and his master Rias Gremory, nice to meet you. I am one of the primordial Gods of Olympus, Nyx, the Goddess of Night.]
—The Goddess of Night, Nyx! So the primordial Gods had appeared! Everyone became even more alert in response to her introduction. I could feel that her aura was unpleasant! I quickly equipped my crimson armour and prepared myself. She looked amused upon seeing our reaction. Nyx covered her mouth with her hand as she laughed.
[Hohoho, I've heard that the present Sekiryuutei is a pervert, but you sure don't let your guard down. —The aura of the Dragon that resides in your body is truly frightening.]
Her comments made me think that she could even see the power that resided within me, or what my current body was made of. I lost my body once during a big incident called the [Demonic Beast Riot]. At that time, I borrowed the power of the two Dragon Gods, Apocalypse Dragon Great Red and Ouroboros Dragon Ophis, and was revived. Great Red and Ophis had a strong impact on my present body. I asked Nyx.
"What do you plan to do with Ingvild!?"
Nyx looked at Ingvild as she said.
[The Longinus that this girl owns is on a whole other level. After all, it could control the sea and even stop Dragons in extreme cases. It is the ability to control Dragons, which are a symbol of power… Although you guys might already know this, what we want is the power to control Dragons. Nefarious Dragons like you, White Dragon Emperor Vali Lucifer, and Evil Dragon Crom Cruach will surely be a threat to us in the future. That's why we need a strategy. And then, in the end, I want to try to control Ophis and Great Red.]
You sure said it clearly! It actually felt refreshing to hear such hostile statements spoken clearly! But, you couldn't use Ingvild!
"I can't overlook the fact that you want to use this girl! Also, even if you are a God, the fact you are a girl means that I can use my special attack!"
She might be trying to kidnap Ingvild one more time, but I wouldn't let it happen! —The early bird gets the worm! I expanded the wild thoughts inside my head and created a mysterious pink space! The magic burst open and spread wider!
"Worldly desires, release! Pailingual!"
It was one of my techniques! By expanding my wild thoughts, it was my personal magic to create a space that let me hear the thoughts of a woman's breasts. And when I did that, the enemy's breasts would act as a speaker for its master. Although it only worked against women, if the target had been decided, it couldn't be prevented! Of course, I wouldn't use this on men! I only wanted to hear to women's oppai!
"Hey! The oppai of the Goddess! Let me hear your voice!"
I asked the oppai of the Goddess Nyx! My magic completely enveloped Nyx! Now, I just needed to ask the questions! …However, no matter how much I waited, Nyx's oppais still didn't speak to me. …Impossible, my almost perfect skill… didn't do anything!? It didn't work!? My body trembled because of the bizarre result as I said.
"… My Pailingual isn't working!"
[Wha-!?]
Everyone was completely shocked in response to my words. Xenovia screamed.
"T-That's impossible! There is a girl that can withstand Ise's breast technique!?"
Irina continued.
"I-Is it possible that it doesn't work against God-class beings!?"
Gasper suggested another possibility.
"I-It might also be an effect of not using Dragon Deification."
Yes, I could transform even further. Though I did get the power that let me fight against God-class beings, I decided to use it only in important times as it really made me tired. Well, I guess it wouldn't work with this crimson armor as the enemy was the primordial Goddess of Night, Nyx. If an all-out fight did break out, I would have to use that form. However, Nyx denied what Gasper had just said.
[Fufufu, that's not it. I just came up with a strategy against Oppai Dragon.]
A strategy? Just for me? And she blocked Pailingual with that? My technique was very popular in a way. It was only natural that Nyx knew about this. This meant that she thought that it'd be bad if we knew what's inside her heart, so she came up with a plan. But, I still had another way! After all, I still had techniques that only worked against women!
"If that's the case, then I'll just touch you directly and use Dress Break!"
Dress Break! I would blow away those cute clothes! I would also blow away the spell that was cast upon her body! My Dress Break could blow away not only women's clothing, but also all kinds of spells that were cast upon a woman's body! I made the boosters on my back appear, and flew forward. It was at this moment that Rias said 'Wait'.
"Wait, Ise! …Something's wrong. It's like she's waiting for you to use Dress Break!"
—! …Nyx was waiting for me to use Dress Break…? While I was puzzled, I looked at Nyx, and the Goddess laughed inappropriately.
[As expected of Rias Gremory, the master of Sekiryuutei. That's right, I am waiting for the Sekiryuutei's attack. Because that way, I can easily kill him.]
Kill me easily!? Did she think that because she's a Goddess!? I was troubled by the Goddess' mocking expression. Nyx pat her cute dress and said.
[As a plan against the Sekiryuutei, I created this clothing. These clothes are the 'Godly Virgin Killer Clothes'.]
[—!?]
Everyone including me was shocked in response to this report… After that, we didn't know what we should do! V-Virgin Killer Clothes!? W-Well, it was true that…I was that! So those clothes had an effect towards virgins! Nyx's cute clothes started to send out sinister waves! Nyx laughed scornfully as she said with amusement.
[I deliberately created these clothes so that a virgin's attacks won't get through. Although this restricts the enemies, I obtained information saying that the Sekiryuutei is a virgin, and it looks like it was really quite effective.]
P-Pailingual really didn't have any effect at all!
If that's the case, Dress Break would also…! No, before that, just by touching her, I would be…! It was possible to use Dress Break from far away, but as long as Nyx wore those clothes, it wouldn't have any effect! Nyx held the hem of her skirt and said.
[The fact that you are a virgin means that if you touch me, the curse will start and you will die. Similarly, I can deflect all attacks made by virgins. —Your attack won't get through to me, Sekiryuutei Hyoudou Issei.]
…! …S-So with that, my attacks wouldn't do anything…!
"That's impos-!"
I shot out my magic bullet — Dragon Shot at Nyx! —However, even though it clearly hit her, Nyx took no damage at all! Was it really true that any attacks from virgins wouldn't affect her!? I was crushed by my own shock and collapsed on the spot!
…To think that my virginity was turned against me…! By the way, what in the world was the curse to kill virgins!? Was the world that hard-headed!? Akeno-san seriously said this in response to the result.
"… As expected, I should've taken Ise's first time even if I had to use force."
Koneko-chan, who looked speechless, said.
"…For now, I can only say this is the worst."
Yep, I thought so too! The two swordswomen Xenovia and Irina went to the front and equipped their swords.
"Irina and I are women. The effect won't work on us!"
"Yes, that's right! Let's follow darling after this!"
"What, does that mean that you want to be embraced by Issei? You never change, perverted Angel."
"No, t-that's not what I mean!"
…This swordswomen combo was surely… Nyx laughed loudly as she saw this situation.
[You are right. If the enemies are women, these clothes won't have any meaning. However, it's enough to seal the Sekiryuutei's movement. —It's not like you guys don't know the real power of a God, right?]
Nyx let out an overwhelming aura from her body! Just by doing that, the atmosphere of the whole area surged as strong gales were generated. The sea also started to become choppy! Just by the quality and amount of aura alone, we knew that she was a bad opponent for us!
The only one who could fight against a God-class independently in this place besides me was… Rias. By enveloping herself in Gasper's true power, she could hold an enormous amount of magic. B-But, as Gya-suke was similar to me, who had no experience with women, even if he did the body-combination technique, there was a possibility that it wouldn't do anything. W-What about…Kiba? Many of his Devil's Job's customers were women, but…the fact that he was alert at Nyx like me… W-Well, putting that aside, my brave female comrades entered their fighting stances. I was really sorry that I couldn't be of any use at this time! I was apologising inside my heart, but Nyx's eyes looked like she was plotting something bad, and she said.
[Ingvild. —Sing.]
When I turned back and looked at Ingvild—.
"…Uu…UuuuUUUU!"
Ingvild was cowering painfully! It must be because Nyx ordered the activation of the brainwashing technique that was cast upon Ingvild! Was the reason behind the forceful transportation not activating because of the power of a primordial God!?
"Ingvild! Are you okay!?
When I tried to get closer to her, her eyes glowed suspiciously and light purple orbs started to appear around her! Ingvild opened her mouth—.
"—♪ —♪"
What a beautiful singing voice—. My power left my body in an instant—. …My vision got blurry and my head was spinning so badly that I couldn't bear to stand up… …My crimson armour was also released as I dropped on my knees…
"Kuh…!"
I wasn't the only one suffering.
[…G-Guooooo….! T-This is….my power…!]
Ddraig also let out a voice of anguish… …To think that the abilities of the special attack against Dragons would be this harsh…! There was the Dragon Eater Samael, as well as the final anti-Dragon weapon — Dragon Slayer…! But Ingvild's power…was also quite dangerous…!
…Ddraig, will the armor still be removed if I use Dragon Deification?
[…You'll surely have more resistance… But there is a high possibility that…you won't be able to…bring out its natural function because of the song…!]
…So that meant even Dragon Deification…couldn't fully prevent it…! A top-tier Longinus was surely frightening…! Nyx laughed as she saw me suffering.
[You do know that I cast mind-control magic on her, don't you? That magic can control the Sacred Gear from far away. That's why there's not gonna be any problem even if I don't bring her home today. …Well, not being able to fully control her is a problem. Allowing her to meet you guys…no, meeting you was a correct choice.]
…What did that mean? Nyx explained her evil plans clearly to me while I suffered.
[If you guys know about her circumstances, you can't ignore her, can you? If you send her to the Grigori facilities, then we might target her. If you guys have her by your side, she might get controlled and cause damage to you guys. If you think about it, she's quite hard to grasp, right? If that's the case, you guys would rather just put her to sleep again and call it a 'seal'. Or — kill her. But, you can't do either of that, can you? After all, you are the kind Oppai Dragon.]
…
…This girl…she knew about all of that, and created this situation, huh…! She knew that if I met Ingvild and found out about her situation, I would try to protect her once I knew about what kind of being she was…! Seal? Kill? There was no way I could do that! It was impossible! I met this girl and we talked and laughed with each other! There's no way I could just disregard someone who thought me as her friend! And this Goddess knew about that! She knew from the beginning that it would turn out like this…!
"…I won't forgive…you…!"
Even though I had no power because of the song, I had to try to stand up even if that meant forcing myself. It was so frustrating that I glared at Nyx with eyes full of tears! Nyx sneered as she said to me, to all of us.
[If you want to save her by all means, you don't have any choice but to defeat me. Even if you do manage to dispel the magic, another layer of protection would just be invoked. I have already cast several spells on her. And even if you have some specialists, it would take six months at the very least to dispel. In those six months, I can use Ingvild to do a lot of things, you know? If you don't want that, it's better to seal her. Or maybe kill her. The choice is in your hands! Hahahahahahahaha!]
The Goddess of Night left us with those words as she heightened her magic and flew into the sky. The darkness that covered this uninhabited island also disappeared along with Nyx, returning it to normal. At the same time, the brainwashing magic had also worn down as Ingvild collapsed to the ground. I made a vow to myself as I grasped the sand tightly.
—I will defeat anyone who wishes to harm my friends, even if it's a God…or a Goddess. Nyx, I will definitely defeat you—.