DxD: Like a Devil Chapter 69

Edited by: Priapus, Marethyu

– Mizuki –

“I told you so.” The irritatingly smug Kyuubi said, blowing a cloud of smoke after inhaling from her pipe.

“Yeah, you already said that,” Mizuki, sitting opposite Yasaka, replied with an unamused tone. “You don’t have to repeat it.”

“I. Told. You. So.”

Mizuki groaned at Yasaka’s unwillingness to let this go, although, while she wouldn’t admit it out loud, had the roles been reversed, Mizuki would’ve done the same. Because, in hindsight, she was being very foolish with that decision back then.

Nearly two decades ago, during her pregnancy with Akane, Mizuki had sought the Kyuubi's help. After all, with her volatile power and the stress of carrying a child, there was a risk of her either physically and/or mentally collapsing, or her energy accidentally leaking into her womb and killing the fetus before it was born.

Temporarily sealing her magic was a necessity, and the only person she knew skilled in the arts of sealing was the leader of the eastern yokai faction, who had recently gotten married to the Omi Alliance chairman. Yasaka was thankfully happy to help, either out of obligation for one of her subjects, technically speaking, or since they were friends at the time.

Mizuki owed Yasaka far more than she could reasonably repay in a single lifetime.

But the problem wasn’t here.

“Please have mercy on me!” She whined, resting her forehead on the table in front of her. “I had to climb a billion flights of stairs just to get here, and my legs are killing me. I don’t need you making fun of me, too!”

“And whose fault was that?” Yasaka replied with a raised eyebrow. “I offered to remove the seal after your daughter’s birth. You refused, saying something about wanting to know what it was like to live as a regular human. To raise your daughter as one.”

“But—but I—!”

“I told you you were being stupid.” She scolded. “I told you hiding the supernatural from her was short-sighted. And look where that brought you.”

Mizuki remained silent and somewhat uncomfortable.

Indeed. After her daughter’s birth, Yasaka had told her that it was probably time to remove the seal on her power. After all, there were no more risks. Why wouldn’t she want her overwhelming yokai strength back? But Mizuki had decided against it.

At the time, it had felt wrong. Getting that same power she’d used to kill countless people, the same power she’d used to relish hunting down and torturing those she thought lower than her, had felt as if she was rejecting her new life as a human. Wasn’t living normally enough anyway? Wasn’t that what she’d desired? Besides, it wasn’t like she’d been entirely powerless, and Tatsu had been there to keep her and Akane safe.

More than that, those voices in the back of her mind demanding her to go back to the person she used to be had been muted. With her powers sealed, they were gone as well. For once in her life, Mizuki had felt free. Living like a normal person with her husband and daughter, without any of the bloodshed and grief, felt like heaven on earth.

Why would she ever give that up?

But after everything that had happened since coming to Kuoh, now Muzki knew just how utterly naive she’d been.

“You shouldn’t have given your powers away for a dream you knew was fruitless,” Yasaka said harshly. “Rejecting your birthright and heritage was one thing, Mizuki. But to hide it from your own daughter? I would’ve called you selfish had I not already known you were an idiot.”

“I just… didn’t want her to get involved.” She argued weakly. “I thought by giving it all away, we’d live normally. That she wouldn’t have to get dragged into that sort of life.”

“And now she’d gotten involved anyway. Out of her own volition.” The yokai leader replied. “And in a manner I doubt you thought was possible. She’s gaining fame at an alarming rate, you know? Just the other day, a few of my advisors suggested I offer her a place in my court due to her achievements, using her heritage as an excuse.”

Once again, Mizuki said nothing. She thought she’d feel surprised at that, but at this point? Well, after seeing several fan clubs and forums dedicated to her daughter floating around the Devilnet, it was hard to be. Doubly so when half the userbase was arguing about what kind of underwear she used, others shamelessly thirsting over her, and a few calculating how powerful she actually was and getting into heated debates about whether she could defeat Serafall.

Mizuki had no idea what ‘Akane solos’ meant, but that phrase seemed very popular with the fans.

“Your daughter stumbling on the supernatural was never a matter of if,” Yasaka added. “And a curious youth like her would want to explore it. Trying to prevent an inevitability is a fool’s errand. You should’ve kept your powers and instead given your daughter a head start. In mere months, Akane has proven herself to be more than capable of handling serious threats. Imagine what years of training would’ve done?”

“I know…” Mizuki mumbled a response.

At that, Yasaka’s expression relaxed.

“Oh, I didn’t mean to scold you so much.” She quickly said, softening her previously cold tone. “I’m just worried about you two.”

“I know that. And you’re right.” Mizuki sighed. “That’s why I came here, to begin with. I need you to get rid of my seal safely before I accidentally break it.”

“I see.” Yasaka hummed, then beckoned. “Come closer and let me check.”

Mizuki did so, approaching the Kyuubi and sitting next to her.

“Take off your clothes.”

Mizuki paused and furrowed her brows, feeling a little embarrassed.

“Do I really have to?”

The uncharacteristic response made Yasaka blink.

“Yes.” She responded before raising an eyebrow. “What’s there to be embarrassed about? It’s not something I’ve never seen before.”

Truthfully, being naked in front of another woman wasn’t what made Mizuki feel so anxious. Really, as her friend had said, what was there to be embarrassed about? They’d been in hot springs and bathhouses together several times— they’d seen each other naked before. But at those times, Mizuki had had a figure she was proud of.

Now? Not anymore. Her fitness? Athleticism? All gone.

“Y-yeah. Right.”

With a resigned sigh, prepared to get made fun of and mocked for gaining weight, Mizuki lifted up her white shirt, letting Yasaka take a look at the seal. Well, that’s what was supposed to happen until the Kyuubi suddenly peeked at her chest curiously, startling the former assassin.

“W-what?”

“Hmm, well, I was rather suspicious that something about you felt off since you came here…” She hummed. There it is… “But your breasts did get bigger, after all.”

…Mizuki had no clue how she could notice something like that when they hadn’t seen each other in years, but she’d take it. As weird as it was to bring it up.

“Yes. For sure.” Mizuki nodded with a relieved smile as Yasaka went back to the seal on her back. “That’s what it is. Bigger boobs. Pregnancy, amirite?”

…Was she perhaps overreacting? Maybe she hadn’t gotten fat. Maybe she was just imagining things. If even Yasaka didn’t notice it, then—

“And I see you gained some weight.” She said, pinching her side.

“NOOO!” Mizuki cried, feeling Yasaka’s hand on her back. “I knew it! I’m hideous, ugly, and obese!”

“I didn’t say any of that. Goodness, you’re so dramatic.” She huffed. “…About your seal—”

“What if I want to remarry, Yasaka?!” The former assassin sobbed. “No one would want an overweight hag like me!”

“Enough. Stop acting like a child.” Yasaka admonished before sighing. “Honestly, it’s a miracle that the seal hasn’t been broken yet. Not only is it worn out after almost two decades since I cast it, but you’ve practically put it through the wringer.”

“Y-yeah…” Mizuki chuckled sheepishly. “The past few months have been pretty stressful for me.”

“I’m aware. Well, the good news is that you haven’t broken it yet.”

Mizuki didn’t like the sound of the implications very much.

“And the bad news?”

“I can’t unseal it,” Yasaka said, pulling Mizuki’s shirt down and picking her pipe up. “Or at least not without catastrophic consequences.”

“What?” Mizuki’s expression fell as she turned to face Yasaka properly, her heart sinking. “But why?”

“Because you’ve overtaxed it. Far more than it can reasonably handle.” She answered. “You see, the seal was meant to prevent your magic from leaking out of your body by blocking it like a barrier of sorts. That way, with enough power, it can be forcefully broken in case of emergencies.”

“But that’s the idea, right? I know I’ve pushed it to the limit, which is why I’m here. So you can unseal it safely.”

“You misunderstand. The seal blocks your energy. It does not calm it down. Your pent-up stress has accumulated far too much power for it to be released safely.” Yasaka explained, twirling the pipe in her hand. “Picture this: a barrel filled with so much water that one more drop would lead it to burst open. You take the head off, and what do you think happens? Sure, it could be a much less destructive alternative, but with your volatile energy, it is a risk I am not willing to take.”

Mizuki clicked her tongue, frustrated and worried about her well-being. Great…

“The seal was never meant to stay this long, Mizuki.” The Kyuubi concluded. “I’ve made it last for, at most, only five years, but your unwillingness to use your magic has nearly tripled its lifespan.”

“So there’s just no other way?”

“No, I didn’t say that.” Yasaka shook her head. “You have two options: First, you can let me reinforce and tweak the seal to make it slowly discharge the built-up energy until it’s safe enough for unsealing.”

“How long would that take?”

“Considering the unreasonable amount of energy you’ve amassed? A year at least.” She snorted. “And that’s assuming you’re not getting into any stressful situations.”

“That’s not going to happen.” Mizuki sighed deeply. Her little girl might actually be the death of her. “And the second option?”

“You find someone who can endure the full force of your ice magic and contain it.”

Mizuki blinked and frowned in mild confusion.

“You make it sound like you already have someone in mind.”

A puff of smoke left Yasaka’s mouth before she responded.

“Yuna Yukimura, the last of the Yuki-Onna. She lives somewhere on Mt. Fuji.” She revealed. “I don’t know where exactly, but if there’s someone who can help you, it’s her.”

That came as a surprise to Mizuki. She knew they were a very endangered species, but for only one full-blooded Yuki-Onna to remain? She didn’t know if there were any other descendants out there besides her and Akane, but this made her feel quite sad. She must be pretty lonely up there.

“I see…” Mizuki muttered. “It was about time I met her anyway. Always wanted to, but never had a good reason. Have you met her before? What’s she like?”

“She’s quite cold. Dismissive. Very distant.” Yasaka said, making the former assassin snort at the unintended pun. “Granted, I’ve only spoken to her a few times, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen her smile. Not even a fake one.”

“Well, now I look forward to meeting her less.” She sighed, getting up on her feet. “Then I'd better not waste any time. Think you can teleport me there?”

“I’m afraid not.” The yokai leader replied. “Mt. Fuji is her territory. Unannounced teleportation might give her the wrong idea, and she’s even more powerful than I. I’d rather not get on her bad side.”

“Right…” Mizuki mumbled quietly, running a hand through her hair. “Then I guess I’ll take a plane or something. What a pain…”

“Kuroka will teleport you to the portal leading to Kyoto, though. So you don’t have to take the stairs down.” Yasaka said. “Goodbye, Mizuki. And good luck.”

“See you soon, and…” Mizuki bowed deeply before her friend. “Thank you so much. For everything.”

“Oh, no. It’s my pleasure~” She giggled. “Only a shame you couldn’t meet my daughter. Poor Kunou is still with her tutor.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to visit again soon. Those cheeks of hers will be pinched.” The former assassin promised as she walked away. “Bye-bye~”

Sliding the door closed, Mizuki stepped away from the living room and toward the entrance, where Kuroka was waiting for her.

“So, Mt. Fuji, hmm?” Kuroka said.

“Eavesdropping much?” Mizuki scoffed playfully.

“Not like I can help it.” The Nekoshou rolled her eyes as her cat ears twitched. As she noticed Mizuki’s stare, Kuroka raised an eyebrow. “What? Something on my face?”

Now that I think about it, she kind of looks like… Mizuki thought to herself. …Am I imagining things?

“Hey, you said you had a sister once, didn’t you?” She asked. “What was her name again?”

“Shirone. Why?” Kuroka answered, sounding somewhat confused.

I thought as much… The former assassin said. Besides, that one had white hair.

“Nah, I just met a devil-reincarnated Nekomata recently—one of Gremory’s.” She clarified, as the light of the teleportation circle beneath consumed them. “Koneko, her name was. You probably saw her during the tournament.”

“Seriously? Koneko? What kind of name is that?” The Nekoshou scoffed before shrugging, arriving near the portal. “Well, now I’m glad I didn’t watch that stupid tournament. Seeing one of my own called that would’ve pissed me off.”

“You didn’t watch it?”

“Nope. Never bothered with that kind of stuff. Feels like a waste of time.”

“Why not? I mean, you’ve been looking for a ‘strong husband’ for ages, haven’t you?” Mizuki pointed out. “I imagine you’d scout ‘em out in stuff like tournaments and such.”

Kuroka paused as realization slowly dawned on her.

“I think that’s the first intelligent thing I’ve ever heard from you.” She said, looking at Mizuki in awe. “Who are you and what did you do to Mizuki?”

“Pfft, as if you can hurt me with something like that,” Mizuki responded, looking quite smug. “I live with a gremlin that wastes no second in the day to hurt my feelings. I’ve become immune to this type of abuse.”

There was a pause between them before Kuroka spoke.

“I hope you realize how sad that just sounded.”

She did realize it. Right after ‘abuse’ left her mouth.

“Well, regardless, good luck on your search,” Kuroka said as she stepped back, preparing to teleport back to the top. “I’ll go watch for potential candidates to harass— I mean, ask out on a date. Toodles~”

“See ya~”

Once the Nekoshou vanished out of sight and Mizuki was left on her own, she stared at the portal for a few seconds before something in her brain clicked.

“Ah…”

Why teleport here? Not like going down a flight of stairs was that difficult— she could’ve just leaped into the air and made it to the bottom in a matter of seconds. Kuroka didn’t have to do that at all!

What she could’ve done, however, was teleport her near Mt. Fuji. Around it. Close enough so they aren’t intruding on Yuna.

Which she would’ve done under Yasaka’s orders.

Fuming at her friend’s funny little prank, Mizuki begrudgingly went through the portal, because it was either that or go up the stairs again.

When I get my hands on you… She seethed.

If Yasaka thought her cheeks were safe from pinching when they met again, she’d be sorely mistaken.

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– Akane –

I think perhaps the most painful thing about this little funny conspiracy I got dragged into is the insufferable waiting, especially when I’ve practically finished all preparations I’ll need to get the jump on this Overseer dickhead. With the spheres now done and ready, the only thing I need to do now is wait for them to find him or the subject of his interest, or wait until he makes a dumb move that’ll lead us right to him.

Investigating in Honolulu wouldn’t do us good, not when he’s probably on guard. I defeated Yamai, one of the leaders here, and his minions failed to kidnap Asia. He has to be aware of all that, considering how he’s been able to watch us the entire time. How and why, I still don’t know. But I’ll figure it out eventually. I always do.

The only saving grace is that he shouldn’t know about my Bronze Spheres floating around all of Hawaii and scanning for Lani and her guardian. I made them in the resort, where he seemingly is unable to spy on, and they’re nowhere near Honolulu, which I’m sure is where his range extends.

So with them checking every scattered island, it’s only a matter of time before we find them. In the meantime, our priority is figuring out the bastard’s identity, because once we know who he truly is, we can pretty easily kick his ass and get rid of him permanently. Of course, that’s a lot easier said than done.

Dwight is most definitely hiding, and I can’t even begin to search for Wong Tou when I have little to no information about him or his organization, which is an issue that could’ve been easily solved with my beloved and beautiful Spyders. So for now, my options are pretty limited, which is annoying.

So instead of banging my head against the wall for who knows how long, I decided to branch out to one of my other main and long-term projects. One that would do me well, especially once we make it back to Japan.

“A portal, you say?” Lucifer hums with an intrigued tone as he watches me putting the finishing touches on my latest machine. “Fascinating. I never thought you’d be able to build such a thing so quickly.”

An oval-shaped empty doorway big enough to fit one person at a time, connected to a large metal box containing its control panel, which is where most of the work was dedicated. I’ve had it tested out by teleporting near a Spyder within the base to see if it works, so I’m sure that the portals actually work. There’s no risk of getting tele-fucked across dimensions.

“Hah. It’s nothing special.” I roll my eyes, closing the hardware compartment. “It’s severely limited. It’s slow and restricted to only open portals using connections to my other machines. Ultimately inferior to the unrestrained portal powers that blond chick had.”

Which, yeah, it’s still a valuable asset considering I still don’t even have the portal powers for myself yet, but I’m not even entirely sure it can open portals to other dimensions. If this is a dud, then I’ll be forced to use a more tangible item to connect the human realm to the underworld, and my best bet would be to use something originating from there.

Excelsis is most definitely something I can work with in that regard, but it’s way too risky. Holding that sword for even a second is like lighting up the noisiest fireworks in the middle of the night in a populated neighborhood. It’ll draw way too much attention to my base. Regardless, that’s still a last resort. I can always ask Rias or Sona for some underworld flower or something, which would work just as well.

For now, I’ll see if the portal machine can connect to the Spyders I left in the underworld during my time there. If I’m able to open a portal, then this will make things a whole lot easier and more convenient. Who knows, maybe I can raid that island for those crystals a lot sooner than I thought.

“It’s quite the accomplishment regardless,” Lucy tells me. “To tell the truth, back in my day, these teleportation techniques were rather rare. Not many were able to simply teleport between dimensions so easily.”

“That’s kind of my point. Maybe it would’ve been impressive ten thousand years ago, but now?” I snort. “This type of thing is pretty common.”

“Perhaps, but consider that you’ve built such a thing through technology. Not magic.” He points out. “Isn’t that something to be proud of?”

…You know, I’m all for praise, but something about the way he does it makes me feel a little uncomfortable. Not in the sense that he’s being a creep. Not really. But it’s just… I know he has an ulterior motive. No way the devil god Lucifer himself doesn’t have his own agenda, but to this day, he hasn’t lied to me once.

Maybe he’s so skilled that I can’t really tell. Maybe most of his lies are mixed with so many half-truths that it’s impossible to tell. I don’t know, and it’s weird. What does he get from being so nice? I mean, sure, I can always threaten him by handing Excelsis away. He’s pretty much at my mercy as long as the sword is in my possession.

…But I’m NOT willing to hand that sword over no matter what. And he KNOWS that. And it’s not like I hate him, either. He’s friendly, helpful, and isn’t as demanding as one would expect. It’s just… he feels like he’s biding his time. Like he’s waiting for something to happen. And I guess not knowing what it is makes me feel a little skittish.

How ironic. Despite Lucy being the only person who knows who I really am, who understands me better than most of those around me… I still can’t help but feel uneasy around him sometimes.

Regardless, I probably should keep my guard up.

“I suppose. Then again, it’s the only option I have at the moment, so it’ll do,” I respond with a shake of my head. “Underworld Spyder status?”

“Active,” Nemesis responds. “Special high-frequency radio wave emission at max power.”

“Anything or anyone around it?”

“Scanning…” He begins. After a moment, he gives me an answer. “Scan complete. Negative. No significant lifeform within three thousand kilometers detected.”

“Three thousand is more than enough,” I mumble. “I should be able to open a portal in that area without anyone sensing it.”

It’s not like the portal itself would be discharging that much energy. Probably even less than the regular teleportation spells the devils use.

Approaching the control panel of the portal, I turn it on and adjust its radio wave emission and receiver to the halfway point. Is my tech advanced enough to penetrate through dimensions despite my lack of experience in this sort of field? That’s what we’re going to find out.

The metal edges of the doorway begin glowing, but after a few seconds, nothing happens. I give it some more time, and when I’m sure nothing will happen, I speak.

“Status?”

“Unable to receive signal.” He says. “Connection is impossible.”

I thought as much.

I crank up the radio wave emission of the machine to the max, which does risk alerting whoever it was that compromised my tech, but it’s something I’m willing to do. Really, I’m tempted to lure them out here and kill them myself. But I digress.

“What about now?”

Nemesis takes half a second to scan before answering.

“Unable to receive signal.” He repeats. “Connection is impossible.”

“I guess even with the materials the Yakuza gave me, I’m still limited, huh…” I mutter, feeling a little displeased. I knew those motherfuckers gave me their scraps… “Oh well. Nemesis, increase the emission output of the Spyder to 200%.”

“Warning: This action has the potential to result in irreparable damage to Spyder #24.” He says. “Proceed?”

“As much as it pains me to damage my adorable creations, I want to get that portal working.” I shrug. “Just make sure to connect them before the poor thing fries itself.”

“Affirmative.”

Seemingly, upon my super AI’s confirmation, the Spyder is pushed to its limit as arcs of electricity spark within the doorway, more and more frequent until the glow becomes almost unbearable to look at, until—

“Signal received. Connection made.” Nemesis alerts, making me grin. “Opening portal in 3… 2… 1…”

After the countdown, the portal opens, revealing a random underworld desert to me. I’ll admit, I didn’t think I’d be able to get it working today, so color me surprised. Now, the moment of truth…

…Then again, I don’t think it’s exactly wise to walk through a cross-dimensional portal before seeing if it’s safe first, so instead of mindlessly doing that, I take an apple from my inventory and throw it inside. Nothing happens to it— it doesn’t get fried or crushed or anything, which I use as confirmation for the portal’s safety.

I grab a receiver machine in the shape of a fist-sized box I created before this experiment, knowing full well that a Spyder was not going to be a permanent solution for my portals. Then, I walk through it and, lo and behold, the atmosphere shifts in an instant. A desert no different than the ones we have on Earth— dunes of sand as far as the eye can see, yet I know for a fact that I’ve made it to the underworld. Using my own peerless genius, unrivaled resourcefulness, and overwhelming talent.

“Well, I’ll be.” Lucifer chuckles, probably marveling at my greatness. “If I could, I would’ve patted you on the head for a job well done. I’m honestly impressed.”

I look down at the destroyed Spyder in the sand, reduced to smoking scraps after being pushed beyond its limit, then crouch next to it.

“Aww, look at you.” I coo and scoop it up with my hands. “I knew you had it in you, sweetie. It’s decided, then. After this show of loyalty and dedication to your goddess, you’re the first of the Spyders to be upgraded. You deserve it.”

“It is merely a machine, Akane,” Lucifer says with an amused tone.

“It’s also my creation.” I disagree. “An extension of me. That deserves my unconditional love.”

If anything, I value this little thing more than most of humanity.

Honestly, the fact that it arrived here in a matter of a few weeks is what I find impressive. Traversing through the sands without any mobility upgrades must’ve been difficult. Obviously, I know that Nemesis piloted it the entire time, but my point still stands.

In its place, I put the receiver box and make sure to bury it a few inches in the sand. This device can output five times more than my Spyders, which is its entire reason for being. Now that I’ve confirmed I don’t need any tangible items of underworld origins and only need a connection between my machines to make a portal, this will serve as a key to the underworld.

“So?” Lucy says. “What do you plan to do now?”

“With easy access to the underworld like this, I should probably figure out a way to hit that floating island and raid it for what it's worth,” I reply, standing back up and going back to my base, shutting the portal behind. “Thankfully, I can get maps and pictures of that island on the Devilnet, then make a plan from there.”

“I hope you’re expecting the Agreas to be heavily guarded.” Lucy points out. “After all, that was the case during my time. Agreasite is valuable for a reason, my dear.”

“Obviously. I should probably expect a couple of Ultimate-class devils at least.” I smirk. “Which means lots and lots of high-quality souls for me to feed on.”

“Your hunger knows no limit.” He chuckles. “Though I do suggest you avoid confrontation if you can help it. If you cause enough ruckus, you could draw in someone you cannot hope to defeat.”

“Like one of the Satans, huh…” I hum. “That’s true. Though, to be honest with you, I feel confident enough to take on Serafall if it ever came down to it.”

In raw stats? She’s a lot stronger than I am. But being immune to ice magic, that immediately renders a lot of her powers useless. Each spell she casts would make me stronger, and by the time she notices, it would be too late for her.

And this is not counting Excelsis.

“But yeah, you’re right. Getting into a fight with any of them would cause a lot of problems.” I nod. “My priority is getting those crystals, which should be easy enough with my inventory. Stuff a bunch of ‘em in there and dip. And with my cloaking tech, how difficult could that be?”

“Quite.” He agrees. “Now then, I assume you’ll return to that resort of yours to rest?”

“I’m already done with everything today, so yeah.” I shrug, sighing once I look at the time. 5:43 AM… “And I only have a couple of hours to sleep. This is gonna suck…”

But considering what I accomplished today, I think I deserve to sleep for as long as I want.

I kind of doubt the spheres will have found anything in the meantime, but I’m open to being surprised.

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Smaller chapter today, but I honestly didn't know what to write that would fit. At the very least, Akane made a massive leap of progress.