High School DxD: The Lucifer's Devil Trigger — Chapter 39

Chapter 39: The Gathering of Pillars

The memory of Grayfia stepping into his estate to serve as his head maid surfaced in Levi’s mind. He leaned back in his chair, a dry, mocking smile curving his lips as he held the receiver to his ear. “You, an old bachelor, have the nerve to lecture me about socializing?”

Thwack.

A phantom sound—like a heavy arrow piercing straight through a heart—echoed faintly through the phone line.

Sirzechs cleared his throat, recovering his composure with practiced ease. “Attending more events like this will benefit your standing. It might even rub some youthful energy onto you.”

“Heh.” Levi’s eyes narrowed, his gaze drifting toward the darkened window of his study. “I am from the Old Satan Faction. My surname is Lucifer. You want me to waltz into a room full of the Reformist Faction’s new generation? Are you absolutely certain those old geezers won’t pop a blood vessel and start foaming at the mouth the second I walk in?”

“Absolutely not.”

Levi paused. He caught the absolute, chilling certainty in the Crimson Satan’s voice. The amusement faded from Levi’s face, replaced by a cold, calculating stillness. “Sirzechs… did you do something unnecessary behind my back?”

“I did a few things. None of them were unnecessary.”

Miles away, Sirzechs sat casually on the edge of a mahogany desk. The lavish office around him was a wreck. Several high-ranking Reformist Faction devils lay scattered across the carpet, groaning in unconscious heaps. Sirzechs casually flipped through a stack of classified documents he had just confiscated from the secret cabal, a pleasant, unbothered smile on his face.

“If these radicals aren’t suppressed now,” Sirzechs continued, his tone light, “they will eventually morph into the exact same breed of corrupt nobles that plagued the Old Satan Faction. I seem to recall you harboring a distinct distaste for that type of trash.”

“…Hmm.”

“Besides,” Sirzechs tossed the documents onto the desk, “you have done a great deal for the Underworld in the shadows. Someone has to pave the way for you. Certain weeds must be nipped in the bud; I refuse to let a pillar of the new generation take the blame for their petty politics. In this era, Levi, you no longer need to draw your sword alone in the dark.”

Sirzechs paused, his gaze sweeping over the unconscious conspirators. “also, securing a legitimate, unassailable status within the Reformist Faction will give you the use you need to deal with Rizevim’s faction securely.”

That was the tactical justification. But beneath the surface, Sirzechs harbored an unspoken agenda: he was actively grooming Levi to take up the true mantle of Lucifer.

Sirzechs knew the reality of the board. Levi possessed the bloodline, the title, and the overwhelming power, but his public reputation remained a blank slate. This upcoming gathering was the perfect stage to forge his legend.

Of course, Sirzechs would admit to a tiny fraction of selfish motivation. Just a sliver. After all, compared to Ajuka, he at least had a cute younger sister to show off, didn’t he?

Levi didn’t bother dissecting the Crimson Satan’s hidden motives. He had zero interest in attending a glorified tea party, but Sirzechs had gone out of his way to clear the board. Refusing now would be a waste of a perfectly good setup.

A quiet sigh escaped Levi’s lips. “…Fine. I’ll go. But if you force me into a bunch of childish, humiliating situations when I get there, I’m leaving.”

“You have my absolute guarantee~”

“…Hmm.”

A grand gathering of devils to arrange political alliances was the most mundane tradition in the Underworld. This particular banquet, however, focused entirely on the new generation. The youngest heirs wandering the opulent hall were barely six or seven, while the oldest hovered just over ten. The civil war was still a fresh scar in the Underworld’s history, making the establishment of secure engagements for these children a critical priority for the surviving noble houses.

Under normal circumstances, the atmosphere would be festive, filled with clinking glasses and polite laughter. But tonight, a distinct tension hung over the crystal chandeliers.

“I heard Levi from the House of Lucifer is actually attending…”

“The Old Satan Faction’s representative? Isn’t he that rumored loser? What family in their right mind would ever tie their bloodline to him?”

“Keep your voice down, you fool. Lord Lucifer and Lord Beelzebub personally issued the invitations. If we show him any disrespect, the Old Satan Faction will use it as an excuse to retaliate.”

The Reformist nobles, who should have been busy bartering their children’s futures, huddled in tight circles, casting wary glances toward the entrance. The more observant aristocrats had already noticed a chilling detail: the most vocal, radical anti-Old Satan hardliners were entirely absent. Some had claimed sudden emergencies. Others had fallen mysteriously ill. A few, according to hushed whispers, had suddenly died of ‘natural causes’ just hours before the banquet.

Because of this silent purge, a heavy realization settled over the crowd. Tonight was not just a simple matchmaking event. The political currents were shifting violently.

While most devils tucked their tails and minded their manners, a select few viewed the shifting power dynamics as an opportunity.

The old patriarch of the House of Phenex stood near the grand staircase, swirling a glass of blood-red wine. His eldest son was the future heir, his marriage secured long ago. His second son had stubbornly found his own match, and since the girl came from a respectable family, the patriarch had allowed it.

He hadn’t come tonight for his youngest daughter—she was far too small. He was here on a hunting expedition for his third son, Riser Phenex. And he had his eyes locked on the ultimate prize.

“Hello, Uncle Phenex.”

The old patriarch looked down. A little girl in an immaculate, puffy crimson dress offered a flawless, textbook curtsy. The old man’s wrinkled face split into a wide, calculating smile. “Oh my, if it isn’t little Rias. How long has it been? You’ve grown so tall, haha.”

He exchanged a few pleasantries with the young Gremory heir. Moments later, Rias’s father—the current head of the Gremory family—approached with a warm greeting. The two patriarchs naturally drifted together, their conversation shifting to the future.

Over Lord Gremory’s shoulder, Patriarch Phenex shot a subtle, meaningful wink toward his third son, Riser, who stood across the room. The target was locked. He wasn’t aiming for just any high-class lady. He wanted the sister of the current Lucifer, the future heir of the Gremory territory: Rias Gremory.

“I am so mad I could actually explode!”

Sirzechs and Ajuka stood near the grand balcony, nursing their drinks, when a familiar, fiercely indignant female voice shattered their quiet conversation.

“What’s wrong, Serafall?” Sirzechs asked, turning around.

The Leviathan herself—Serafall Sitri—marched toward them, her magical-girl twintails bouncing with every furious step. She glared at Sirzechs, planting her hands on her hips. “How can you stand there and smile, Sirzechs? This time, not only is my cute, precious Sona being forced into an engagement, but your sister Rias can’t escape the elders’ plotting either!”

Serafall knew exactly how deeply Sirzechs doted on Rias. She also knew Rias’s personality; the girl was incredibly headstrong. If the Gremory elders unilaterally shackled her to a fiancé, the warm sibling bond would instantly freeze into a bitter cold war.

A little sister giving her older sibling the cold shoulder… just the thought of it made Serafall shiver in horror. She couldn’t fathom how Sirzechs was taking this so calmly.

“About that…” Sirzechs offered a helpless, apologetic smile, raising a hand to explain.

Ajuka smoothly cut in, adjusting his collar. “Sirzechs intends to propose a new rule at tonight’s gathering. Anyone who wishes to become his sister’s fiancé must first prove themselves in a Rating Game-style combat match. Only the victor will earn the right to be engaged to Rias.”

Serafall blinked, her anger stalling as the gears turned in her head. “Oh! So you’re going to send your own elite peerage members to enter the match and throw the fight, ensuring no one wins?”

“No.” Sirzechs’s smile deepened into something far more dangerous. His gaze drifted across the crowded ballroom, piercing through the glittering lights to find a solitary figure leaning against the wall in the darkest corner of the hall.

Levi. He had actually come.

“I am taking this very seriously,” Sirzechs murmured, his eyes locked on the shadows. “Because I have already made my decision. I have found someone truly worthy of entrusting Rias to.”

Serafall’s jaw dropped. She stared at Sirzechs as if an alien had hollowed out his skin and taken his place. “Sirzechs… what happened to you?”

“Serafall, why are you looking at me like that?”

“You actually aren’t a siscon anymore?!”

“I certainly didn’t mean it like—”

“Don’t talk to me! We have nothing left to say to each other!” Serafall spun on her heel, her twintails whipping through the air as she stormed off. Sirzechs and Ajuka exchanged a bitter, defeated look. Neither of them possessed the energy to stop her when she was in this mood.

But the moment Serafall turned her back to them, the dramatic outrage vanished from her face, replaced by a sharp, calculating gleam. ‘Since those fossilized elders insist on arranging an engagement for my Sona… I might as well steal Sirzechs’s trick.”A combat match. Sirzechs can’t bring himself to personally enter the ring against children, and he won’t use his own servants. But I have no such reservations!”Don’t worry, Sona. Big sister will absolutely not let you fall into the hands of some unworthy brat.’ She had the blueprint now. The plan was already forming in her mind.

Across the banquet hall, Levi stood cloaked in the shadows of a velvet drape, swirling a glass of sparkling water. He watched the aristocrats mingle, their fake smiles and veiled insults blending into a nauseating display.

‘I hated these kinds of high-society masquerades in my past life, too,’ he thought, taking a slow sip.

But he wasn’t here to play wallflower. Sirzechs’s private request echoed in his mind.

“Levi, just do whatever you want when the time comes.”

“Do as I want? Sirzechs, are you serious? I don’t have a good temper. If one of these entitled brats provokes me, I will actually put them in the ground.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Sirzechs had replied, his tone devoid of its usual warmth. “The Reformist Faction devils are rotting from the inside out, becoming exactly like the old nobles. If we let them fester, the civil war was fought for nothing. It’s time to clean house.”

Before ending the call, Sirzechs had dropped the real bait. “By the way, I will be using my sister’s engagement as the prize for a combat match. I refuse to let her marry into those corrupt families. Do me a favor. Participate.”

Levi’s eyes tracked through the crowd, landing on the smug, arrogant face of a young Riser Phenex. In the original timeline, Rias had been shackled to that exact turkey. The House of Phenex was infamous for its absolute immortality trait. Among the new generation, there wasn’t a single devil capable of bypassing that regeneration.

The old Phenex patriarch and Lord Gremory had likely orchestrated the entire thing. Sirzechs, bound by political optics, couldn’t openly slaughter a noble heir, so he had called in the ultimate wildcard to shatter the elders’ plans.

Levi lowered his glass. A dark, predatory amusement curled the corner of his mouth. “If I can do whatever I want… then I suppose I don’t need to hold back.”

This was the perfect hunting ground. Currently, he only possessed the bloodline of Asmodeus. The remaining seventy-one Pillars were scattered across the Underworld, difficult to track down individually. But here? Tonight? The elite bloodlines were served up on a silver platter. If a few arrogant nobles decided to step up and challenge him, he could harvest everything he needed in a single night.

The more Levi analyzed the room, the more his blood hummed with anticipation. His gaze swept over the heirs, and the System chimed in his mind, projecting a cascade of glowing text.

`[Check-in Target (Rias Gremory): Resolve her engagement problem.]`

`[Check-in Target (Sona Sitri): Resolve her engagement problem.]`

`[Check-in Target (Serafall Sitri): Defeat Serafall.]`

`[Check-in Target (Sairaorg Bael): Resolve his troublesome issues.]`

`[Check-in Target (Riser Phenex): Let him know the House of Phenex is not invincible.]`

Levi scanned the hall again. The older generation—men like Lord Gremory or the Phenex patriarch—didn’t trigger the System. But the five targets currently blinking in his vision were more than enough. He could clear five major check-ins and extract the blood of the 72 Pillars in one fell swoop.

Sirzechs had given him the green light. As long as Levi caused a massive upheaval here, it would force the hands of both Rizevim’s hidden forces and the remaining Old Satan Faction loyalists, giving Levi the initiative.

For years, Levi had hidden his fangs, biding his time while his strength matured. But ever since the Holy Grail War concluded, he had begun moving openly, setting up his pieces in the Familiar Forest. He was done hiding.

A Satan-class powerhouse walking into a room full of arrogant children.

Levi set his glass down on a passing waiter’s tray. It was time to flip the board.