High School DxD: The Lucifer's Devil Trigger — Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Crimson Satan’s Gift

She looked at the slight surprise on Levi’s face and suddenly felt that this guy, the exact same person who had stirred up such absolute carnage yesterday, was not so terrifying after all.

“Lord Levi…” Kuroka did not even notice the corners of her mouth curling upward.

She spoke in a slow, slightly playful tone. “Actually, Shirone and I are the ones who should be saying thank you. If you had not lent a hand, my sister and I would likely have perished in the secret chamber of the Naberius Clan long ago.”

She took a breath, the weight of the memory briefly dimming her golden eyes. “Even if we had managed to escape, without your support, we would most likely have become Stray Devils. Hunted down and disposed of by the Underworld.”

“So, you are our benefactor. That much is certain.”

As she spoke, the tension bled out of her slender frame completely. The pair of fluffy black ears atop her head twitched unconsciously in the quiet air.

She looked up at Levi, who stood a head taller than her, and offered a smile that reached her eyes. “Of course I agree. But there is no need for a formal contract.”

“As long as you need me, I will agree. It is that simple.”

Kuroka let go of Levi’s hand and took a few graceful steps back.

Her bare feet padded onto the wooden staircase. She paused, glancing back over her shoulder with another teasing smile. “Anytime.”

“Just do not find Shirone and me troublesome when that time comes.”

The nekomata giggled, turning on her heel and darting upstairs to duck into the bedroom she shared with her sister.

She looked entirely composed on the surface.

Levi, however, noticed the truth. While her face remained a mask of playful confidence, the feline ears hidden amidst her dark hair had turned a burning, beet red.

‘Is she shy?’Levi watched the empty staircase.’What is there to be shy about?’

In his mind, a proper swearing of loyalty should have resembled the Oath of the Peach Garden. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei meeting Liu Bei under the blooming trees, sharing a hearty laugh, and swearing eternal brotherhood over a bowl of wine. The atmosphere should have been a resounding declaration of following the big brother to conquer the world. And he, in turn, should be patting his chest, declaring that having them by his side was worth more than a hundred thousand elite troops.

Instead, he got a blushing cat girl running away.

Levi stared at Kuroka’s retreating path, the floral stained glass of the manor shining under the Underworld’s signature purple sun. He exhaled a quiet sigh and scratched the back of his head. “I am really not good at this kind of thing.”

The moment the words left his mouth, a mechanical chime echoed in his mind.

[Sign-in Reward: Observation Haki]

Levi stood perfectly still in the courtyard and closed his eyes. The world around him shifted. The physical environment mapped itself clearly into his consciousness, expanding into a flawless, three-dimensional sphere of perception. Every falling leaf, every shift in the wind, every heartbeat within range registered instantly. There were zero blind spots.

No matter which direction a sneak attack might originate from, he would know the trajectory before the blade even swung.

“It hasn’t reached the level of reading minds or predicting the future yet,” Levi murmured, opening his eyes. “But for someone like me who relies on raw talent to fight, this is already a cheat.”

His current magic power reserves were still too low. However, if he could effortlessly dodge incoming attacks using Observation Haki while maintaining a safe distance with Yamato, he could drag out any high-level fight to his advantage.

Still, the magic power issue required a permanent solution. He could not rely on evasion forever.

With a casual flick of his wrist, Levi manifested three spectral Summoned Swords. He did not aim them at the wooden training targets across the yard. Instead, he scattered them directly above his head.

The three glowing blades shot into the sky like fireworks, stalled at their apex, adjusted their angles mid-air, and plunged downward with violent speed. All three struck the dead center of the bullseye.

Tracking.

In the world of devils, the truly powerful all possessed unique magical properties. The current Lucifer, Sirzechs, wielded the absolute annihilation of the Power of Destruction. The Sitri Clan specialized in absolute zero freezing. Even the heavenly dragons possessed distinct traits, the Red Dragon Emperor with his piercing penetration and the White Dragon Emperor with his venomous reduction.

Levi’s inherent magical property was tracking.

“Being able to lock onto enemies automatically. Not bad at all.”

His Summoned Swords already allowed him to instantly teleport to the blade’s location. If he could guarantee a lock-on against a moving target, his combat mobility would become terrifying.

“Combined with Observation Haki, the range and precision of that target locking can be pushed even further.” The prototype of an entirely new combat style slowly took root in his mind.

“Lord Levi. The Lucifer, Sirzechs, has arrived. Do you need me to send him away?”

Grayfia’s calm, measured voice broke his concentration from the edge of the courtyard.

Levi considered it for a fraction of a second. “Forget it. I will go see him.”

Sirzechs seeking him out personally was undoubtedly related to their brief communication yesterday. The Crimson Satan likely thought Levi had been far too impulsive in slaughtering the Naberius researchers and had come to deliver a lecture.

Yet, Levi’s intuition nudged him differently. This visit might actually yield something useful.

Inside the reception room, Sirzechs started with the exact tune Levi expected. “You went too far this time.”

Levi sat across from the Great Satan, fully aware of the dynamic. Sirzechs was only a year older than Vali, placing him in the same generational bracket as Rias and Sona. Using a senior’s tone to lecture him was not entirely unreasonable from a political standpoint.

Whether Levi actually listened was an entirely different matter.

“I think it was handled perfectly fine,” Levi replied, his tone flat and unapologetic. “You know the current situation in the Underworld better than anyone. The reforms have barely just started. Rizevim’s loyalists are still highly active in the shadows, and the surface-level peace is anything but solid. If you want to actually accomplish things at a time like this, you cannot afford to act like the idealistic hero of the Reformist Faction anymore.”

Levi picked up the silver coffee pot Grayfia had prepared, filled Sirzechs’ cup, and then poured one for himself.

“If I do not force the issue,” Levi continued, setting the pot down, “certain rotten structures will become set in stone. By the time you decide to act, it will be far too late to change them.”

He took a slow sip of the dark roast. “Besides, I carry the name of Lucifer. No matter how much I might appreciate the current state of the Underworld, I cannot erase this background. If I act a bit impulsive, a bit unhinged, those old nobles who usually put on airs in front of you will suddenly find themselves much more well-behaved.”

Sirzechs accepted the cup, a heavy sigh escaping his lips. “Thanks.”

“It is just a cup of coffee. No need to be polite.”

Both men raised their porcelain cups and drank in unison. They brushed past the heavy political topic simultaneously, the transition so smooth and tacit it felt rehearsed.

“By the way, Levi.”

Sirzechs set his cup on the saucer, reached into his coat, and retrieved a small, ornate box. He placed it on the table between them and flipped the lid open.

Inside rested a full set of Evil Pieces, each one perfectly sealed within a crystalline casing.

“Evil Pieces?” Levi asked, his gaze dropping to the board.

“Yes. Devils have fought several major wars in recent centuries, and the number of pure-bloods has dropped to a pitifully low margin. So, the Underworld established a new rule. As long as you reach the level of a High-Class Devil, whether you belong to the Reformist Faction or the Old Satan Faction, you will be issued a set.”

Sirzechs pushed the velvet-lined box across the table. “Just place your hand over them and channel your magic power into the crystal. Although they look identical on the outside right now, after activation, whether there are special pieces inside depends entirely on random chance. Do you want to test your luck?”

Levi felt a spark of genuine interest. He reached out, resting his palm over the cold crystal.

The moment his magic power flowed outward, the casing illuminated. The light was not blinding, but a deep, gentle glow. The radiance slowly retracted from the crystal’s surface, compressing inward until it was entirely absorbed by the chess pieces themselves.

When the glow finally faded, Levi’s personal set of pieces had fully formed.

Ordinary pieces were standard tools for reincarnating another species into a devil. The higher the innate potential of the subject, the more pieces the reincarnation consumed.

Mutated Pieces were an entirely different breed. A single Mutated Piece could handle a subject of absolutely any potential, making them incredibly rare artifacts. If a standard High-Class Devil managed to roll two Mutated Pieces in their set, they would consider themselves blessed by the heavens.

Levi looked down at his box.

There were four Mutated Pieces resting in the velvet. One Mutated Pawn, one Mutated Rook, and two Mutated Bishops.

Every single one of them radiated a distinct, irregular aura.

“Your luck is truly enviable.” Sirzechs stared at the box, momentarily stunned, before a wry smile broke across his face. He nodded in concession.

Levi also felt the universe was smiling on him today. “It is alright,” he replied casually. He snapped the lid shut and tossed the box directly into his spatial inventory, making zero effort to hide his satisfaction.

“Did you come to see me today just to play deliveryman for these pieces?” Levi leaned back against the plush sofa, his eyes locking onto Sirzechs. “A lecture alone is not enough to bring you here. There are indeed some things between us that need to be discussed. But if you are just using the pieces as a smokescreen, and Rizevim’s faction decides to target me over yesterday’s mess, I will not be able to explain myself.”

Levi knew exactly how the Crimson Satan operated. Sirzechs never made a personal trip without a layered motive.

“I really cannot hide anything from you.” Sirzechs shook his head, the smile remaining as he reached into his robes a second time.

He withdrew a formal document. It was not a cargo receipt, but a highly classified transfer document for a devil.

“This girl is a bit of a problem,” Sirzechs said, his tone shifting to pure business. “But after thinking it over carefully, you are the only one in the Old Satan Faction I can entrust her to right now.”

Sirzechs spoke lightly, but Levi’s brow arched the moment his eyes caught the name stamped at the top of the parchment.

Ingvild Leviathan.

Her innate statistics were ridiculously high. She possessed immense natural magic power, housed a Longinus within her soul, and directly inherited the water-manipulating magical characteristics of the original Leviathan. By all metrics, this girl was a naturally gifted powerhouse. She was also destined to be Hyoudou Issei’s Queen in the original timeline.

Then came the Sleeping Sickness.

The name sounded like a trivial joke, but it was a lethal curse. The disease exclusively targeted devils. Once contracted, the victim would fall into a semi-permanent, comatose slumber. It did not matter how talented or physically strong the devil was; there was currently no known cure in the Underworld.

Ingvild Leviathan, a girl who looked flawless on paper, had contracted this exact disease at the age of seventeen. She had been asleep for nearly a century.

“Devils are different from humans,” Sirzechs explained quietly. “A hundred years is nothing to our lifespans. But for a devil afflicted with this disease, there is a very high probability they will simply never wake up.”

Levi knew the lore. The anomaly of the Bael Clan, Sairaorg, had a mother who fell victim to the exact same illness. She lacked the Power of Destruction entirely and relied solely on her physical vitality to endure the coma. In the end, she could not hold on. Her body decayed day by day until she finally perished.

Levi stood up and walked over to the massive crystal stone Sirzechs had brought into the manor’s secure wing earlier. He placed his hand against the cold, smooth surface.

Inside the magical amber, a beautiful girl with flowing purple hair slept peacefully, completely isolated from the flow of time.

According to the normal timeline, Ingvild should have been secretly holed up by some corrupt noble devil by now. It seemed that Levi’s aggressive actions and warnings had actually spurred Sirzechs into keeping a much closer watch on the aristocracy, leading to a thorough investigation that unearthed her early.

Levi curled his lips into a faint smirk. He was the one reaping the ultimate benefit.

Ingvild Leviathan’s Longinus had not fully awakened yet. But the moment one of the five new types of Longinus destined to appear in the future triggered, she would break from her slumber. Her ability was genuinely heaven-defying. She could strip dragons of their fighting capabilities and even command entire dragon herds through song. As a peerage member, she was an absolute top-tier strategic asset.

, her Longinus was not limited to dragon domination. It granted her absolute authority over the ocean. In practical terms, it was the equivalent of combining the spatial dominance of Dimension Lost with the atmospheric control of Zenith Tempest.

Not to mention the sudden prompt glowing in his vision.

[Task Condition: Stay together for five minutes]

Levi glanced at the ticking countdown hovering over the crystal, the smile on his face deepening into something far more dangerous. “Sirzechs, this gift of yours is really quite thoughtful.”

Sirzechs departed the manor by morning. By noon, his personal guard had officially delivered Ingvild’s stasis crystal to the deepest vaults of the House of Lucifer castle.

The core brilliance of this political maneuver was not lost on Levi. Handing Ingvild Leviathan over to him was a masterstroke of deflection.

This direct descendant of the original Leviathan was a ticking time bomb for the Reformist Faction. Any of the new Satans who tried to harbor her would get burned by the political fallout. They had barely secured their own positions of authority; none of them were stable enough to absorb the backlash of hiding a true Leviathan heir.

So, Sirzechs simply dumped the problem onto Levi.

Let Levi, a true Lucifer of the Old Satan Faction, handle the Leviathan heir. The old nobles could not say a single word in protest. Here in the Underworld, there were always entrenched factions who blindly supported the Old Satan bloodlines. They held significant military power and managed vast territories. Even though the Reformist Faction had won the civil war, they could not erase that underlying reality.

In the devil race, whoever had the biggest fist was the ultimate boss. But pure, unadulterated bloodline was still the hardest currency of all.