High School DxD: The Lucifer's Devil Trigger — Chapter 71

Chapter 71: The Devil’s Contract

Minagawa Natsume pushed open the heavy oak door to the common area of the Grigori’s covert student dormitory. The majestic eagle, Griffin, shifted its weight on her shoulder, its talons clicking against her leather guard. She let out a long, exhausted breath. “They’re gone again.”

Samejima Tsunao—Shark—leaned against the peeling wallpaper. His hand paused in its rhythmic stroking of the white cat nestled in his arms. He clicked his tongue. “Boss Bird, you think that guy already got snatched up by the Utsusemi Agency?”

“I can’t be absolutely certain…” Natsume’s voice wavered, lacking its usual sharp edge.

Lavinia Reeni sat gracefully on the worn sofa. Dressed in her pristine white robes and a pointed hat, she looked as though she had stepped straight out of a children’s fairy tale. “Shark,” she spoke with a slow, soothing cadence, “this was bound to happen eventually. Natsume didn’t do it on purpose.”

“Lavinia—” Natsume’s voice cracked. She threw her arms around the blonde witch, burying her face in the white fabric.

Samejima scoffed, turning his gaze away, but kept his mouth shut. He knew the harsh reality of their situation. They had been far too optimistic before. Too naive.

In the shadows of the room stood a white-haired boy—Vali Lucifer. Before he could open his mouth, the ethereal, glowing wings on his back flared to life. The voice of Albion, the White Dragon Emperor, echoed through the room. [You are all mistaken. The situation regarding Ikuse Tobio is not as you assume. He was not taken by the Utsusemi Agency.]

Heads snapped toward the corner. Samejima and Natsume didn’t fully understand the dragon’s presence, but they knew the man who had gathered them here to fight Utsusemi.

Azazel, the Governor General of the Fallen Angels, stepped into the light. He understood the supernatural underworld far better than these novices. “However, we shouldn’t celebrate just yet.” His golden eyes narrowed. “If I’m reading the residual magical signature correctly, the one who took him is monstrously powerful. And…” Azazel glanced down. “Vali. This aura belongs to an acquaintance of yours.”

“Vali Lucifer. The one my younger brother possesses is Divine Dividing, one of the thirteen Longinus. And the Sacred Gear currently resting inside you is Canis Lykaon—also one of the thirteen.”

Levi paced slowly across the abandoned warehouse floor, his voice echoing off the corrugated metal walls. He had just spent the last hour dumping the hidden truth of the world onto Ikuse Tobio. The shipwreck, the Utsusemi Agency, the origins of his shadow-hound Sacred Gear—all of it.

Tobio sat on a rusted crate, clutching his head. The sheer volume of information threatened to fracture his mind. Gods, devils, angels, the Five Great Families. It was too much.

But a single thread of hope pierced through the noise. He snapped his head up, his eyes wide and desperate. “You said my classmates and friends are still alive?!”

He didn’t care about Longinus, angels, or supernatural politics. He only cared about the people he had grown up with. His childhood sweetheart. His friends.

Levi stopped pacing. A faint, knowing smile touched his lips. He had anticipated this exact reaction. “They are alive. I guarantee it. As long as we can retrieve the students who were forcibly converted by Utsusemi, I have the means to restore them to normal.”

It was a simple surgical extraction. Utsusemi had used the bodies of the two hundred and thirty-three missing students from the shipwreck to fuse with imitation Sacred Gears. To sever that connection, Levi wouldn’t even need to draw Yamato. Basic demonic extraction techniques would suffice.

“However…” Levi’s smile faded, replaced by a chilling seriousness. “I think you should be far more worried about yourself right now.”

Tobio blinked, the desperate hope stalling in his chest.

Levi let out a quiet sigh. “The Utsusemi Agency orchestrated that shipwreck for a very specific reason. There were four students in your grade who possessed the Sacred Gears known as the ‘Four Fiends’. Those four were the true targets. Everyone else on that ship was just unlucky collateral damage.”

Tobio’s brow furrowed. He wasn’t stupid. The gears in his head turned, clicking the horrifying pieces into place. “Four of these ‘Four Fiends’ appearing in the exact same grade, at the exact same time… coincidences like that don’t exist in this world, do they?”

“Exactly.” Levi snapped his fingers, pointing a single digit at Tobio. “Your Sacred Gear, Canis Lykaon, has a unique trait. A destiny, if you want to call it that. It passively acts as a magnet, drawing other external-type Sacred Gear users to your side. Just like that massive chameleon you fought earlier.”

Levi lowered his hand. “In other words, if it weren’t for you, even if the Four Fiends eventually gathered, it wouldn’t have been such a perfect coincidence that they all ended up in the same grade while completely unawakened.”

The silence that followed was suffocating. Tobio stared at the concrete floor. His chest tightened, a crushing weight settling over his lungs. It was his fault. All of it. The missing students, the monsters, the terror. But he hadn’t done anything. He had just existed. Was simply being alive a sin?

Levi watched the boy’s shoulders slump. “I know exactly what you’re thinking,” he said, his voice cutting through the gloom. “But let me give you some advice. Either bury that guilt right now, or stop treating that weapon in your soul like a toy meant for a comic book hero.”

Levi took a step closer, his presence suddenly suffocating, demanding absolute attention. “It is a Longinus. The name alone implies its purpose—it is a tool designed to slaughter gods. No matter whose hands it falls into, it remains an apocalyptic weapon.”

“This power is a blessing and a lethal poison. So, Tobio, if you truly believe you need to shoulder the blame for this tragedy, then I suggest you hurry up and become strong enough to bear the weight.”

Tobio slowly raised his head. Levi looked to be around his age, yet the authority and absolute certainty radiating from him made him seem ancient. For some inexplicable reason, Tobio found himself trusting the dark-haired boy’s words.

“Think about it logically,” Levi continued, crossing his arms. “You are walking around with a weapon of mass destruction. If the supernatural world finds out, do you really think they’ll just leave you alone?”

The reality of the situation crashed down on Tobio. “…You’re right. If I knew someone was carrying a bomb, I wouldn’t be able to treat them normally either.”

“Exactly. Factions will want to use you. Others will want to kill you just to ensure their enemies don’t get you. And some will hunt you simply for the sport of it.”

Tobio let out a long, ragged exhale, running a hand through his hair. “So… even if we stop Utsusemi. Even if I save my friends. Because I have this thing inside me, I can never go back to my normal, peaceful life.”

“Half right.” Levi chuckled, the heavy tension in the room dissipating instantly. “Like I just said. If you’re afraid of the monsters in the dark, you become the biggest monster in the room.”

Levi held up a single finger. “First, understand this: Canis Lykaon is a weapon. There are only thirteen of its kind in existence. But it is just a weapon. It is not Ikuse Tobio.”

“The factions hunting you will look at you and only see the dog. They’ll call you Blade Dog, a false god, a tool. But no matter what title they force on you, never forget who you are. Canis Lykaon can be your blade, your partner, or your best friend. But it is absolutely not you.”

Clarity finally sparked in Tobio’s eyes. The crushing despair began to recede, replaced by a hardened resolve. “You’re saying… instead of letting others control me because of this weapon, I need to master it. I need to become so strong that the sheer deterrence of the Longinus keeps them away.”

“Spot on,” Levi said, nodding approvingly. “Of course, no matter how strong you get, the world has an endless supply of suicidal idiots who will still try their luck. That’s why you need the strength to actually slaughter the lunatics who ignore the warning signs.”

“Master the Longinus to create deterrence. Gain the personal strength to enforce it. Do those two things, and you can carve out whatever kind of life you want. It won’t be exactly the same as before, but the future was never going to be a carbon copy of the past anyway.”

Tobio sat in silence, letting the deep truth of Levi’s words settle into his bones. He took a deep breath, his gaze locking onto Levi with newfound sharpness. “What about you? You didn’t just happen to be walking by when Utsusemi attacked. That wasn’t a coincidence.”

Levi appreciated the boy’s sharp instincts. He didn’t bother hiding the truth. “I’ve been stalking you for a month.”

Tobio stiffened.

“I’m not like the others,” Levi said casually, inspecting his fingernails. “I recognized you as the host of Canis Lykaon the moment I saw you. And I possess a rather unique ability—I can rip a Sacred Gear out of its host instantly, without needing any complex rituals. Originally, I planned to just take it from you.”

Tobio’s breath hitched. A cold sweat broke out on his neck. He quickly did the math. A month ago, the school trip was already finalized. Utsusemi was already preparing. If Levi had stolen the Sacred Gear back then, Tobio would have been powerless, but the shipwreck would have still happened. He would have just been another helpless victim.

Tobio released a heavy sigh, the tension leaving his shoulders. He didn’t yell or demand answers. He just waited for Levi to continue.

Levi gave him a few seconds to process the revelation before speaking again. “But after watching you for a few days, I scrapped the plan.”

Tobio looked up, genuine surprise crossing his features. Levi smiled.

“Honestly, even if you handed Canis Lykaon to me on a silver platter, I probably wouldn’t take it. I’ll be blunt—among the thirteen Longinus, that dog is one of the most volatile. The risk of it going berserk is astronomically high.”

Levi stepped forward, looking down at the seated boy. “If anyone else held it, they’d either fail to unlock its true power or get consumed by it. But you, Ikuse Tobio… you are the absolute perfect vessel for it.”

Tobio blinked, entirely caught off guard by the sudden praise.

“Don’t doubt yourself. Your latent talent is exceptional. But more, you possess a gentleness that others lack.” Levi’s crimson eyes seemed to pierce straight through Tobio’s soul. “Even if you don’t believe in your own strength yet, trust my judgment. In the hands of a tyrant, that Sacred Gear would create a monster that slaughters innocents. But because it’s you, as long as you refuse to cross that line, the beast will heel.”

“I know you can master Canis Lykaon. So, on the second day of watching you, I made a decision. I realized your personal value far exceeded the Longinus itself.”

Levi raised his hand. A pulse of dark, concentrated demonic energy flared, and a parchment materialized in his grasp. “I saved you for a reason. I don’t want the weapon. I want you.”

He held out the archaic, glowing contract. “I will train you. I will give you the strength you need. I will wipe out the Utsusemi Agency, and I will bring every single one of your classmates back alive.”

Tobio reached out, his fingertips brushing against the rough parchment.

“Sign it, and you sever your ties to the mundane world forever,” Levi said, his tone devoid of pressure, merely stating a universal law. “I want the loyalty of Ikuse Tobio. But the choice is yours. If you refuse, I’ll still drop you off somewhere safe.”

Levi let his hand fall to his side. “So, make your choice.”

Tobio stared at the demonic script glowing on the paper. Levi had already explained what he was—a Devil. Tobio knew exactly what signing this meant. He was offering up his soul, his future, and his very existence. It was the ultimate gamble.

He slowly lifted his gaze, meeting Levi’s calm, unyielding crimson eyes. “Levi… can I actually trust you?”

Levi offered a nonchalant shrug. “Who knows. Maybe I’m just an exceptionally talented con artist.”

A faint, genuine smile broke through Tobio’s exhaustion. “A real con artist wouldn’t admit to being one.”

Without another second of hesitation, Tobio summoned a pen of magical energy and slashed his signature across the bottom of the parchment.

The contract flared with crimson light before dissolving into ash, binding their souls. Levi caught the falling embers, a dry, amused sigh escaping his lips.

“Silly kid,” Levi murmured, his eyes glinting with dark amusement. “That’s exactly what makes a con artist so clever.”