High School DxD: The Lucifer's Devil Trigger — Chapter 80

The moment their discussion concluded, Levi watched Suzaku Himejima rise to her feet, her traditional robes rustling softly against the tatami. Before she could reach the door, he called out to her.

“By the way. Help me pass a message to the current head of the Himejima Clan.”

Suzaku paused, her hand hovering just inches from the sliding door.

Levi’s next sentence made her turn around abruptly, her eyes widening in sheer disbelief. “Just tell him this—among the exiled members of the Himejima Clan who have strayed outside our borders, one has awakened a Longinus. Canis Lykaon, the Black Bladed Dog God.”

He leaned forward, resting his chin on his steepled fingers, his lips curving into a sharp smile. “And while you’re at it, remind him that the holy sword Ame-no-Ohabari is sealed within that very beast.”

Upon hearing this, Suzaku’s breath hitched. She immediately understood the gravity of his words.

Ame-no-Ohabari was the legendary god-slaying sword that had once severed the fire god Kagutsuchi. The Himejima Clan was a strict Shinto family, deeply traditional and fiercely repulsed by heretical existences like Sacred Gears, artifacts, and foreign angels. Yet, the very deity they worshipped and drew their lineage from was the fire god Kagutsuchi.

The Himejima family had always been deeply intolerant of chaotic anomalies. They would never be able to stomach the existence of Canis Lykaon. To them, it wouldn’t just be an annoyance; it was a blasphemous, evil entity that had to be hunted down, dragged back to their main shrine in chains, and thoroughly purified.

“…I understand,” Suzaku murmured, her voice tight. She didn’t know exactly what kind of web Levi was spinning, but for now, she had no choice but to nod and play her part.

Just as she finally slid the door open, Levi tossed one last casual remark at her back. “Oh, right. I’ve had some brief contact with the Black Bladed Dog God. The current host of this Longinus is a little girl with black hair. Keep that detail in mind.”

Meanwhile, in the Underworld, deep within the Sitri territory.

Serafall’s mood was incredibly sour.

Sirzechs had visited the Sitri estate early that morning, wearing a deeply regretful expression as he delivered a piece of news to her and her father. That single conversation had completely ruined her day.

“Unfortunately, Levi might disappear for several years. I’m afraid the original wedding date for him and Serafall won’t be met.”

That was the message Sirzechs had brought.

At first, Serafall thought she would be overjoyed. She had spent countless nights racking her brain, trying to figure out how to wriggle out of her engagement with that infuriating rogue. But when the news actually hit her ears, she didn’t feel relieved. Instead, a heavy, uncomfortable knot formed in her chest.

He was running away.

If he wanted to run, fine! But the fact that he was slipping away on his own, without even bothering to take her with him, felt like a massive insult. It made Serafall feel that while avoiding the marriage was a good thing, being completely ignored and left behind was entirely unacceptable. She felt slighted. She was furious.

Carrying this contradictory, tangled mess of emotions, she had locked herself in her bedroom since morning, burying her face in her pillows.

Knock, knock, knock.

The gentle rapping at the door broke the silence. Lord Sitri, the current Clan Head, pushed the door open and stepped inside, looking at his daughter with a sympathetic sigh. “Serafall… please, don’t be so sad. I spoke with Sirzechs again. He said Levi hasn’t officially left yet. If it really comes down to it, we can rush the ceremony and you two can get married right now.”

Serafall’s head snapped up, her twintails whipping through the air. Her first thought was whether her old man was suffering from early-onset dementia.

Did he seriously think she was locking herself in her room because she was worried about not getting married?!

I… wait, am I actually a little bit upset about that?

The sudden realization that she couldn’t immediately formulate a proper retort only fueled her frustration. But it wouldn’t be fair to vent this explosive anger on her father. This debt had to be settled directly with the culprit who caused it.

“Stop meddling in my business!” Serafall huffed, sticking her tongue out at her father.

Without another word, she channeled her demonic power. A brilliant flash of magical energy enveloped her, and she shot straight out the open bedroom window, leaving a trail of sparkling frost in her wake.

Lord Sitri stood alone in the empty room, calmly pushing up his glasses as he watched the streak of light vanish into the horizon. “…That seems to be the direction of the gate leading to the human world.”

Back in the human world, Levi stood by his window, scanning the distant sky. He adjusted his glasses, a sudden flash of amusement crossing his eyes. “Oh? Is Serafall planning to force the issue before the wedding? Tsk, tsk. Young people these days are so much bolder than we were back then.”

He didn’t dwell on it, feeling a strange sense of relief wash over him. If Serafall was actually willing to be married off, that was a net positive.

He immediately turned to his subordinates and issued a command. “Accelerate the wedding preparations. There is no need to conserve manpower or resources.”

“Yes, My Lord.”

Levi had absolutely no idea that Serafall was currently rocketing toward the human world with the sole intention of wringing his neck. He simply felt that his grand plan was finally falling into place. He had already greeted Sirzechs in advance. With Suzaku Himejima off handling the chaotic affairs of the Five Great Families, he had fully intended to use this rare window of peace to cuddle with Ophis and relax.

But fate, it seemed, had other plans.

Just as he had sent Shiki Ryougi off to assist Suzaku, thinking his schedule was finally clear, another uninvited guest showed up at his doorstep.

“Speak. What is it this time?” Levi demanded.

He was standing in the hallway wearing his silk pajamas, his expression thoroughly unamused.

Touko Aozaki stood before him, looking slightly out of breath. She couldn’t figure out exactly how she had offended him this time, but the dark, unkind look in his eyes made her skin prickle. Still, she had no other choice. If the situation wasn’t so dire, and if she hadn’t previously accepted a commission from him, she would never have come begging this devil for a favor.

Urged by his sharp tone, she cut straight to the chase. “I’ve run into a bit of trouble. My sister is coming.”

She took a steadying breath. “I need you to intervene. Stop her, and hide me so she can’t track my location.”

Levi paused, his annoyance fading into genuine intrigue. “—You’re talking about that Magician.”

His impression of Aoko Aozaki basically boiled down to two distinct points.

First, the creator of her universe—the ‘Mushroom’himself—had once publicly declared that Aoko was his’wife’, strictly forbidding her from getting too close to other male characters.

Second, there was the sheer weight of Aoko Aozaki’s identity as a Magician.

Because Touko was known as the fourth Magician’s sister and Aoko had mastered the elusive Fifth Magic, it had sparked endless debates in his past life. It was later confirmed by the highest authorities that Aoko indeed wielded the Fifth Magic. As for what the Fifth Magic actually did… that was a completely different story.

The phenomena displayed by the Fifth Magic were heavily linked to the manipulation of time, but whether it was strictly a time-based ability was something no one could definitively answer. It was highly likely that even Aoko herself couldn’t fully explain the mechanics of it.

It was exactly how Levi felt about his own grasp of the Third Magic.

Everything he had touched upon within the Root was attributed to the Third Magic. The materialization of the soul, infinite magical energy, true immortality—those were merely the surface-level applications of the Third Magic.

Levi stared at Touko for a few long seconds before letting out a low chuckle. “Do you want me exactly what the Third Magic is?”

He shook his head. “I can’t say.”

“Why? Because the languages of this world simply lack the vocabulary to describe that kind of concept. Words can’t write it out, and logic can’t hit the mark. That’s just the nature of it.” Levi leaned against the doorframe. “This is the kind of power you Magicians have touched. It is fundamentally different from the demonic magic of devils or the magecraft practiced by ordinary magi. If you absolutely must find a word to contain it, you can only call it ‘Magic’.”

“Right,” Touko nodded, smoothly following his train of thought. “Because of certain… actions I’ve taken, I am currently being hunted by her. I am not fully prepared to counter her methods yet, so I want to request your protection for a short while.”

Levi’s interest peaked. “What exactly did you do?”

“I kidnapped her housemate.”

“Alice Kuonji?”

Touko blinked, clearly surprised that Levi knew the girl’s name, but she didn’t bother hiding it. She nodded.

“You kidnapped Alice Kuonji…” Levi sighed, rubbing his temples. “Never mind. If it’s inconvenient to explain, you don’t have to answer.”

Touko gave him a strange look, adjusting her glasses. “Don’t get the wrong idea. I need Alice to help me complete a specific piece of research. She refused to cooperate, so I had to resort to more aggressive negotiations.”

Levi walked over to his desk, sitting down and tapping his fingers rhythmically against the polished wood. “If this technology of yours is interesting enough that someone as proud as you needs to beg for my help, then I’ll assist you. Consider it payment.”

He smiled, a dangerous glint in his eye. “Of course, if I find your research boring, I’ll just team up with Aoko Aozaki and help her tear your workshop to shreds.”

He wasn’t bluffing. He could lie when necessary, but he rarely hid his true intentions.

Touko seemed to have anticipated this exact response. She let out a long sigh and laid her trump card on the table. “It’s a specialized form of doll magic. But I am not talking about making identical, lifeless replicas. I am talking about creating dolls that possess true, independent life.”

Levi’s eyes narrowed to slits.

Creating dolls with life.

If anyone else in the world had claimed this, he would have laughed them out of the room. But coming from Touko Aozaki, the greatest puppet master alive, it was entirely plausible.

, if he kept Alice around, there was a high chance he could trigger a system check-in reward from her presence. Acquiring Touko’s living-doll technology could also prove incredibly useful for his future plans.

As for stopping Aoko Aozaki? A walk in the park.

While he was calculating the benefits, Grayfia materialized beside his desk, holding a stack of documents. “Lord Levi, the intelligence reports you requested.”

Touko had already arrived in the city, stashing Alice Kuonji in a secure hideout prepared by the Tohsaka family. Aoko wouldn’t be able to rush over immediately.

The current priority was resolving the chaos surrounding the Five Great Families.

“Yo, Suzaku is certainly obedient. She started moving the pieces the moment she got back,” Levi noted, scanning the top page.

The intelligence was crystal clear. The faction of the Five Great Families, led by the Himejima Clan, was currently casting a massive net across the entire Far East. They were tearing the region apart, desperately searching for a ‘black-haired girl’ belonging to the Himejima bloodline.

Levi stared at that specific line of text for two seconds. Then, he picked up a pen and casually crossed out the words ‘Himejima Clan’.

“Yukari,” he called out to the empty room.

Space distorted, and a dark gap lined with eerie, staring red eyes tore open in the air. Yukari Yakumo drifted out from the void, her elegant paper fan fluttering lazily. “How are things progressing with the yokai?” Levi asked.

Yukari covered the lower half of her face with her fan, her eyes curving into cunning, fox-like slits. “We’ve brought most of the yokai factions to heel. There are still a few stubborn, disobedient ones holding out. We were planning to grind them down slowly.”

“Stop dealing with them for now,” Levi ordered, handing her the modified intelligence report.

Yukari blinked in surprise. She took the paper and scanned the text. “The intelligence says the Himejima Clan is mobilizing everything to look for… a black-haired girl?”

She immediately noticed the thick ink crossing out the ‘Himejima Clan’ modifier.

Levi grinned, his teeth flashing. He deliberately dragged out his words, adopting a mocking, theatrical tone. “Lord Rizevim has declared that the Infinite Dragon God, Ophis, is currently hiding in the Far East! And her current form is that of a black-haired girl!”

He spread his arms. “His loyal Himejima Clan is using their massive influence to scour the earth, searching for the Dragon God to present to Lord Rizevim! How dare they!”

Yukari understood his twisted logic in a heartbeat. “Are you planning to use Rizevim’s banner to agitate all the independent yokai, and then aim their fury directly at the Five Great Families?”

“Something like that. But we’re still missing one key piece.”

Levi stood up, his dark aura flaring slightly. “I extracted some very interesting information from the brain of that Witch of Oz earlier. I’ll take you to retrieve the item shortly. Once we have it in hand, you can go rally those stubborn yokai.”

He paused, his expression turning dead serious. “Remember. Every single move you make must be done in the name of Rizevim Livan Lucifer.”

“Understood,” Yukari purred. Framing enemies and shifting blame were arts she had perfected centuries ago.

Levi then turned his gaze back to Grayfia.

The silver-haired maid nodded in perfect synchronization. “Among the Six Houses of Lucifer, there are still several noble factions who remain fiercely loyal to Rizevim and refuse to submit to your rule.”

“Call them all to the Far East,” Levi commanded coldly.

Yukari tapped her fan against her chin, thinking a few steps ahead. “Lord Levi, if you execute this grand play, aren’t you worried Rizevim will suspect you’re the one pulling the strings?”

Levi threw his head back and laughed. “If he suspects me, does that magically remove the blame from his shoulders? The yokai won’t care about his excuses.”

Yukari fell into deep thought, a wicked smile slowly forming behind her fan.

Levi’s mouth curved upward. “Yukari, we are going to have to leave this place for a while. A few years, at the very least. Don’t underestimate that timeframe; when we finally return, I won’t be surprised if the entire landscape of this world has been flipped upside down.”

He walked toward the window, looking out over the city. “So, let’s take this golden opportunity to force the entire world’s attention onto Rizevim for the next few years. Only by making him public enemy number one can we truly block that lunatic’s path.”

“And while they’re busy tearing each other apart, all the remaining obstacles within our own ranks will be conveniently cleared out.”

Levi adjusted his glasses, his eyes gleaming with dark anticipation. “As for what happens when we come back…”