High School DxD: The Lucifer's Devil Trigger — Chapter 86

Chapter 86: The Birthday Gift

“Hmm… regarding our previous arrangement, it seems you successfully relayed the bait to the ears of your current family head, Suou Himejima. He has indeed started to make his move.”

Levi’s voice was smooth, carrying a casual cadence that entirely belied the gravity of his words. Through the glowing communication circle, he pictured the tense posture of the shrine maiden on the other end.

“Right now, he is following the trail I left for him, scouring the Far East for a certain black-haired girl. That much is going exactly to plan. However, for reasons of my own, Rizevim—the man I will be dealing with personally after I finish cleaning up your Five Great Families—is also hunting for her.”

Levi paused, letting the silence stretch over the magical connection. He gave Suzaku Himejima exactly enough time to digest the lethal implications of that overlap.

Then, a low chuckle vibrated in his throat. “So, you should prepare yourself. Tonight, a horde of youkai will lay siege to the Five Great Families. When the chaos peaks, Rizevim’s forces will execute the Himejima family head. You follow my meaning, don’t you?”

“It is Rizevim who will do the killing…” Suzaku murmured through the static, her breath hitching slightly before smoothing out. “I understand.”

Suzaku had always been a sharp woman. “Then I will leave the aftermath for myself to resolve. You helped me achieve my goal, and I will fully cooperate with your faction. It is just… those monsters you mobilized…”

She left the question hanging, probing tentatively.

Levi’s smile widened, though she couldn’t see it. “How could I possibly possess the authority to mobilize such a horde? Those were clearly summoned by Rizevim himself. Whether your people live or die tonight depends entirely on their own strength.”

He leaned back, his tone dropping into a chilling, pragmatic register. “However… once the dust settles on your end, I will be making my move against Rizevim. If his forces suffer heavy casualties against your families, it makes my job significantly easier. We have an understanding?”

A slow, steady exhale came through the circle. “I understand.”

The connection severed. On the other side, Suzaku would be realizing the full scope of the board. Levi was playing both sides with ruthless efficiency. He was using the forces of his hated grandfather to do his dirty work, while simultaneously using the entrenched power of the Five Great Families to bleed Rizevim’s vanguard dry. By assuring her that he would handle Rizevim personally, he was giving her the green light to seize control of her clan with absolute impunity.

It was a test of her competence, and a terrifying display of his own.

The evening tide rolled in, the rhythmic crash of the waves masking the distant hum of the city. Grayfia had already departed a step ahead to manage their logistics, leaving Levi and Serafall to walk side by side along the coastal path. The amber glow of the streetlights stretched their shadows long against the pavement.

The salty sea breeze caught the edges of Levi’s coat. He glanced sideways at the Leviathan. “Serafall. Has your impression of me changed after today?”

“Hmm… it’s alright.” She kicked a small pebble, her twin-tails bouncing with the motion.

The lingering worry Serafall had harbored earlier—mostly regarding the sheer number of women gravitating around him—had largely settled. As for his ruthless machinations against the Five Great Families? She was a Devil. More than that, she was a Satan, the chief diplomat of the Underworld. using deception and proxy warfare against external factions wasn’t cruel; it was standard politics.

Still, a puzzle piece was missing. She tilted her head, her bright eyes searching his face. “Are you trying to use the Five Great Families to lure Rizevim out into the open?”

Levi offered a dry smile. “Of course not. That is merely an appetizer.”

His footsteps slowed, and his tone shifted, the casual warmth bleeding out into something far older and colder. “You are not of the House of Lucifer, Serafall, so you likely wouldn’t keep track of such things. But the day after tomorrow is my grandfather’s birthday.”

Serafall blinked, entirely derailed by the domestic pivot.

“Vali…” Levi continued, looking out over the dark water. “You’ve likely heard Sirzechs mention my younger brother, the current White Dragon Emperor. I won’t be attending any family gatherings, as I will need to leave the area before then. But I still remember Grandfather’s special day. Vali has probably long forgotten it. A tragedy for our family bonds, truly.”

His voice dripped with dark sarcasm. “Vali ran away from home years ago, so we can excuse his absence. But since Grandfather is celebrating—however many centuries old he is now—I intend to send him a proper gift.”

Levi turned his gaze back to the path. “The slaughter of the Five Great Families is just a starter. Given his arrogant temper, even if he knew I orchestrated it, he wouldn’t take it to heart. He views them as insects. But I believe that once he opens the gift I have prepared, he will be absolutely thrilled to death. He’ll take the initiative to hunt me down, finally showing some concern for the grandson he always treated as empty air.”

They stopped before an elegant wrought-iron gate. It was the entrance to the safe house the Tohsaka family had prepared for Serafall’s stay. Levi pushed the gate open, gesturing for her to head inside. “Go on and rest. I still need to finalize Grandfather’s present.”

Serafall stood in the open gateway, staring at his calm, handsome face.

Then, a bright, genuine laugh bubbled past her lips.

Any normal human—even a seasoned magus like Suzaku—would feel a deep, instinctual terror at the sight of Levi casually plotting the assassination of his own bloodline. But Serafall was a Satan. She didn’t feel fear. She only found him endlessly, dangerously fascinating.

Her laughter subsided, leaving a soft, serious expression in its wake. “Levi, regarding Rizevim… do you want me to give Sirzechs a heads-up? Sirzechs claims the title of the strongest, and it’s true. His power is at the genuine extraordinary level. If you need backup—”

Levi shook his head, a soft smile touching his lips. “No need.”

When speaking of Rizevim, the sarcastic edge vanished completely. What remained was a cold, absolute certainty. “I know exactly how strong Rizevim is. Vali knows. Our father, who died by his hands, knew. No one understands that monster better than his own descendants.”

Levi looked up at the moon, his eyes reflecting its pale light. “We all understand that the blood of Lucifer carries a cursed fate. And that curse, since the day he was born, has been named Rizevim.”

“He is the shadow of Lucifer,” Levi murmured, his voice barely louder than the ocean wind. “To overcome this shadow, I have prepared for a very long time. This is a blood feud between him and me. That darkness has shrouded our name for thousands of years. It is time for it to be torn apart.”

He met Serafall’s worried gaze. “Rest assured. This battle will have a definitive end. And the one left standing will not be him.”

Serafall stared at him for a long moment. She searched his eyes for any trace of desperate determination, any hint of a suicidal last stand. She found none. There was only a calm smile and the terrifying confidence of a king who had already foreseen checkmate.

Her shoulders relaxed. “That’s good. Just… be careful.”

She stepped closer, closing the distance between them. With her hands clasped behind her back, she rose onto her tiptoes, leaning up until her lips brushed softly against his cheek.

Before he could react, she dropped back onto her heels and retreated two quick steps, her cheeks dusted with a faint, lovely pink. She offered a playful wink. “I’ll be waiting for you~”

With a twirl of her skirt, she slipped past the gate and vanished into the house.

Levi touched his cheek, a helpless sigh escaping him.

Right on cue.

The space beside him warped, the fabric of reality tearing open like wet paper. Ophis crawled out of the dimensional rift, her flat, void-like eyes locking onto him. Without a word, she wrapped her slender arms around his neck, her small body pressing against him in a blatant declaration of ownership.

“Lower your head,” the Ouroboros Dragon demanded, her voice entirely devoid of inflection, yet heavy with possessive intent.

A short while later, after thoroughly appeasing the Dragon God of Infinity, Levi stood alone, leaning against the cold stone of the courtyard wall. He raised a hand, his magic flaring as he constructed a highly encrypted spell formation.

‘Levi, do you want my help?’ Ophis’s voice echoed in his mind through their telepathic link.

‘Hmm… when the time comes, I will need you to seal off the surrounding space. Don’t let him run. You can leave the rest to me; he is no match for my blade.’

The mental link faded just as the communication circle flared to life, connecting to the Old Satan Faction.

“Levi…” Rizevim’s voice slithered through the magic, dripping with condescension. “Have you found Ophis?”

Levi adjusted his posture, perfectly mimicking the tone of a strained, struggling subordinate. “There is no definitive result yet, but I have narrowed down the general direction. If Ophis is truly hiding in the Far East, there is only one major territory left unchecked. But even if I mobilize every asset I have in the vicinity, I fear it won’t be enough to secure the area. Do you have any high-ranking combat personnel you can temporarily transfer to hold the line?”

A sharp scoff echoed from the circle. Levi could practically see the arrogant sneer twisting his grandfather’s face.

Levi quickly pressed the advantage. “The dominant forces here, the Five Great Families, have suddenly started abducting young girls matching Ophis’s description. I don’t know who tipped them off. While the majority of their ranks are trash, their family heads and the Four Gods—especially the Yellow Dragon, Kohryu—are not easily dealt with.”

Silence stretched over the line. Despite Rizevim’s clear displeasure at being asked for resources, the mention of Ophis was the ultimate bait. She was the absolute crux of his grand ambition.

“Got it,” Rizevim finally snapped. “Tomorrow morning, my vanguard will arrive.”

“Your assistance is truly appreciated.”

“Hmph. You piece of trash better find Ophis this time. Otherwise, I won’t need to remind you of your father’s fate, will I?”

“I understand perfectly,” Levi replied, his voice deadpan.

The communication cut off.

Levi stood in the quiet courtyard, his fists clenching slowly. He licked his dry lips, a dark, genuine laugh finally breaking free from his chest.

He knew exactly what forces Rizevim had stolen from the House of Lucifer when he abandoned the Underworld. They were almost exclusively High-Class Devils. As for Ultimate-Class Devils—an extreme rarity even among purebloods—Rizevim only possessed a single one under his direct command.

If Rizevim wanted to crush the Five Great Families and secure Ophis, he had two choices: come personally, or deploy his one and only Ultimate-Class enforcer.

“If he actually comes personally, then the day after tomorrow won’t be a birthday celebration. We’ll just skip straight to the funeral feast.”

But if Rizevim followed his usual cowardly, arrogant pattern and sent his prized Ultimate-Class pawn…

Levi flicked his wrist. A dense, writhing mass of pitch-black energy materialized in his palm, chilling the air around it. It was the lethal seal Rizevim had planted inside his body years ago to ensure his obedience—a curse Levi had effortlessly extracted the moment he awakened the Yamato’s spatial-severing power.

“A curse that even Sirzechs and Ajuka would struggle to undo,” Levi whispered, watching the black mass pulse. “A bomb designed to obliterate even a Devil King if triggered. Heh. Thanks, Rizevim, for thinking so highly of my potential.”

His fingers closed around the dark energy, compressing it into a stable core. “I truly hope that when you open your birthday gift, you’ll still be smiling.”

“Everyone is back.”

Levi sat comfortably on the plush sofa in the center of their hidden base’s living room, watching his peerage members file in.

“Hmm, the preparations for the large-scale spell formation are almost complete, nya.” Kuroka didn’t hesitate for a second. Having been separated from Levi for too long, she immediately draped herself over his shoulders, purring softly as she clung to him like a spoiled cat.

Shirone quietly claimed his lap, tucking her legs beneath her and finding a comfortable spot against his chest.

“As long as the spell is deployed and the anchor is fixed, we’ll be ready,” Kuroka finished, resting her chin on his shoulder.

“Excellent work,” Levi praised, gently stroking Shirone’s hair. “However, before we officially initiate the sequence, there are a few miscellaneous matters to handle. I’ve acquired new intelligence on my end, which means the number of targets we need to eliminate has changed.”

At the word “targets,” the playful atmosphere vanished. Kuroka’s ears twitched, her feline languor replaced by sharp, predatory focus. Shirone sat up slightly, her golden eyes locking onto him. Across the room, Artoria and Tiamat straightened their postures in unison.

Levi met each of their gazes. “I mentioned this when we first began preparing the grand formation. Our team is focusing on three primary objectives for this operation.”

He raised a finger. “The first, our short-term goal, is to help Artoria confirm whether the decision she made in her past was the correct one.”

Artoria placed a hand over her heart, offering a crisp, knightly nod. “Thank you, Levi.”

“Don’t be so formal. We are family. Isn’t it only natural to support you?” Levi waved off her gratitude before raising a second finger. “The second, our mid-term goal, is the permanent resolution of my grandfather, Rizevim.”

He raised a third finger. “The third is a long-term goal. For now, there are no specific deployment orders regarding it. I simply need all of you to focus on pushing past your current limits and improving your strength.”

The peerage members nodded, the weight of their impending war settling over the room.

Tiamat shifted on her feet, her crimson eyes flickering with a rare trace of hesitation. She opened her mouth to speak: