High School DxD: The Lucifer's Devil Trigger — Chapter 87

Chapter 87: The Siege of the Himejima Clan

“So… are we going to deal with Rizevim?”

Tiamat broke the silence, her voice uncharacteristically tight. “Isn’t it… a bit too early?”

The lingering chill of the Imaginary Number World still haunted her. She knew all too well what it meant to face a being on the level of a Heavenly Dragon, a Main God, a extraordinary. That suffocating sense of absolute helplessness, the crushing weight of a true powerhouse, had yet to fully dissipate from her bones.

Levi shook his head, a faint, relaxed smile resting on his lips. “Rather than saying we are taking on Rizevim, look at it this way. I destroyed his amulet. Now, I intend to go and settle the score with him personally.”

Tiamat’s eyes widened. Her brows drew together in a sharp line. “I admit I carry trauma regarding opponents of that caliber. But when we Dragons are truly pushed to the brink, we never take a single step back.”

Kuroka remained silent, her tail flicking slowly behind her. She did not entirely grasp the sheer scale of the threat. Aside from Sakura, Shirone, and Ingvild, who lacked any real concept of Rizevim’s terrifying reputation, even Artoria found herself stepping forward to voice her concern.

“Levi, choosing to challenge such an overwhelming opponent alone… this isn’t like you,” the knight said, her green eyes fixed on him.

She was right. Levi never cast himself as the tragic hero. He never struck dramatic poses for the sake of a fair, one-on-one duel.

He was a Devil. Pragmatism ran in his blood.

The only time he would ever willingly choose a solo fight against an entity with an absurdly massive power gap—like Great Red—was when he activated his Sin Devil Trigger. In that state, his sanity would erode, leaving him unable to distinguish friend from foe. Outside of that specific scenario, his philosophy was simple and absolute: if he could gang up on an enemy, he would never fight fair.

Because his peerage understood his nature so intimately, his current plan left them entirely baffled.

“Relax.” Levi waved a hand, his posture loose and unbothered. “I am not some hot-headed idiot rushing toward my own death. Nor am I sentimental enough to force some cliché excuse like ‘I am doing this for your own good’or’I want to protect you’ onto my actions. You all possess formidable strength. As my partners, you are absolutely reliable. I trust you completely. So, I will just speak plainly.”

He took a slow, measured breath, letting the calculating edge of his true nature bleed into his tone.

“My current base strength sits roughly where Kuroka and Ingvild were before. We are brushing against the absolute ceiling of the Ultimate-Class Devil tier. I can feel it. It will not be long before I officially cross the threshold into the Satan-class. As for my Devil Trigger, that form pushes me to the absolute peak of the Satan-class. One more step beyond that… and I reach the domain of a extraordinary.”

He met their gazes one by one. “I am in urgent need of pressure. Specifically, the crushing, lethal pressure that only a extraordinary can provide. I need to use Rizevim’s strength as the anvil to forge my final step forward.”

The heavy tension in the room finally broke. The furrowed brows of his subordinates smoothed out as understanding washed over them.

“So,” Levi continued, his smile turning a fraction sharper, “when the time comes, I will lure Rizevim out. I have already selected the battlefield. Your only task is to secure the perimeter and ensure no stray pests come running over to interfere.”

“Understood.”

With his motives laid bare, his peerage offered no further objections. Levi was not courting death on a whim. He had a calculated objective, and he still held the devastating trump card of his Sin Devil Trigger in reserve. Even if the battle turned completely against him, the worst-case scenario was Rizevim slipping away. Killing Levi would not be an easy feat for anyone.

From the corner of the room, Yakumo Yukari peered at him over the edge of her folding fan. “And what about that one?”

The question lacked a name, but Levi caught her meaning instantly. “Ophis will be shadowing me. I need someone with enough overwhelming authority to keep a lock on Rizevim so he cannot simply flee.”

He crossed his arms. “At the extraordinary level, if an entity is truly determined to escape, ordinary bounded fields and barriers are nothing more than paper.”

“Then we know exactly what to expect.”

With the tactical foundation set, the last traces of unease vanished from the room. Levi finalized the schedule without a single dissenting voice.

The day after tomorrow happened to be Rizevim’s birthday. They were going to throw him a very memorable party.

As for today…

Miles away, the headquarters of the Himejima Clan stood as an imposing fortress.

As one of the Five Great Families, this estate was the beating heart of the old-school faction. They were traditionalists to a fault, clinging to ancient rules and violently rejecting any integration with outside forces. Led by the Himejima Clan Head, and supported by the heads of the Domon, Kushihashi, and Shinra families, they formed an ironclad, isolationist bloc.

Standing in direct opposition to them was the Okunoin faction. Led by the new commander of the Hundred Demons—the Hundred Demons God-General Kouryu—this progressive wing actively advocated for external alliances. The ideological war between the two sides had simmered for years.

To Kouryu’s forces, the Himejima main estate was just another stronghold. But to the old-school traditionalists, this land was infinitely more precious than their own lives.

When it came to eradicating evil spirits, the Himejima Clan was notoriously brutal, employing methods ten times more vicious than the Okunoin faction. Because of this ruthless reputation, ordinary yokai might occasionally test the waters at Okunoin, but absolutely no one dared to provoke the Himejima Clan in their own lair. Attacking them meant chewing on iron for zero reward. It was a fool’s errand.

But some creatures did not care about territory or plunder. They only craved a worthy slaughter.

Those naturally belligerent lunatics needed only the thinnest excuse to test their evolving strength. They just wanted to fight.

Right now, the eerie, artificial glow of the Yokai Kokubou illuminated the perimeter of the Himejima Clan estate from every conceivable angle.

By the time the outermost barrier sensors finally shrieked their warning alarms, it was already too late.

The Himejima Clan was completely surrounded.

An overwhelming tide of the Hundred Demons Night Parade crashed against their defenses, sealing off every escape route.

“What is the meaning of this!”

Himejima Juou was practically dragged from his bed. By the time the Clan Head shook off his sleep and reached the command center, the suffocating miasma of demonic energy choking his estate was visible to the naked eye.

“Clan Head… the Hundred Demons Night Parade has breached the outer perimeter!” a disciple shouted, his face pale with panic.

Juou’s heart hammered against his ribs, but he forced his expression into a mask of cold authority. “Hold your ground. Do not panic. If it is merely a single faction of the Hundred Demons, our numbers and layered barriers will crush them without issue.”

The disciple swallowed hard, his hands trembling. “Clan Head… it is not just one group.”

“Not one group?” Juou froze.

The next words twisted the Clan Head’s stomach into a cold knot. “Three groups… maybe even more. It looks like four entire factions of the Hundred Demons have united!”

“We are completely surrounded!”

Spring mornings usually broke early. Under normal circumstances, the eastern horizon would have begun bleeding white by five o’clock.

But today, the clock read seven-thirty, and the sky remained a suffocating, pitch-black void.

The siege had begun in the dead of night. For seven grueling hours, the battle had raged without a single pause.

The only illumination came from the sickly, unnatural light of the artificial yokai, Kokubou. Under that pale glow, the severed limbs and torn flesh of the attacking yokai knit back together in the blink of an eye. Their stamina and demonic reserves replenished endlessly. Trying to exhaust or bleed them out was a mathematical impossibility.

But the spiritual barriers of the Five Great Families could break. And their onmyoji could bleed, tire, and die.

In the opening hours, under Juou’s direct command, the defenders had held their ground. The Five Great Families had even pushed the tide back, securing a temporary advantage.

But as the seventh hour dragged on, the reality of attrition set in. Their initial momentum had been ground into dust. Now, they were drowning.

High above the carnage, Levi stood on a rocky vantage point, the cold wind snapping at his coat. He looked down at the slaughter with absolute detachment.

Beside him stood a towering Devil draped in black robes. This was the ‘reinforcement’ Levi had requested from Rizevim—the strongest Ultimate-Class Devil currently serving under his grandfather’s banner.

“Levi, did you not claim there was a formidable enemy here?” the Devil sneered, his voice dripping with aristocratic disdain. “Is this why you begged Lord Rizevim for assistance? For this pathetic gathering of trash?”

Levi did not answer immediately. He let the silence stretch, his eyes tracking the chaotic flow of demonic energy below.

“Grandfather’s primary objective is to locate Ophis,” Levi said slowly, his tone perfectly measured. “To ensure absolute success, I cannot afford to leave even a fraction of a risk behind.”

He shifted his gaze toward the distant tree line. “Besides, if my intelligence is correct, the truly troublesome variable will be arriving shortly.”

The Ultimate-Class Devil followed Levi’s line of sight.

Through the gloom, a heavily armored figure was carving a bloody path toward the front lines, leading a fresh wave of reinforcements.

“Is that him?” the Devil asked, his sneer faltering slightly.

Levi nodded. “Correct. The Hundred Demons God-General Kouryu. Also known as Hundred Demons Kouryu. He is the single most lethal combatant the Five Great Families have to offer.”

“I see.” The Devil narrowed his eyes, sensing the dense, violent aura radiating from the armored warrior. “He does possess a modicum of skill.”

The Devil rolled his shoulders, his arrogance returning in full force. “However, he is still just a mortal. This is the absolute limit of his capabilities. He is mine. As for the secondary task Lord Rizevim entrusted to you…”

Levi offered a polite, hollow smile. “Rest assured. You may leave that to me. I will not disappoint Grandfather.”

The Devil cast one final, condescending glance at Levi before launching himself off the cliff, hurtling directly toward Kouryu like a dark meteor.

Levi watched the arrogant fool fly away. The polite smile melted off his face, replaced by a chilling, predatory calm.

“Grayfia,” Levi said to the empty air. “The bait has been taken. I am going to deal with Himejima Juou.”

He paused, his eyes tracking the distant explosion as the Devil clashed with Kouryu. “That Ultimate-Class Devil is yours. You may break him, but I need him breathing. Keep him alive.”

“Understood,” a crisp, elegant voice murmured from the shadows.

Grayfia materialized for a fraction of a second before vanishing, silently trailing the arrogant Devil.

Levi withdrew his gaze and focused entirely on the main camp of the Five Great Families. The final layer of their defensive barrier was violently flickering, on the verge of total collapse.

He rolled his neck, the joints popping softly. “Alright. My turn.”

Down below, the heads of the Domon, Kushihashi, and Shinra families had already been forced onto the front lines, fighting desperately in the mud. The Four Gods were fully engaged, holding the collapsing perimeter by a thread.

Though the defenders were entirely cut off from sending distress signals, seven hours of continuous spiritual warfare was impossible to hide. Okunoin and the allied Hundred Demons factions were undoubtedly already en route.

Inside the command room of the main camp, Himejima Juou sat alone.

A massive, glowing map constructed from high-tier onmyodo floated before him, projecting the real-time flow of the battlefield. He tapped a finger against the wooden table, his mind racing through tactical permutations.

Even with the final barrier cracking and his forces bleeding out, Juou refused to accept defeat.

‘Kouryu should be arriving any minute now,’Juou thought, his jaw tight.’Once he flanks them with the Okunoin forces, it will be the perfect anvil to crush these evil spirits against.’

He let out a harsh, cold snort.

But as his eyes scanned the projected map, a glaring anomaly caught his attention. It was a tactical impossibility.

A single, isolated red dot had bypassed every defensive perimeter, every sensor, and every guard. And it was standing directly in front of him.

Juou snapped his head up.

From the heavy shadows of the command room, a figure stepped forward. The intruder moved with a terrifying, unhurried grace, a sheathed weapon resting casually at his side.

“You dare seek death—” Juou roared.

Violent, scorching flames erupted from the Clan Head’s body, instantly condensing into a pair of massive, blinding wings behind his back. The sheer, terrifying heat incinerated the surrounding shadows, turning the room into a furnace. Juou thrust both hands forward, unleashing a tidal wave of localized destruction.

The roaring fire engulfed the space where the intruder stood, melting the floorboards into slag.

Juou sneered, his hands still burning. “I do not know what madness drove you here, but managing to slip past the barrier has clearly made you far too arro—”

The words died in his throat.

Suddenly, Juou realized he could not draw breath. He could not make a sound.

The room tilted wildly. His perspective plummeted downward.

With a sickening thud, his vision locked onto the floor. He saw a pair of legs. He saw a headless torso, dressed in his own ceremonial robes, kneeling in the ash.

Standing directly behind his collapsing body was the intruder. The Devil was clad in an armored form laced with glowing blue circuitry, a pitch-black mask obscuring his face. The sheer, suffocating density of his demonic energy made the air feel like lead.

“The truly arrogant person here…” Levi’s distorted, echoing voice drifted down to the severed head. “…is you.”

It was the final sound Himejima Juou would ever hear. The legendary head of the Himejima Clan died without even comprehending the blade that took his life.

As the headless corpse slumped fully onto the scorched floor, heavy footsteps echoed from the corridor.

Himejima Suzaku stepped through the ruined doorway, her boots crunching over the blackened wood. She stared at the decapitated body of her Clan Head, a deeply complex storm of emotions warring in her eyes.

Leaning casually against the wall just outside the door was Ryougi Shiki. Her eyes were closed, her expression entirely neutral. She offered no comment on the slaughter.

“It looks like the plan worked,” Suzaku said, her voice unnervingly hollow.

Levi dismissed his Devil Trigger, the armored plating and mask dissolving into the air. He glanced down at the blood pooling at his feet, then looked up at Suzaku.

“It hasn’t completely worked yet,” Levi said softly. “Has it.”