The battlefield was silent.
Kokabiel—one of the Cadre-class Fallen Angels—lay in the dirt, defeated. His body twitched as he gasped for breath, golden blood dripping from the wound I had carved into his side. His once-proud wings were damaged, his overwhelming aura now nothing more than a flickering ember.
And standing over him, radiating an unshakable presence, was Azazel.
The Governor-General of the Fallen Angels.
He towered over Kokabiel, arms crossed, his golden eyes gleaming with something unreadable. He wasn't just strong—he was on an entirely different level from anyone we had fought before.
Issei gulped audibly. "H-Hey, uh… do we have to fight this guy now?"
Azazel chuckled. "Relax, kid. I'm not here to start a war." He turned to Rias, offering her a lazy smile. "Gremory heiress, right? Mind if I borrow your knight for a bit?"
My entire body tensed.
I felt everyone's eyes shift toward me.
Rias narrowed her gaze. "What do you want with Yuuto?"
Azazel smirked. "Oh, nothing too crazy. I just want to talk." His golden eyes flicked to me, sharp with curiosity. "You're interesting. And I like interesting people."
I met his gaze evenly, gripping King's Wrath. "Why me?"
Azazel's grin widened. "Because you're not supposed to exist."
Silence.
The weight of his words settled over me like a hammer.
I wasn't supposed to exist?
Azazel chuckled at my reaction. "Come on, don't look so surprised. You think I wouldn't notice? Your power—your growth—it's unnatural." He gestured toward Kokabiel. "You just went toe-to-toe with a Cadre-class Fallen Angel and won. That's not something a simple Reincarnated Devil should be able to do."
Rias took a step closer to me, her aura flaring. "Yuuto is my knight. He's strong because he trained to be."
Azazel raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I don't doubt that. But this isn't normal growth. This is something else." He tapped his temple. "I've been around a long time. I know a systematic evolution when I see one."
My blood ran cold.
He was too smart.
He knew something was different about me.
I glanced at my system interface, but no warning appeared. It wasn't detecting hostility from Azazel—which meant he really was just curious.
Azazel smirked. "Relax, I'm not gonna dissect you. I just wanna understand how you work." He turned back to Rias. "So, what do you say, princess? Can I borrow your knight?"
Rias's lips pressed into a thin line. "Absolutely not."
Azazel sighed. "Didn't think so. Ah, well. I figured I'd ask nicely." He flicked his wrist, summoning a small black feather into his palm. "Here, kid. If you ever want answers, just break this."
The feather floated toward me, landing gently at my feet.
I didn't pick it up.
Not yet.
Azazel stretched his arms. "Well, my job here is done. Kokabiel's finished, Valper's taken care of, and I got to meet an interesting little mutation."
He turned to leave, then paused. "Oh, and Red Dragon Emperor?"
Issei stiffened. "M-Me?"
Azazel grinned. "Train harder. Your Rival isn't gonna wait for you to catch up."
A flash of blue energy flickered through the air, and just like that—Azazel was gone.
The battle was over.
The moment Azazel vanished, the tension shattered. Everyone let out a breath they had been holding.
"Holy crap," Issei muttered, collapsing onto the ground. "I thought we were dead."
Akeno chuckled. "Ara~ He was much friendlier than I expected."
Koneko picked up a fallen light spear and crushed it in her grip. "He was still dangerous."
Rias turned to me. "Are you alright?"
I hesitated. "Yeah."
But I wasn't. Not really.
Azazel's words echoed in my mind.
"You're not supposed to exist."
I had been careful since arriving in this world. I had trained, grown stronger, and used my mutation system as efficiently as possible. But if Azazel could see through me this easily, what about the others?
What about Sirzechs?
What about the Gods?
Was I really as hidden as I thought?
I clenched my fists. I needed to get stronger. Fast.
Later that night, as the ORC was winding down, Rias pulled me aside.
We stood on the balcony of the clubhouse, the moonlight casting long shadows over the academy grounds.
She crossed her arms. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?"
I met her gaze. "What do you mean?"
She sighed. "Don't play dumb, Yuuto. Azazel didn't just call you 'interesting' for no reason. And this… 'unnatural growth' he mentioned…" Her blue eyes narrowed. "There's something you're not telling me."
I exhaled slowly. I couldn't tell her everything. Not yet.
But I could give her something.
"I don't know why I've been growing this fast," I lied, only partially. "But I do know that I need to keep going. There are bigger threats out there. Stronger enemies."
Rias studied me for a long moment. "You're not wrong."
She leaned on the railing, staring up at the night sky. "I don't care where your power comes from, Yuuto. You're my knight. And I trust you."
Something in my chest tightened.
"…Thank you, Buchou."
She smiled, turning back toward the clubroom. "Get some rest. We have training tomorrow."
As she walked away, I turned my gaze toward the black feather Azazel had left behind.
For now, I ignored it.
But one day…
I might have to use it.
Over the next few weeks, I threw myself into training. The battle against Kokabiel had made one thing painfully clear—
I was strong, but I wasn't strong enough.
So I pushed my limits.
• Sword Combat: Sparring with Xenovia daily, testing the full limits of King's Wrath.
• Mutation Control: Experimenting with my system, trying to force new evolutions faster.
• Speed Training: Pushing Phantom Stride to the max, learning how to chain movements together.
Day by day, I could feel it—my power was growing again.
But I still wasn't satisfied.
I needed more.
I needed a new mutation.
And I had a dangerous idea on how to get it.