DxDanmachi: Voyager of Worlds Ability

~ Support & Read 10 Advanced Chapters on My Patreon!

~ If you got spare Power Stones, Drop some :)

<><><><>

"Martial Arts?" Rias stared at Mika in disbelief.

She couldn't comprehend that his power stemmed from martial arts training.

"Unity with nature?"

"Circle (Enhanced Zetsu)?"

"So you don't have any—supernatural abilities?" Not just Rias, but Akeno, Yuuto, and Koneko were also astonished.

In this world, there were only two ways for a human to gain power: become a magician or a Sacred Gear wielder.

They had never heard of anyone achieving such strength through martial arts alone.

"That's correct," Mika confirmed.

Rias's eyes lit up. A Sacred Gear wielder, a martial arts master who had achieved unity with nature, an individual untouched by the supernatural world, and a local from Kuoh Town—he was the perfect recruit.

She was practically giddy with excitement.

However, she maintained her composure; she couldn't appear too eager.

Taking a sip of her tea to calm her nerves, she addressed Mika and Issei. "Would either of you be interested in joining the Devil faction?"

"Joining the Devil faction?" Issei looked at her, confused.

"How would we do that?" Mika asked.

Seeing that he hadn't immediately refused, Rias explained, "By being reincarnated as a Devil."

"Reincarnated as a Devil?!" Issei exclaimed.

"The Devils, Fallen Angels, and Angels have been at war since ancient times. Even now, we remain wary of each other."

"This prolonged conflict has taken a heavy toll on all sides. We've all suffered significant losses, and our numbers are dwindling."

"Even the most powerful Devils, those whose peerages command armies, have lost most of their subordinates and are struggling to maintain their forces."

"Therefore, one of the current Four Great Satans developed a method for transforming other races into Devils, creating objects known as Evil Pieces, based on the pieces of a chessboard."

"Once a High-class like myself becomes a 'King,' they receive fifteen Evil Pieces, allowing them to create their own peerage."

"These pieces are: eight Pawns, two each of Knights, Rooks, and Bishops, and a single Queen, for a total of fifteen."

"With these pieces, I can reincarnate you as Devils and make you part of my peerage."

Issei was stunned. He hadn't imagined this method existed.

After a moment of silence, Mika asked, "So—peerage essentially means—servants?"

"In a way, yes," Rias admitted. "Their peerage are indeed their servants."

"However, not all Devils treat their peerage the same way. I consider mine to be family. Please, believe me. I'm not lying." She looked intently at Mika.

He smiled. "Honestly—I'm tempted."

"Excellent!" Rias's eyes lit up. His words suggested he was considering her offer.

Mika leaned back against the sofa.

"I can tell you're being honest, Rias-senpai. Based on what I've heard about you at school, I trust your words. Besides, I'm curious about the supernatural world. I'd like to see what a world with gods, devils, fallen angels, and angels is truly like. However, these are just—secondary reasons."

"Then what's the primary reason?"

"Survival," Mika replied seriously.

"From what you've told me, there are Fallen Angels in this city hunting Sacred Gear wielders, and Issei is their target."

Issei looked at him, while Rias and her peerage nodded.

"And when I saved him earlier, they must have noticed my Sacred Gear. This means I'm also a target. If I don't become a Devil, I could be killed."

"Therefore, even if it's just for my own safety, I should join your ranks."

Rias was ecstatic, though she maintained her composure.

"If you join my peerage, Mika, I will ensure your safety. I haven't mentioned this before, but I'm the younger sister of one of the Four Great Satans, Sirzechs Lucifer, and the Gremory family is a Devil Duke family. I can protect you."

Mika nodded slightly. "I understand. However, I'd like a night to consider your offer. Becoming a Devil—even for me, it's a significant decision."

"Of course. I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow after school," she replied gracefully. Although she appeared calm, inwardly she was celebrating. He was practically a member of her peerage already.

"By the way," Mika suddenly asked, "what piece will I receive? I'm quite curious."

Rias smiled. "I've already chosen your piece, Mika." She opened her hand, and a chess piece materialized.

"A—Rook?"

"Indeed. A Rook."

Each type of Evil Piece granted different abilities and held a different value:

King: Enhanced the user's abilities by dozens, even hundreds of times. However, there were only nine in existence among all Devils.

Queen: has the abilities of all other pieces except the King and Pawn. Equivalent in value to nine Pawns.

Rook: Granted immense offensive and defensive power, and could use Castling. Equivalent to five Pawns.

Knight: Granted enhanced speed. Equivalent to three Pawns.

Bishop: Granted enhanced magical power. Equivalent to three Pawns.

Pawn: Could be promoted to any piece except the King when facing an enemy designated by the King. Its appearance could also be freely altered.

Rias's current peerage consisted of a Queen, a Rook, a Knight, and a Bishop. Of her remaining pieces, the Rook was the most valuable.

..

"So this is a Rook piece—" Mika smiled, holding the chess piece in his hand as he walked home. After learning he would receive a Rook, he had asked Rias if he could take it with him.

Though she was puzzled by his request, she couldn't refuse.

He was practically a member of her peerage already.

As long as his requests weren't excessive, she would agree.

After all, to her, her peerage were like family.

This was one of the reasons Mika was willing to join her.

If she treated them merely as tools, he wouldn't have considered it, even with his ability to revert the transformation.

"With this, my plan is almost complete."

"Just two more steps—" He quickened his pace, eager to return home.

…

"I'm back!" He burst into his apartment. "Gabriel, come out! It's time."

"I'm here!" She materialized beside him.

"Give me the piece!"

Mika placed the Rook piece in her outstretched hand, then watched expectantly as she began working.

"With this, everything's ready."

"Let's begin." With a wave of her hand, the spherical magic circle reappeared, and she levitated the Rook piece to its center.

The magic circle contracted, shrinking until it was only slightly larger than the chess piece.

She held the tiny sphere containing the Evil Piece.

"Well?"

"Normally, a single Rook piece wouldn't be enough to transform you completely. But I've modified the magic circle. We can supplement the missing energy with your own magic power."

"I see—" Mika nodded, recalling that Rias had used eight Pawn pieces to reincarnate Issei, likely due to his immense potential as the wielder of Boosted Gear.

As someone who had trained in multiple worlds, Mika's potential was higher than Issei's.

Therefore, a single Rook piece, equivalent to only five Pawns, wouldn't be enough.

However, after analyzing the Evil Piece with her magic circle, Gabriel could now convert Mika's magic power into the energy required for the transformation.

"As you grow accustomed to the Devil's power, you might even be able to transform without the Evil Piece," she said with a grin.

"Master the technique of transforming humans into Devils, huh?" Mika nodded.

"I look forward to it."

…

The next day, fully prepared, Mika headed to Kuoh Academy. Today was the day he would become a Devil.

He couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation—and apprehension.

"A Devil—" he murmured.

He arrived at school and sat at his desk, not going directly to the Occult Research Club. He would visit them after school.

"Mika." A soft voice called out to him. He looked up and saw Issei, who was sitting in front of him. Due to Mika's suppressed presence, no one had noticed him earlier.

"Good morning, Issei," he replied with a smile.

"You're actually here!" Issei exclaimed, startled. He hadn't noticed Mika due to his suppressed presence, but remembering that Mika sat behind him, he had decided to try his luck.

As Mika responded, he deactivated his—[Transparent World].

While both Transparent World and Circle could conceal his presence, they achieved it through different methods.

Transparent World merely weakened his presence, while Circle rendered him completely invisible. He couldn't use Circle constantly at school; he'd be marked absent every day.

"You've become a Devil, haven't you, Issei?" Mika asked, sensing the distinct aura surrounding him.

"Yeah! I'm a Devil now!" he said with a grin.

"You don't have to be so formal, Mika. Just call me Issei. After all, you saved my life yesterday."

"I won't forget your kindness."

Mika smiled. "Good morning, Issei."

"Morning, Mika." They exchanged smiles.

"I didn't expect you to become a Devil so quickly. I thought you'd need more time to consider," Mika said, his voice laced with amusement.

"Well—" Issei scratched his head, embarrassed.

"You said we'd be in danger if we didn't join the Devils."

"So I thought about it and accepted Rias-senpai's offer."

"As for why I could so easily abandon my humanity—perhaps it's because my life as a human was such a failure that I have nothing to lose."

<><><><>

Support & Read 10 Advanced Chapters. Ahead of the rest!

https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx

(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)

There is 9 Exciting Fanfics already available on my Patreon!