My Unique Skill Is Fate Gacha[DxD]

Alear and Nobunaga advanced quickly through the mountainous landscape, moving like shadows among rocks and dense trees. After some time of careful movement, they reached a region of thick forest, near an imposing Gothic castle that rose in the distance like an ancient fortress. There, Alear raised his hand slightly and dispelled the invisibility spell that enveloped him, while Nobunaga remained in her spiritual form.

He emerged in a small clearing hidden among century-old trees and moss-covered rocks, a few kilometers from the main Tepes castle.

"This should be enough..." Alear murmured, keeping his voice low.

Thanks to the rigorous training he had undergone with the Old Man of the Mountain, Hassan, during his time in Chaldea, his "Presence Concealment" ability had reached an extremely high level. In this world, due to his [Demonic Power] and his own ability to materialize through imagination, he could go beyond simple concealment. Under certain conditions, he was capable of completely suppressing his presence to the point of "disappearing" from others’ perception, even when standing directly in front of an opponent. A common vampire, for example, could be staring straight at his position and still not register him as something existing, as if his existence was naturally ignored by the person’s senses.

Of course, he could have remained invisible using [Flash Air], but he preferred to simply conceal his presence completely. If anyone was capable of detecting him anyway, he could immediately activate invisibility.

Next, he expanded his magical senses like a silent wave that spread across the entire region. Instantly, a flood of presences appeared in his mind. There were dozens, perhaps hundreds of vampires scattered throughout the castle and its surroundings. Most possessed magical power levels between medium and high. However, two magical signatures clearly stood out from the rest.

One of them, located in the depths of the castle, was overwhelming. Its magical signature was several times superior to his in terms of raw power.

That presence could only belong to King Tepes...

The other caught his attention for a different reason. It was a magical signature of intensity similar to his own, but it carried an unmistakable resonance: that of a Longinus. It was confined in a room protected by a dozen magical presences, each as powerful as him, making it clear that whoever was there was being guarded with extreme care.

It was Valerie...

In the original story, she would eventually become the Queen of the Tepes Faction, but at that moment, her situation was completely different. She was nothing more than a prisoner, kept in captivity and exploited as a tool to strengthen King Tepes’ army. The state she was in was also concerning. Thanks to his [Idle Transfiguration], Alear was able to perceive the souls of living beings and, upon feeling hers, he immediately noticed how worn out it was. That was the price of repeatedly using the power of her Longinus.

Valerie was the bearer of the Longinus known as Sephiroth Graal, more popularly called the Holy Grail: the chalice from which Jesus Christ supposedly drank wine during the Last Supper. It was one of the oldest and most powerful Longinus ever created by the Biblical God, belonging to the select group of Sacred Gears originating from holy relics directly linked to Christ, alongside the Spear of Longinus itself, the True Cross, and the Nails of the Cross. The Sephiroth Graal possessed supernatural abilities of the highest level, even capable of allowing Rizevim Lucifer to contemplate the so-called "End of the World," where the Beast of the Apocalypse mentioned by John of Patmos remained sealed, just as it happened in the original story.

The timing was practically perfect. Honestly, he would hardly find a better opportunity. If he freed Valerie in that state, there was a high chance of gaining her trust much more easily than if he found her under any other circumstances. All that remained was to decide how he would do it.

Alear remained silent for a few moments, weighing all the possibilities, until a plan began to take shape in his mind.

While Nobunaga drew the attention of the hundreds of vampires scattered throughout the castle, in addition to the reinforcements that would inevitably be summoned from other regions, he would take advantage of the distraction to face King Tepes himself and rescue Valerie. In theory, he could complete the entire operation completely stealthily, entering and leaving without almost anyone noticing his presence.

But he discarded that idea almost immediately.

It had been some time since he had last faced a truly powerful opponent in direct combat.

And, to be honest...

He felt like fighting!

Taking advantage of the connection he shared with Nobunaga, he transmitted his voice directly into her mind.

"I have a plan..."

The ancient Demon King crossed her arms, and a confident smile appeared on her lips.

"Speak..."

"I’m going to enter the castle alone. My goal is to reach Valerie before they notice my presence. In the meantime, I need you to do exactly the opposite..."

She arched an eyebrow slightly.

"Opposite?"

"Draw all the attention to yourself..."

Nobunaga’s blood-red eyes shone immediately.

"The louder the better?"

"Exactly. Attack without hesitation. Make them believe there is only one intruder. The more vampires that go after you, the freer the path will be for me..." He paused briefly before continuing: "And, inevitably, reinforcements from other regions will also be summoned to deal with you. When that happens, try to hold them off for ten minutes. If necessary, use your Noble Phantasm. The initial confusion, combined with those ten minutes, will be more than enough for me to defeat King Tepes and get Valerie out of there..."

Nobunaga’s smile widened.

"Fufufu... so you want me to provoke an entire war while you sneak in through the back door." She let out a brief laugh. "I like this plan. After this, I’ll want a reward worthy of the effort..."

In the next instant, her expression changed completely. All the relaxed air disappeared, replaced by the fierce gaze that, centuries ago, had made entire armies tremble before her...

Alear remained silent for a brief moment before speaking in an unusually serious tone.

"Be careful..."

Nobunaga cast only a quick glance in his direction. Upon meeting those eyes filled with genuine concern, she felt a strange emotion rise in her chest — a feeling difficult to understand even for herself. Disguising her slight discomfort, she raised her hand in a carefree gesture and opened a smile full of arrogance.

"Don’t worry..." she replied with her usual self-confidence. "Actually, I should be the one saying that. If things really get out of control, just use a Command Seal to call me. This big sister here will show up immediately to clean up your mess and save your ass..."

Before he could respond, Nobunaga took a step forward and left her spiritual form, while a musket naturally appeared in her hands.

She rested the weapon on her shoulder and closed one eye.

"Let’s begin..."

Several kilometers away, three vampires were distractedly patrolling one of the castle’s outer walls.

The shot echoed like thunder.

BOOM!

The bullet pierced the first vampire before he even understood what had happened. Without missing a beat, Nobunaga spun the musket, instantly feeding it with magical energy.

BOOM!

The second fell right after.

The third barely had time to widen his eyes.

BOOM!

His body was thrown backward by the force of the impact.

The silence that dominated the castle’s surroundings disappeared completely.

Alarm bells began ringing throughout the fortress.

"ENEMIES!"

"ATTACK!"

"PROTECT THE CASTLE!"

Dozens of magical signatures moved at the same time. Vampires abandoned their posts, while entire patrols converged on the source of the shots. In just a few seconds, hundreds of presences began moving toward Nobunaga, exactly as Alear had predicted.

Nobunaga opened a wide smile.

"That’s right..." She spun the musket in her fingers and pointed the weapon at the crowd approaching. "Come all at once..."

.

.

.

.

.

While all the vampires’ attention was drawn to the massive explosion of power caused by Nobunaga, Alear had already disappeared from the clearing. Completely concealing his presence, he crossed the forest at high speed like a true ghost, passing by various vampires who were running desperately toward the site of the battle. None of them noticed even a trace of his existence.

Moments later, he reached the Tepes castle and moved through its corridors without any difficulty.

After crossing several internal areas, Alear arrived in front of two enormous double doors that gave access to the throne room. An elite guard composed of high-level vampires was positioned there. Instead of acting hastily, he simply observed in silence. It didn’t take long for a messenger to arrive in a hurry, summoning everyone present to reinforce the external defense against the intruder attacking the castle.

As soon as the last guards left their posts, Alear activated [Flash Air]. His body became intangible for a brief instant, silently passing through the heavy doors as if they did not exist.

On the other side, the throne room revealed itself before his eyes.

It was a grandiose environment. The ceiling rose dozens of meters high, supported by immense black columns carved with intertwined dragons and bats. Dark crystal chandeliers hung above the hall, radiating a reddish light that bathed the entire environment in blood-like tones. The polished black marble floor reflected that illumination like a somber mirror, while the walls were decorated with ancient banners displaying the Tepes Clan’s crest: a bloodied chalice crowned with thorns.

At the opposite end of the hall, seated upon an elevated throne carved from fossilized bones and black gold, was King Tepes.

He was a man of cold and aristocratic beauty. His long, harmonious face had skin so pale it resembled alabaster, giving him a supernatural appearance. His narrow and deep eyes remained half-closed, conveying a constant expression of coldness and contempt, while his thin eyebrows reinforced that indifferent countenance. His narrow lips were subtly curved, as if nothing around him was worthy of his attention. His long, dark brown — almost black — hair fell below his shoulders in smooth, voluminous strands. Some locks delicately framed his face, while others rested on his chest, giving him an air of natural and slightly disheveled elegance.

His build was tall, slender, and refined. He did not possess exaggerated musculature; on the contrary, he conveyed the typical imposing presence of a sovereign — someone whose authority did not require demonstrations of physical strength. He wore attire worthy of the highest vampire nobility. A luxurious black tunic covered his body, partially hidden by a heavy dark green cape ornamented with rich golden embroidery. Over his shoulders rested a wide white fur collar, which further reinforced his majestic presence and the image of an absolute king.

Alear calmly stepped out of the shadows of the hall, completely abandoning his "Presence Concealment." For a brief instant, the space around him seemed to ripple before his figure appeared clearly in the center of the vast throne room...

King Tepes slowly turned his face in his direction. His deep red eyes narrowed.

"...A devil?" he murmured in a deep voice that carried a rare trace of surprise. "I didn’t expect a dog from the Underworld to have the audacity to invade my castle like this. So the other magical signature I’m sensing outside is nothing more than bait to distract my subordinates... Tell me... what exactly do you hope to achieve with this little farce?"

Alear stopped at a respectful distance from the throne, keeping his hands in his pockets and his expression completely calm.

"I came to take your daughter away, old man."

The silence that took over the hall was absolute.

For a brief instant, even the air seemed to freeze.

King Tepes’ expression changed instantly. All the aristocratic and indifferent countenance disappeared, replaced by murderous fury.

"...Take my daughter away, you say?" His voice became low and threatening, laden with absolute contempt. "You are far more insolent than you appear, boy. This king detests insolent people like you... And I will grant you the honor of dying by my own hands. Do not entertain the illusion that you will leave this castle alive after those words..."

Without any attempt to restrain himself, the power of an Ultimate-Class being was fully released.

The pressure became suffocating. The air seemed to turn into a thick liquid, too heavy to breathe, while a gigantic dark-red aura, similar to a tide of living blood, erupted from King Tepes’ body. The energy spread throughout the hall like a crimson mist, carrying a thirst for blood so intense that it seemed to awaken the most primitive instincts in any supernatural creature. The black marble floor cracked under the force of that power release, the windows vibrated violently, and the enormous crystal chandeliers swayed, as if the entire castle was trembling before its sovereign’s wrath.

The explosion of that aura was felt instantly by all the vampires present in the fortress and even by those patrolling its surroundings. However, none of them suspected that King Tepes himself had already found the true intruder. To everyone, that was merely a sign of his growing irritation at the delay in eliminating the intruder causing destruction outside the castle.

Meanwhile, inside the hall, Alear simply smiled faintly.

In response to the overwhelming pressure released by King Tepes, his own [Demonic Power] awakened without hesitation.

An aura of an intense pinkish-red tone began to emanate from his body, enveloping him like silent flames. Unlike the oppressive bloodlust that characterized vampiric energy, his power carried the absolute majesty of demonic royalty. It was a deep and chaotic energy, imbued with an ancestral authority, as if countless demons were kneeling before an invisible sovereign.

However...

In the face of the monstrous aura released by King Tepes, the difference in raw power was evident.

When the two energies clashed, King Tepes’ aura advanced like an ocean of raging blood, while Alear’s demonic power resembled an intense flame trying to resist the force of a storm. His aura did not disappear or retreat, but it was visibly pressured by the vampire sovereign’s overwhelming magical superiority.

Even so, he remained completely still.

"...So this is the difference between someone of High-Class and someone of Ultimate-Class..."

The thought crossed his mind with surprising calm.

Although he had already met several devils of that level, this was the first time he had faced an Ultimate-Class opponent in direct combat. The difference was overwhelming. Just from the magical signature, he estimated that King Tepes possessed at least thirty times more "energy" than him in terms of raw quantity.

Fortunately, that did not mean he was at an absolute disadvantage.

Thanks to his [Mystic Eyes], the energy consumption for using his techniques was absurdly reduced. His control over magical power was so refined that he wasted an almost insignificant amount of energy for each action. In practice, although his reserves were much smaller than King Tepes’, his efficiency was so high that he could prolong a battle for much longer than anyone would imagine just by comparing the raw amount of magical power...

On the other hand, completely unaware of Alear’s true capabilities, King Tepes raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised.

"Oh? So you’re just a High-Class devil?" A scornful smile slowly appeared on his face. "With the confidence you showed when standing before this king, I imagined your strength was, at the very least, close to mine, even if a little inferior. But it seems the difference between us is the same as between heaven and earth... What a disappointment."

Alear took a step forward, while his pinkish-red aura intensified around his body. His magenta-pink eyes acquired a cold and impassive gleam.

"Spare me those pompous speeches from a fake king." His voice remained calm, but carried a cutting sarcasm. "You’re starting to sound like those annoying young Chinese masters who think they’re superior to everyone. If you want to talk so much... do it after you defeat me."

For a brief instant, the throne room fell into absolute silence.

King Tepes slowly rose from his throne. His movements were calm, but the murderous intent emanating from his body made the entire environment tremble. All of his magical pressure turned toward the young devil before him, like a beast about to tear its prey apart.

"...Very well..." he said, displaying a cruel smile. "Then die right here... you insolent brat."

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(A/N: Want to get ahead?

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