Gaming Badly in DxD

-Rizevim Lucifer-

The tension inside the room was so thick it could have been cut with a knife.

I slowly got up from my chair. My sour expression was hidden behind a proper and charming grin.

In front of me, bent on one knee and with his head practically on the ground, was someone I believed could have been a good pawn, but now was no better than a hindrance

No, not even that. Because even hindrances were fun to play around. He was just a waste of space.

At the very least, Diodora Astaroth was not like a certain ‘’Leviathan’’.

Katarea… not only was she useless enough not to have interrupted the Peace Treaty for a single second, but unless I had incompetent informants as I had allies, she had been taken under the wing of a Reincarnated Devil.

‘Zatren Fumigami…’ The name echoed in my mind. After all, one needed to be truly living under a rock to not see the poster child of the New Satans. ‘A Devil, A Prodigy, and a God. All mixed in the same package…’

Oh, if only his heart didn’t seem to be made out of gold… but what if it wasn’t?

I was no fool. I could recognize someone who lived without a care for any norm or rule. The greed inside the boy’s eyes almost sent a shiver down my spine! It was perfect, perfect, I say!

…Now if only I could get my hands on him for just a minute.

On that matter, I may have been able to. If it wasn’t for the blue-haired moron currently begging not to die a dog’s death at my feet.

‘’A Rating Game. You openly challenged the House of Gremory to a Rating Game, even after your little stunt.’’ I huffed, circling around the man like a vulture would a long-dead carcass. ‘’Diodora, Diodora, Diodora…’’

Each intonation of the devil’s name made Diodora’s fists tighten, yet he didn’t move, didn’t speak.

Because he knew what would happen if he did.

‘’What should I do with you, truly? First, you fail to secure a mere excommunicated nun with a Sacred Gear. Then, you fail to beat a Reincarnated while in a three-against-one. And now you decided to challenge the Gremory’s little Heiress on a display that I’m sure would be nothing short of a spectacle… if only so I can watch you humiliated a second time.’’

The sweet, friendly tone with which I treated the man disappeared as I slammed my foot against his shoulder. His torso crashed against the ground, causing cracks to form on the otherwise pristine floor.

‘’Gah!’’ I frowned as the man’s blood covered my floor. His eyes opened as he tried to look up. His usual smile was nowhere to be found, replaced by a fearful expression. ‘’L-Lord Rizevim… Please… Just give me one more chance. The last time… I wasn’t able to use the snake—‘’

Stomp!

‘’AHhhaHH!’’ Another scream of pain. At least the devil served to bring me some temporary pleasure.

‘’Excuses and apologies. Is that everything that comes out of your mouth? Of a supposed true devil’s mouth?!’’ I spat the words like venom. ‘’Need I remind you that the ‘true’ Leviathan also possessed a snake and failed miserably—!’’

‘’Both of you. Shut up.’’

My lips pursed, my scowl faded, and my smile appeared just a moment later as I turned around.

Even Diodora, injured and bleeding as he was, remained silent, biting his tongue as his body shook.

In front of us stood one of the most important tools for our plan. To truly sow chaos in the underworld and take apart this irrelevant status quo that weakened our race into pacifistic, complacent fools.

A short girl with long black hair, dark and empty eyes. Dressed in an open black vest that did not leave anything to the imagination besides what was covered by two black pasties, white shorts, and a pair of black leather shoes.

Her precarious state of dress was questioned by no one, as the sheer presence invoked silence from every single person around her.

For she was Oroboros, the Snake of the End, the Infinite Dragon. Or, more casually known as Ophis.

…Or how I preferred to call her. A being with too much power in her hands, who, no matter how many years her life consisted of, was a foolish little girl.

‘’My apologies, Lady Ophis.’’ The words came out as smooth as butter as the dragon in humanoid form pointedly stared at me before settling on the broken devil at my feet. ‘’Ah, have no worries. I shall dispose of this filth right away, and you can go back to your—‘’

‘’No.’’

My lips pursed at the second interruption.

‘’No, my lady?’’ I asked in feigned curiosity.

‘’You. The weak one.’’ Ophis completely ignored me, merely stepping towards Diodora’s shaking body. Of course, I made way, watching the scene with intrigue. ‘’…You’re going to fight that Deus, are you not?’’

Diodora coughed. Blood came instead of an answer. Prompting the dragon to frown and grab his shoulder tightly.

Suddenly, a dark energy protruded from the little girl’s hand in the form of a snake, which bit into Diodora’s shoulder, causing the bleeding devil to hiss. Suddenly, he took a deep, sharp breath. The magic had probably fixed his ribcage, which I had no doubt shattered with my earlier stomp.

‘’My… thanks… Lady Ophis…’’ He coughed, mouth still dripping with blood.

‘’My question.’’ By the grave tone, the dragon’s patience was running thin. ‘’Will you fight him or not?’’

‘’Yes… of course!’’ The man jumped at the words, staring at Ophis with a fragile, tight smile and lidded eyes that seemed almost closed. ‘’Not only that, but I assure you my victory with the—‘’

‘’I don’t care.’’ Ophis interrupted. ‘’I just want to see him fight.’’

Diodora’s face turned in confusion, but as he opened his mouth, it got stuck in a silent scream. Two red snakes, filled with the same power as the one already nestled inside every ‘worthy’ being that Ophis landed her eyes on, quickly crawled up Diodora’s mouth and forcefully made their way down his throat.

No doubt, to settle inside his stomach and empower the weak devil’s reserves and overall output with the power of the Infinite Dragon.

Of course, the process of having a snake—let alone three of them settle in his gut was not a painless one. The blue-haired devil started convulsing as he frothed at the mouth. It was like looking at a dirty mutt having a seizure.

Truly, what a sight for sore eyes.

‘’You.’’ The little girl pointed at me next. ‘’If he wins against this one, we’ll recruit him.’’

To recruit a Deus under the tutelage of Ayuka Beelzebub, and who mingles himself with both the sisters of Serafall and Sirzechs… Truly, this little girl does not understand the impossibility of the task she had put us through.

‘’At once, Lady Ophis,’’ I vowed, a hand on my chest.

Without another word, she walked away and suddenly disappeared. As if space itself had broken apart, allowing for her exit via unconventional methods.

Immediately, my face scrunched into a scowl. With a deep, frustrated sigh, I took a single glance at the scum lying on the ground, still twitching and unresponsive.

‘’At the very least, make sure to obtain any samples you’re able to for Euclid,’’ I commanded. ‘’If you fail to impress Ophis, and my own personal task? Consider your life thrown, Heir Astaroth.

With more important matters on my mind, I made haste out of the room, leaving the man to either die or seize the dragon’s power for himself.

Any outcome would work, really.

-X-x-X-

-Zatren Fumigami-

‘’That’s it, harder!’’ I shouted, raising my arms just in time for a purple, armored gauntlet to crash into them. The entire training room echoed with the deafening strike as I was forced back a few inches. ‘’Hooo! That’s what I like to hear. You’re going to get my blood pumping!’’

Instead of an answer, the blonde in front of me suddenly spun, and an extra, scaly appendage followed right after the punch. This time, however, I caught it before it could retract and pulled.

‘’Ah!’’ Sachi turned around, her already flushed face thanks to our training, suddenly went beet red as her tail tried to squirm out of my grasp. ‘’Boss, you can’t touch that!’’

I pursed my lips. ‘’My bad… didn’t know dragons had erogenous zones like that, but to be fair, if you use it as a weapon, expect for it to be—Oh, screw it.’’ With a huff, I proceeded to slam Sachi into the ground, using her own tail as a flail.

The dragon jumped back onto the cratered floor a second later. Part of her cracked pieces of armor—some sort of Pseudo Balance Breaker, if I wasn’t mistaken—were glowing a deep purple as mana was directly sucked out of my body and used to repair the damaged scales.

However, Sachi wasn’t all that eager to keep going.

‘’Boss, do you ever tire yourself out?’’ She shouted, pulling the invisible strings around my limbs to try to restrain me. ‘’How are you still pumping out magic?!’’

I just chuckled, watching as my MP bar just kept regenerating as our spar went on. Even when Sachi kept siphoning out power from me.

Unless I used a permanent Reinforcement and spammed some other Skills, Sachi couldn’t drain my mana, demonic power, or otherwise quicker than I regenerated it.

‘’Guess you’ll have to get better at sucking then.’’ I laughed as the strings around me pulled me into the air. ‘’Oh wait… You suck at sucking!’’

‘’Is that a compliment or an insult?!’’ The girl roared as her strings ignited with cursed flames.

‘Never change, Sachi.’ I mused with a shake of my head as my entire body flexed.

Every taut string suddenly snapped to pieces, leaving the remains to burn with soul-sucking flames that never reached my skin. Yet, just as I allowed myself a sigh of relief, I had to put up a barrier as a torrent of equally damaging blue flames made with Senjutsu came crashing down on me like the breath of an angry dragon.

The barrier shattered as a petite figure found my ribs with her fist. My hand clutched around Koneko’s shoulder before she could pull back, causing her golden eyes to widen as her ears twitched.

‘’Hello there, beautiful. Come here often?’’ I grinned.

‘’…I like kicking your ass often, yes.’’ She deadpanned, tapping her other gloved fist against my arm. ‘’Ei.’’

Crack!

A gust of air pressure pushed the fragments of my barrier away as Koneko’s hand slipped through my grasp and buried itself in my gut once more. This time, contrary to what the impact might reveal, I didn’t flinch back, and instead grinned as the sound of a metallic whirr filled the air.

‘’Are you doing alright?’’ I asked my girlfriend, with just a hint of worry, as if we weren’t currently at each other’s throats. ‘’I know ‘different species pregnancy’, but still…’’

‘’We are fine, Senpai.’’ The girl reassured me, her stare softening a tad as her arm grasped mine, much more caring than before, as I received a gentle squeeze. ‘’…But don’t you think that means I’ll go soft on you.’’

‘’If I may interrupt the lovebirds.’’ A certain redhead’s voice cut through, her bat-like wings wide open as she flew above us, her hands filling with a glowing red light. ‘’This is still training, yes?’’

With a grin, I clutched Koneko’s limb and, much to the catgirl’s surprise, I threw her right at Rias, who quickly maneuvered out of the way of the petite cannonball.

‘’I thought this was a free-for-all? Not going to lie, I feel a bit… targeted.’’

Rias deadpanned. ‘’I wonder why.’’

As if on cue, the metallic sound came to an end with an echoing ‘Boost!’ coming from the wheel on top of my head. It was the second spin I had achieved in this fight, though sadly enough, it was related to bludgeoning damage thanks to Koneko’s interference.

‘’Fine, fine. All out, then.’’ I chuckled, getting into position as the Soul Eater Spear manifested in my hand. ‘’Do you want it with or without Susanoo?’’

‘’That reference doesn’t even make any sense in this context!’’ The redhead scoffed, offended.

And suddenly, my vision was flooded with a black, red-glowing, goo-like magic that seemed to turn everything it touched into fine dust.

…

‘’So, do you think we are ready, Zuzu?’’ I turned to see Rias with her hands on her hips and a prideful twinkle in her eye.

I hummed and turned to the ‘battlefield.’

Saji was striking left and right. Uncaring of who she was currently hitting, she planted line after line on her peers' bodies. And she was not slacking off with that energy either.

Absorption Line, which was at that moment connected to Kiba, Koneko, and Akeno, pulled a tremendous amount of Demonic Power all of a sudden, causing Sachi’s ‘transformation’ to last even longer as she dashed around the room with renewed Touki-infused speed.

Asia, my other little student, was like a statue radiating magic. Trying to get close to her as she chanted was like trying to get to the eye of the storm.

Quite literally, in fact, as a whirlwind strong enough to make me secure my footing with my spear buffeted the room, causing almost everyone to take hold of the ground however they could. Like Koneko and Sachi, burying their hands and feet on the ground, or Kiba doing the same with a sword.

Koneko, much to my displeasure, also joined. With a few dozen secure spells and wards specifically on her stomach to avoid any and all incidents. That wasn’t to say she wasn’t a menace, though.

The whirlwind made by Asia was suddenly met by its match as a torrent of blue flames tried to push it back. The flames, contrary to their appearance, were freezing cold.

To put it simply, if Sachi’s strings were inflicting soul damage via Vrita’s flames, then Koneko’s fists were physical, soul, and emotional damage as she jumped away from the blonde’s strings and landed a fire-infused fist that tore Sachi’s armor apart.

On the other hand, Kiba was acting like a stealthy assassin. Both Demonic and Holy blades in his hands cut and tore through magic and flesh alike.

As Koneko was just done punishing Sachi and tearing the strings of Vritra from her being, she tried to jump the blonde Knight, only for his body to suddenly go ‘poof’ as a wooden sword, oddly resembling a log, was left to take the fury of Koneko’s fists.

And as the catgirl looked around with a frown, the blonde appeared right above her, wielding a sword made entirely of holy light that forced Koneko to bend the knee and put up a barrier with her Senjutsu, lest she risk biting more than she could chew.

Crack!

In less than a blink, the entire field was bombarded by a dozen lightning bolts raining from the sky. I remembered that it would be a disservice not to mention Rias’s right hand.

Akeno smiled, uncaring of the whirlwind that forced everyone to stay grounded as her devil and fallen wings flapped in unison. A barrier protected her from the wind as she cocked her hand back, and another bright yellow, bordering on white, lightning bolt coursed through the air with the intent of striking the static Asia.

Only for the entire arena to suddenly freeze. The shining tones of the peerage’s attacks were drained of all color as not only did the wind stop buffeting, and Kiba stopped jumping from opponent to opponent, but even Akeno’s lightning and Koneko’s barrage of fists were frozen in place.

The previously shy Dhampir stepped into the frozen world, her eyes ticking like a clock as she extended an arm, filling it to the brim with demonic power.

Smack, smack, smack, smack!

And in that same frozen world, a dozen shadows sprouted from every corner like half-formed humanoids, made with nothing more than the Dhampir’s natural control over darkness and demonic power.

And of course, they started striking every frozen opponent with blinding speed, while Gasper smiled a happy, toothy grin.

In a short amount of time, no longer than five seconds, the room was filled with noise once more. Every participant, except those with a barrier like Asia or Akeno, was struck with dozens of shadow-blows, causing Koneko and Kiba to be sent flying, and Sachi to lie flat on the ground.

‘’Fuck!’’ Sachi groaned as her armor shattered. ‘’Dammit, Gasper… Time stop is cheating!’’

‘’Ah… Now that’s going to leave a mark.’’ Kiba chuckled as he picked himself up from the ground, his face slightly bruised.

‘’Cheating bloodsucker…’’ Koneko complained from where she had landed, quite literally lodged into one of the gym’s walls with nothing but a few scratches and a deadpan.

‘’I-it’s not cheating!’’ The Dhampir complained with a pout as she was suddenly shrouded in darkness and hidden from view. Her whining voice still echoed in the chaotic arena. ‘’Put up a barrier next time, bleh!’’

It was honestly very fun to watch them poke at each other before they started caving their faces in once more.

I grinned, turning to the expectant Rias, whose expression only got smugger while watching her peerage’s incredible growth.

But since I couldn’t have that, I flicked her nose, causing her to squeak and send a pointed glare my way, a small dusting of red covering her cheeks.

‘’Rias, they can actually give me trouble while focusing on me all at once.’’ I pointed out with a shake of my head. ‘’Actually, if Gasper manages to decipher how to freeze specific targets in his range, he could freeze my spells as they fire. What do you think?’’

Rias crossed her arms, face suddenly scrunched in thought. ‘’…Would you lose, though?’’

‘’Nah.’’ I shrugged, a shit-eating smirk blooming on my face. ‘’I’d win.’’

‘’…I have the feeling you made a very dumb reference.’’ Rias hummed. ‘’But I can’t pinpoint which.’’

‘’Don’t worry about it.’’ As a distraction, I offered her a water bottle from my Inventory.

As the group slowly finished up their training, I took a seat on the bleachers. ‘’In any case… Was there a reason why we were challenged in the first place? Does that dude just not learn?’’

That was the reason these guys were training so hard anyway, but to be honest, they were heavily overpreparing, since their opponent was nowhere near Kokabiel’s level—Who, mind you, even if I didn’t step up, they could have taken down eventually.

So, this one should be a piece of cake in comparison. After all, It’s Diodora we are talking about.

‘’Politically? It’s a power move to try and prove that your match with him was a fluke, or maybe even cheating of some kind.’’ Rias sighed, taking a seat right next to me and immediately letting her head fall onto my shoulder. ‘’Logically? I have no idea, Zuzu. It would benefit him more if devils forgot about that, and trust me, our species is predominant in searching for interesting things, and bores about topics quickly.’’

‘’Except me, apparently.’’ I pointed out.

‘’Oh, that’s because you’re a freak of nature.’’ The redhead smiled widely, going as far as patting my long locks of hair. ‘’Good job, good job…~’’

‘’Oh, come on. I’m not that bad.’’ I rolled my eyes, but still leaned into the gesture since I knew Rias liked to pet my hair. ‘’I’m still below Serafall, and don’t even mention teacher Ayuka or your brother for that matter.’’

The pets suddenly stopped, and I had to slowly turn my head around to witness Rias hitting me with a deadpan so grand that it would put Koneko to shame—Nay, to give the belt and retire forever from competing.

‘’What?’’ I asked.

‘’…The fact that you use the leaders of our race who have lived for centuries as your bar is… ugh.’’ The woman took a deep breath, poking my forehead several times with a pout. ‘’Let me put it into perspective so even a blockhead like you can understand. So, remember our Rating Game with Riser? The one on three with Diodora? You beating up a Cadre?’’

I blinked, tilting my head to the side in confusion. ‘’Yeah…? What about them?’’

‘’Those events happened a bit over a month apart, Za-kun,’’ Rias revealed in a tone that was both incredulous and impressed. ‘’Not decades apart, not years apart. Forty. Five. Days. Tops. Do you know what the average for someone in the supernatural to achieve is, Zuzu? Sometimes in their whole life?’’

I’ll admit, I didn’t expect that time difference… I could have sworn a lot more time had transpired. Heck, my fight against Riser and the deployment of my first Domain felt like it was a year ago.

''Well, no?'' I shrugged, squinting my eyes in thought. ‘’Uh… maybe Ultimate-Class?’’

‘’Mid-Class.’’ Rias corrected, much to my shock. ‘’Now you get it? Most of our society? All Low or Mid-Class. With a portion of that being High-Class, and only a few ever reaching what is known as Ultimate-Class.’’

That… that doesn’t feel right.

Were my standards just skewed because the series always focused on the guys who were actually strong and always improving?

I’ll have to admit, I didn’t know what sort of threat came right after Kokabiel, but everything seemed… fine? In a way? I was definitely somewhere around Ultimate-Class, and my friends were not lagging behind either.

Heck, I think Rias was already at the very bottom of that category, only losing to Kokabiel due to sheer experience and weakness to both Light and Holy.

‘’Guess I am a freak, then.’’ I shrugged before pointing at her entire peerage and then herself. ‘’But you are also freaks of nature. After all, there’s not a single person inside this room that isn’t High-Class already.’’

‘’That’s…’’ Rias pursed her lips, properly staring at her peerage as if the realization had just hit her. ‘’…Huh.’’

‘’I have now left you speechless. Truly, my most fun trick.’’ I deadpanned.

I was then smacked in the arm by a pouting Rias, but that was the wrong move on her part, for I immediately seized those cute, rosy cheeks with my fingers and pulled.

‘’Ahhh… Zhuzuu, shtooop…’’ The redhead whined, not even trying to pull away.

‘’No, this is the price you pay for acting cute, you little shit.’’ I scoffed playfully.

-X-x-X-

Walking down my home’s first floor, where the guest rooms are, I hummed a tune while holding a dozen or so rice balls. Half of them were filled with spicy mayo, and the other half with salmon.

‘’Let’s see… I think Mittelt said it’s this one?’’ I stopped in front of one of the many carved doors, slowly tapping my knuckles against it. ‘’Hello? Anyone here?’’

Thud.

Immediately, I heard shuffling around. With a patient smile, I waited until the door creaked open, and from within, a head of blue hair with a single green bang peeked out, along with a set of brown eyes scanned my face and the tray I was holding before the door opened completely.

From the door, I could already tell the girl had settled in nicely… if a bit messily. The wardrobe was wide open, with some clothes lying on either a chair next to a desk with a laptop or the very bed itself, which was unmade, with the blankets resting partially on the ground.

‘I wonder if I should get some maids…’ I hummed.

‘’My apologies.’’ Xenovia cleared her throat. Much like her room, the girl dressed quite causally, with a black tank-top and a pair of sport shorts.

Her gaze turned away from me as she stepped into the room, allowing me to follow close behind. ‘’I… have been trying new things ever since the peace treaty happened. I saw on the internet that some people revel in having ‘their own order’, which is a mess of things that they have total control over, but… I’ll say, it’s definitely not my thing.’’

Xenovia crossed her arms and took a deep sigh at her own mess, a dusting of pink on her cheeks.

‘’Yeah… It’s not for everyone.’’ Chuckling, I shook my head and, as Xenovia sat down on the bed, decided to take the chair. ‘’But hey, it’s your room now, so feel free to change as much as you like.’’

‘’Thank you for your generosity.’’ The blue-haired girl bowed, though I felt it was more of an apology than anything else. But as I waved her off, her eyes slowly looked up to mine with a hint of curiosity. ‘’Also, not to be ungrateful, but…’’

‘’Why did I suddenly come knocking at your door?’’ I asked, receiving a hesitant nod in return. ‘’Eh, just checking in on you. I was told you arrived yesterday night, and let's just say… I was busy with some things back then.’’

Things like having Aika sucking a curse off me like I was a juice packet.

‘’So!’’ I shook off the mental image, my sudden volume almost causing Xenovia to jump. ‘’I brought you some local cuisine for you to enjoy. You’re also free of joining at the table each morning, afternoon, and evening if you so wish, but just as a heads up? It gets very rowdy sometimes.’’

Seriously, I had taken in too many gluttons, but watching Mittelt and Koneko fight for the last steamed bun while Kuroka sneakily stole it away with a completely appropriate use of illusion magic was hilarious.

‘’Ah… I’ll see to that, then.’’ The girl pursed her lips, looking down at the food I brought with an intense stare. ‘’May I?’’

‘’Hm? Oh, sure. They are all for you anyway.’’ I chuckled, handing the tray to her and watching as, immediately, one of the rice balls disappeared. ‘…She’s another one.’

A pleased hum escaped past Xenovia’s lips as she took a second nice ball and at least bit into it instead of inhaling it. She must have noticed I was staring, because she coughed into her palm while turning her gaze away.

‘’My apologies…’’

‘’You’re fine.’’ I chuckled. ‘’Mittelt is messier anyway. It’s kind of cute.’’

While Xenovia enjoyed her meal, slower this time, I made some small talk. Like if she traveled via a magic circle or used more conventional methods. How did the place compare to Italy, and the like, but just as the ex-exorcist put the tray aside, her face settled into a deep frown.

‘’Lord Zatren—‘’

‘’Just Zatren is alright.’’ I interrupted. ‘’You’re a guest, Xenovia. Just try to feel right at home.’’

She paused, frowning. ‘’I would prefer to use proper manners when referring to a deity, but if you insist…’’ I nodded, and Xenovia cleared her throat. ‘’Zatren, then. May I be blunt?’’

‘’I would prefer it if you were, actually.’’ I nodded, gesturing for her to go on. ‘’What’s on your mind?’’

‘’Why did you take me under your wing?’’ She asked, looking me right in the eye. ‘’I have spoken with Griselda, about your agreement with her, but I don’t understand. Just one prayer from time to time—not even devotion, at that. It’s just too generous an offer.’’

I hummed, leaning back into the chair. Xenovia stared at my every movement with rapt attention. As if I were to impart some heavenly knowledge on her mortal mind.

A disappointment for sure.

‘’I felt like it.’’ I shrugged.

Silence took over the room.

‘’…You felt like it?’’ She repeated, now twice as confused. ‘’Are you trying to tell me you did not have any ulterior motives? For example, having me become part of you or the Satan’s little sisters peerages? Maybe turn me away completely from the church and into your school of faith? Or even turn me into one of your many concubines?’’

I raised an eyebrow. ‘’Are you offering?’’

I expected Xenovia’s mind to crash for a moment at my question, but instead, she gained a curious look as she pressed a closed fist to the tip of her lips. ‘’…It would be more logical for sure.’’

‘Huh… she really is blunt.’ I blinked and then sighed. ‘’Let me put it more bluntly, then.’’

‘’I would actually prefer if you did, yes.’’ The girl nodded, but was unable to hide the small perk-up of her lips.

Cheeky little thing, wasn’t she?

‘’Most of what I do is on a whim. Joining the devils? On a whim. Make my own cult, religion, whatever? Also a whim.’’ I explained, enjoying how the girl’s face scrunched up. ‘’In short, I took you in because Griselda asked me to, and I didn’t have a reason to say no, so I said yes, you see?’’

The words from the Mother Superior turned angel echoed in my head, so I felt the need to add.

‘’But… it is true that she told me you were having a hard time. And heck, if I had been lied to my face all my life, I would be fucking livid. So you’re already handling it better than I would.’’ I stated honestly, much to the girl’s wide-eyed surprise.

‘’If you want to become a devil? I’ll hit either Sona or Rias up. If you want to be my first real ‘worshiper’? You’re free to—Actually, I’ll even make a small shrine for you if that is closer to what you actually desire.’’ Slowly, I pushed myself forward, placing a hand on the girl’s shoulder. Xenovia didn’t push it off, merely staring at it before looking me in the eye. ‘’But if you just want to… I don’t know. Take it slow and do your own thing? That’s also fine. You’re going through a harsh spot, so don’t feel pressure to jump back to the fray until you’re feeling alright, got it?’’

A deep, tense silence followed. I squeezed the girl’s shoulder once before settling back down. Xenovia stared at my face, almost as if she was searching for something before taking a soft, shuddering breath.

‘’I did not expect this when I jumped ship to live under a deity whose whole domain is condemned in the holy scriptures,’’ Xenovia admitted with a shaky tone. Her brown eyes almost glowed as she nodded, a small smile on her face. ‘’I’ll… like to think about it, if you don’t mind?’’

And that was my cue, apparently.

‘’Sure, take as long as you need.’’ I nodded, taking the empty tray where only a few grains of rice remained before getting up. ‘’Oh, and if you want to watch something funny, Rias and I have a Rating Game in a few days. Trust me, I’ll make a show out of it.’’

With a full laugh, I made my way to the door, but just as I was about to step outside and close the door behind me…

‘’Zatren,’’ Xenovia spoke from her place on the bed. Turning around. I was bombarded by a wide smile accompanied by warm brown eyes. ‘’Thank you… for the pep talk and for taking me in.’’

I chuckled, feeling a soft, pleasant warmth in my chest. ‘’Call if you need anything, alright? This is your new home, after all.’’

With the soft click of the door behind me. I sighed. Even if I wasn’t good at dealing with other people's issues, I was happy that I could cheer the blunt girl up a bit.

As I walked down the hallway and entered the common room, I had two little ones and a big bear-sized dragon suddenly accosting me from all sides.

‘’Father. We wish for entertainment.’’ Rei hugged my right leg, looking up with red, glowing eyes. ‘’…Please?’’

Equally enough, two of Kuroro’s heads wrapped around my shoulders, nuzzling me with their foreheads ‘’Papa… Mama said… only if you agree.’’

‘’Now, now. What’s happening here?’’ I asked, a bit confused.

That’s when I turned my attention to Jack, the white-haired little ‘girl’, who clung to my remaining leg and looked up at me with shining green-yellow eyes and a bright smile that could put the sun to shame. ‘’Mommy… We want to go to an amusement park! The Kyoto one!’’

I blinked, brain stopping for a moment as I processed the words.

‘’…Oh boy.’’

-X-x-X-

.

.

.

Author's Note:

Diodora getting his shit kicked in is always a joy to see.

Also, going through the chapter, I may have let a bit of real-life experience bleed through when making Zuzu's little pep talk, but it remains good advice nonetheless. So, if you ever feel like whatever you're doing is going nowhere, or you feel bombarded on all sides by stuff, decisions, or whatnot, maybe taking a step back, an "I'm going to pick myself'' day, or anything like that may be a great help.

Sure, maybe it doesn't solve the issues. Those you'll have to tackle eventually, but it gives you a clearer head, which in turn makes your path just a tiny bit brighter. Take care of yourselves, people.

After all, can't have my rodent legion not at their 100% for when I conquer the world, smh.

I also publish on other sites, if you wish to check them out:

FFN: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/15809388/HamsterX42

QQ: https://forum.questionablequesting.com/search/35199387/?c[users]=HamsterX42&o=date

Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HamsterX42

Discord Link: .gg/92Yt5wxeWN