DxD: Like a Devil Chapter 64

Edited by: priapus, Marethyu

– Rias –

One might say that Rias should’ve started with this, but she didn’t like relying on her elders too much. Yes, she knew how that made her look, considering how many times she’d ask Sirzechs to spoil her, but it was true. Wanting to be showered with gifts wasn’t the same as asking her brother to handle her responsibilities for her.

There were a lot of things that Rias needed to do by herself. Or, at most, with the help of her peers and nobody else. Like taking care of Kuoh, for example, even though Sona was pretty much the one doing all the work.

And with her now busy with something else and Akane out of town, Kuoh was Rias’ sole responsibility. She had no one else to help but Akeno and Sona’s peerage as her assistance. Despite having her own investigation, Rias was the only one near Kuoh at all.

But she digressed. Even though she didn’t like asking for too much help from superiors, Rias knew that there wasn’t anything inherently wrong with it, especially when it concerned her beloved peerage. She was getting to the bottom of this one way or another.

So after figuring out she’d never be able to get anywhere in this investigation on her own, Rias decided to get an expert's opinion—one she could trust to reliably explain what could’ve happened back then. As much as she hated to admit it, this was out of her league.

It didn’t help that she’d never taken her studies as seriously as Sona had used to, only bothering to learn the basics about Sacred Gear and such, but Rias didn’t have time to hit the books right now. She might do so later, but only after she was done with her investigation.

So, with only one option left, Rias decided to get the wisdom of Satan Beelzebub. One of the most intelligent and accomplished devils in the underworld and maybe even beyond. From being a well-respected and feared commander during the Civil War to creating the Evil Pieces by himself. Surely, someone with his resume would be of massive help to Rias’ investigation.

Rias knew that what prevented her from making any progress was her lack of experience and knowledge, which Ajuka had in spades. With him on her side, she’d reach the truth and prove that Gasper wasn’t going insane. Something had happened. Perhaps it was caused by a third party.

But Rias was willing to bet that it had something to do with his Sacred Gear going haywire and showing a different timeline. She would keep that insane conspiracy theory to herself, as she didn’t want to look like an idiot.

Getting to Ajuka was the hard part. Like the other Satans, Beelzebub was incredibly busy with his own work, and his schedule didn’t count for random visits and requests like hers. Fortunately, being the sister of Satan Lucifer, Rias couldn’t help but appreciate the advantages of nepotism, as her appeal for an audience with Ajuka took precedence over others' requests.

And so, after waiting for a few days, the time has finally come to put an end to this investigation once and for all. With Ajuka’s help, she’d figure things out in no time.

“No,” Ajuka said.

Rias stopped, surprised by the sudden response. In his personal library, she observed Satan Beelzebub as he moved from shelf to shelf, looking for a particular book. Honestly, she hadn’t anticipated him to simply say ‘no.’ Why would he? This was likely trivial for him.

“Huh?” She blinked in surprise. “What do you mean?”

“I mean no.” He reiterated, his tone blank as he found what he was looking for, picking an old book with a black leather cover. “If that’s all you’re here for, then please leave. I’m busy.”

“But Lord Beelzebub, I need your help.” She said. “Surely something like this wouldn’t take much of your time?”

Rias stole a glance at the book. ‘The All-Devouring Malebranche’ was its title. She wasn’t the biggest reader in the world, but she’d never heard of that book before. Which was natural, as this was one of the largest libraries in all the realms. Of which Ajuka had apparently stolen from the Old King’s Castle during the Civil War.

The book, covered in a fine layer of dust, revealed a worn cover and pages yellowed with age as Ajuka opened it. Despite its delicate edges, it was surprisingly well-preserved. Whatever this thing was, it looked like a relic.

“Whatever it could be, I’m afraid your bishop has no precedence over my work.” He responded bluntly. “You’re a smart one. I’m sure you could figure it out eventually.”

“I couldn’t. That’s why I’m here.” Rias argued, hand over her chest as she bowed politely. “Please, my lord. I’ve searched every nook and cranny during my investigation, but I’m just not good enough to find any evidence. I need someone of your wisdom and expertise.”

“And you’ve never considered that your theory may have been off?” Ajuka replied, flipping through the pages. “There’s no evidence to suggest that an outside party was involved in the incident. The vampire may have been imagining things.”

“Maybe.” She nodded. “But I trust Gasper, and I promised him I’d get to the bottom of this no matter what.”

Finally, Ajuka glanced at her.

“If not even you can find anything, then I’ll accept that Gasper is mentally ill, do my best to take care of him, and make sure he doesn’t get hurt again.” She vowed with a frown. “But if there was some kind of foul play at hand, then what kind of King would I be if I let whoever was responsible go unpunished?”

Ajuka remained silent for a moment as Rias maintained eye contact with him, wanting to show her resolve to help her bishop. Despite what she said, she was still 100% convinced that the incident wasn’t a fluke. It wasn’t Gasper’s fault, and she would do anything to prove it.

“…I’m afraid the answer is still no.” He rejected her request.

Rias deflated, as she was almost sure that would’ve convinced him to humor her.

“But Lord Beelzebub—”

“You don’t seem to understand, Rias.” He said, returning to his book. “I’m one of the leaders of our kind. With or without the peace treaty, coming to Japan without a valid reason could provoke the Yakuza.”

“But you do have a valid reason for coming.”

“Your bishop attacked an important figure in the Tojo Clan, and he did it first.” He disputed. “Using your investigation as an excuse would be taken as an accusation, inciting more animosity between our faction. So even if I wanted to help, I can’t.”

Rias wanted to argue, but all she could do was frown sadly. She admittedly hadn’t thought of that— it made sense. No matter how you looked at it, Gasper had attacked Akane unprovoked. The Yakuza had had every right to kick them out of Japan at the time, and only didn’t because the peace treaty was right around the corner and Akane was ultimately unharmed.

The fact that they were letting her investigate at all was a miracle.

“I see…”

“I apologize for disappointing you, but there’s nothing I can do.” He concluded.

“No, it’s fine. You were never obligated to help me anyway.” She bowed again. “Thank you so much for granting this audience, my Lord.”

Ajuka glanced at her again as she turned around to leave. Well, this was a bust. It was at least worth a shot. But now, what was she going to do? In hindsight, getting someone as politically powerful as Ajuka to do her job wasn’t the smartest thing to do.

She needed a genius who worked alone, but nobody she knew fit that bill. Hell, the only freelancer she knew was Akiyama, but she was not close enough to ask him for favors, and she didn’t even know where he was right now.

If even Koneko couldn’t detect anything weird in that room, then who could help her figure it out? Was it really hopeless?

“Rias.”

“Yes?” She looked at him and blinked, surprised by his sudden call.

“Come to my office in a few days.” He ordered ominously, returning to his book. “I’ll need your assistance with something later.”

“Um, okay.” Rias didn’t know what to say. “Of course. As you command, Lord Beelzebub.”

That was odd. What did he need from her? Rias wanted to ask him what this was about, but if he didn’t explain anything now, then she should probably be patient. He’d shown her plenty of patience already, so it was time she returned the favor.

But for now, it was time she broke the bad news to Akeno. With Ajuka rejecting her request, there really was no one else she could turn to. But Rias wasn’t about to give up, so continuing her investigation in Gasper’s room for a few more hours it was.

Even if she had to bang her head against this unbreakable wall, she would do it until it shattered or she died.

If it’s for her beloved peerage, Rias was willing to do anything.

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– Akane –

Contrary to how I act sometimes, I don’t consider myself an ‘anxious’ person. If anything, I think I just have a healthy sense of cautiousness, but anxiety? Well, I don’t really have anything to be nervous about, do I? As long as I keep certain things to myself and avoid stupid mistakes, I’ll be okay.

I’m intelligent enough to create nigh-unrivaled super-tech on my own, charismatic enough that most people I know would die for my sake, and strong enough to level entire countries without even trying. Not to mention the backing of the Yakuza behind me. For someone like me, there’s so little to worry about. It’s not easy to rattle me or catch me by surprise.

That was what I thought before last night.

Sitting beside Ichi on the couch, I pretend to watch the movie, but my thoughts are preoccupied with the unsettling events of yesterday. Thankfully, I don’t struggle to hide my anxiety beneath a calm exterior, so no one notices anything weird about me.

Someone compromised my tech. 

Some random person somehow compromised MY spy tech that’s comparable to the Amon clan’s. This shouldn’t happen. It’s just not possible. I’m more than confident enough that my Spyders can hide from most Tojo tech detectors, and the yakuza is the second most technologically advanced faction.

Who was it? Was it the Amon clan? No, why would they get involved in this? I’ve made it clear that I’ll never join them. Trying to get back at me for declining would only make me want to kill them faster, and their leader should know that.

So who could it be? Whose tech is advanced enough to somehow compromise my stuff? Was it the CIA? But even they don’t have what the Tojo clan has. Unless they were working on some secret project or something like that. But if that’s the case, how come they’ve only caught three of my Spyders?

The Spyders were latched onto the Barracuda mobs.

Was it them? Did they have some kind of super tech like me? Rather, was it their leader somehow? A group like them shouldn’t have anything of that caliber. Seriously, a faction where the foot soldiers are only low-class? They’re a joke.

But their leader. Dwight Mendez. He’s the one that’s been somehow spying on me, isn’t he? How is he doing that? A Sacred Gear of some kind? Through his own tech? I don’t know, and not knowing makes me feel anxious and angry.

God, I couldn’t even sleep properly last night. After Nemesis’ sudden report, I was racking my brain trying to come up with an explanation or a way to hit them back, but I ended up with nothing. For the first time since forever, I feel genuinely concerned.

This is why I fucking hate messing with people I know nothing about. If someone was able to detect and destroy my tech like that, how the hell am I supposed to find them? Whoever it may be, they need to die. I can’t have anyone like that exist on the same plane of existence as me. 

This whole Barracuda problem just went up on my priority list. From a stupid gang with an annoying peeping tom for a leader to a genuine threat that needs to be wiped out. I don’t care what their goal is. They’re a threat to everything I have and built.

“Akane?” Ichiban suddenly calls my name, looking at me with a tilted head. “You alright? You look a little worried.”

A bit startled by his accurate comment yet somewhat strangely appreciative, I respond accordingly.

“I’m bored,” I say. “Really, that’s the best movie you picked?”

“Eh, I thought it’d be better.” He shrugged. “Though to be fair, I don’t think it’s a good time for a movie anyway. It’s bright outside.”

True to his word, it’s still about 2 PM, very early in the day. As we agreed last night, we decided to stay in the resort for a few days and wait for a CIA representative, assuming they were coming. So far, this is day one, and nobody has shown up yet.

And seeing as we’ll be stuck here for a little while, the rest went to play on the beach. Well, Kiba, Koneko and Issei that is. Asia is still asleep after what likely was the most extensive use of her Sacred Gear. She should wake up soon, though.

As for Ichiban—

“Then why haven’t you gone with them?” I wonder out loud. “They need an extra set of hands for volleyball.”

“Nah, I wanna hang out with you.” He replies before scratching his cheek sheepishly. “Or, well, I don’t want to leave you all alone seeing that you wanna stay inside. Not very boyfriend-like, y’know?”

“Aw~” I wrap my arms around his and giggle. “That’s so cute~ You’re gonna make me fall in love all over again.”

Truth is, I just don’t feel like playing right now. I’m too busy thinking about what happened, and if I could, I would’ve left the resort and tinkered in my secret base. Figure out a way to counter this threat somehow. Because I’m not willing to send another bot to Honolulu unless I’m absolutely sure I know what I’m dealing with. I’ve even recalled all the other Spyders in the city.

Anything that can detect my spy tech isn’t to be trifled with.

“I’m serious.” He says.

“So am I~” I wink at him. “Really, though. If you wanna go have fun with the rest, I don’t mind.”

“Are you sure?” He asks. “Feels wrong leaving you all alone.”

“I think I can survive without you for a little bit.” I playfully roll my eyes. “I’ll go check up on Asia and join you guys in a bit.”

“Well, alright.” He nods. “If you’re sure.”

I give him a quick peck on the lips before he exits the building, followed by a smirk as, despite him enjoying the attention almost too much, he looks just as shy receiving it. 

God, he’s so fucking cute.

With him gone, I turn the TV off and approach Asia’s room. Opening the door, I see that the blond had already woken up, sitting on the edge of her bed and rubbing her eyes. As she notices me, she gives me a gentle smile.

“Good morning,” I say. “Or, well, afternoon.”

“Good afternoon, Akane-san.” She yawns.

“You feeling alright?” I ask her. “You’ve been asleep for a while, y’know?”

“Sorry.”

“Nothing to apologize for.” I shrug. “Come on. We have some leftovers for you. I bet you’re hungry.”

“Mhm…” She stands up and takes my hand as I lead her outside. “What time is it?”

“Two.”

As she takes a seat on one of the chairs around the table, I take something for her to eat and heat it in the microwave. Asia still looks out of it for a few more minutes, having not fully woken up yet until I put the plate of heated food in front of her.

Once she grabs a fork, she speaks.

“Thank you, Akane-san.” She says first. “What happened last night?”

“You don’t remember?” I raise a brow.

“Not very well.” She shakes her head. “I remember those terrible people beating up an old man. He was in very terrible shape when we went to rescue him. After that, it’s all so blurry.”

“That’s pretty much everything that happened.” I shrug. “You used your Twilight Healing to heal him.”

“I did?” She looks at me, hopefully. “Is he okay?”

“He’ll make a full recovery.” I nod, giving her a small grin. “You saved his life, Asia. Good job.”

10 Affection with Asia Argento [95/100]

“Oh, thank the Lord.” She breathes a sigh of relief. “I’m so glad.”

Asia brings up her hand in front of her— manifesting Twilight Healing as a green ring materializes on her finger, making a gentle smile tug at her lips.

“Using this blessing to help those in need is all I ever wanted.” She says. “I’m just… so happy that the Lord had chosen me to carry out his kindness to those who need it.”

She’s so pitiful. If only she knew what became of the god she loves so much. I can’t ever imagine her mentally recovering. But I’d rather not ruin her life with the knowledge. I don’t want her broken and useless.

Look at me being all nice and merciful. Aren’t I just the best?

“Now that you brought it up, if you don’t remember what happened at that alley, then you probably don’t know what happened to your Twilight Healing.” I point out, making her look at me in confusion. “Back then, when you tried to heal the man, your Sacred Gear was on the verge of evolving.”

“Eh?” She blinks. “What do you mean? Are you saying I unlocked my Balance Breaker?”

“Almost.” I nod. “You almost unlocked it. A little extra nudge was probably all you lacked.”

“You really think so?” She looks back at her ring. “Me? Can I really do that?”

“I don’t see why not.” I snort. “They’re unlocked through a great desire or need, first and foremost. Power comes second as a requirement, which you’re probably exempt from.”

“How come?” Asia asks curiously.

“Well, your Sacred Gear is a support type.” I remind her. “So it’s unlikely to push your body to its limit like how Ichi’s works.”

“That does make sense…”

I’m actually very curious what her Balance Breaker would be like. If it’s basic healing in its first stage, then would it simply be stronger healing? Maybe certain buffs of some kind? I don’t know, but I’m intrigued. 

I'm not sure how I’ll push her to unlock it, but I guess I’ll have to involve her more in our escapades. A sink or swim approach. Perhaps literally. We’ll see.

“Akane!”

I pause and glance at the front door, spotting Ichi standing there looking at me with a concerned expression.

“You may wanna come outside.” He tells me, pointing at something behind him.

I blink, then frown in confusion. Did they finally send someone? Huh. I genuinely thought they wouldn’t. Maybe these Barracudas are related to the CIA somehow.

“Is everything okay?” Asia asks me.

“Probably.” I nod. “Don’t worry about it, alright? Finish up your food, and we can play a little volleyball later.”

“Okay.”

With that, I leave the blond to her own devices and head outside with Ichiban. He leads me to the gate at the resort’s perimeters, and on the way, I ask Ichiban what’s going on. Because at that very moment, I sense it.

There’s someone powerful I don’t recognize.

“Dunno.” Ichiban shakes his head. “Some guy at the gate is asking for you.”

Once we arrive at the gate, we see him. Being stopped and cautiously observed by the devils and Issei is a person I’m not familiar with— a tall and muscular blond man wearing a blue Hawaiian shirt, cargo shorts, sandals, and a casual pair of shades.

Naturally, the first thing I do is use Observe on him.

Name: Magnus Rose

Title: CIA Supernatural Division Leader

HP - 450,000

MP - 300,000

SP - 500,000

Race - Human

LVL - 810

STR - 5267

END - 4677

DEX - 5214

INT - 2500

WIS - 2000

CHA - 1000

LUK - 100

Thoughts about you – Thinks you’re either a nuisance or a possible asset. Regardless, he respects your strength and sense of justice.

Reputation - 10

Affection - 0

Oh. Oh, he’s not a joke, is he? I mean, I’m confident I can defeat him on my own, but that’s a whole bunch of stats in what I assume is his relaxed state. If he can use Touki or has a Sacred Gear, then he’s easily Satan-class. Interesting.

I keep my composure as he notices me, getting in front of the group and standing before him.

“Akane Amamiya.” He acknowledges me, showing me his badge. “I’m Magnus Rose. CIA.”

“So it seems,” I reply curtly. “Can I help you?”

“It came to my attention that you were responsible for the deaths of two Barracuda members in Honolulu.” He tells me. “You know getting involved with gangs isn’t exactly wise, young lady.”

“Oh, cut the bullshit. A bunch of low-class nobodies couldn’t put a scratch on me in my sleep.” I roll my eyes. “So you have a warrant for my arrest or…?”

2 Reputation with Magnus Rose [12/100]

“No, I’m not here to arrest you.” He snorts. “But I need to tell you— all of you to stay out of their business.”

That’s one hell of a way to sound suspicious.

“Why?” I frown. “We were only trying to save someone.”

“I’m well aware.” Magnus nods. “But the Barracuda are currently under investigation after being suspected of endangering civilians through supernatural means.”

Very suspicious. We haven’t even gotten involved yet; they’re already telling us off. They’re definitely related to whatever the Barracudas are doing. This means the probability of them being the ones compromising my tech just went up massively.

I’d say about… sixty percent.

“So, for everyone’s safety, try to avoid them.” He adds. “I’m sure you can take care of yourselves, but this is our job, not yours.”

Before I can reply, Ichi beats me to it.

“Let us help.” He says, stepping up to Magnus. “We’ve seen what these people did. We can’t let them get away with it.”

“I respect the enthusiasm, kid. But this is an adult’s job.” He responds dismissively. “You lot came here for a vacation. So enjoy it.”

“And just ignore innocent people in danger?” Issei frowns. “What kind of people do you take us for?”

“I’m afraid we’re already in too deep, Mr. Rose,” Kiba adds. “We’ve defeated a handful of them, and Akane even killed two of them. We’re targets.”

“And I’m giving you an out.” He argues. “I’ll make sure the Barracudas won’t bother you anymore. Just stay out of my way.”

I don’t know if he’s intentionally phrasing his sentences like that, but he’s really not doing himself any favors. He just looks more and more suspicious by the second. What the hell are they trying to do here?

“Not gonna happen.” I refuse. “We’ve already decided to wipe them out, and you can’t stop us.”

“Princess, I’m sure you don’t get told ‘no’ a lot, but this is a serious issue we’re dealing with here. This is no place for children to play around.” He says, clearly growing annoyed with our attitude. “Unless you want me to call the Yakuza on you? I’m no snitch, but if you leave me no choice, then—”

“Do it.” I snort, giving him a smirk. “You really think I’m scared of what Majima or Daigo have to say?”

Not really. They wouldn’t even pull me out of Hawaii if I explained the situation to them. Really, this just makes the CIA look pretty damn suspicious. What are they trying to hide here? Or protect? Is there something massive in Hawaii, and nobody knows about it?

Whatever it is they’re trying to do here, they want to make it a secret. Magnus informing Daigo would just put the Tojo Clan chairman a little on edge. Maybe to the point of sending a few agents to investigate, which would jeopardize the CIA’s plan here.

Like always, I win. Again and again. I’m just allergic to losing.

“Thing is, we’re already in too deep. You can’t push us out, and you know that too. Intimidating us isn’t going to work.” I shrug. “So you have two choices here.”

I bring up one finger.

“One: You leave and let us do whatever we want, which would include wiping out the entire Barracuda gang off the face of this planet,” I say. “I’ve been craving a mouthwatering chocolate lava cake for a while, you see, and those sons of bitches stopped me from getting my treat, so they’re pretty damn high on my shitlist.”

“You’re still mad about that?” Ichiban looks at me in exasperation.

“Of course I am!” I pout. “They had the best-rated one in all of Honolulu. I was looking forward to it since we were in Japan.”

“Ice Queen is so petty~” Koneko giggles quietly.

“And two?” Magnus ignores our banter, though he doesn’t look like he finds it annoying.

I look back at him as my smirk returns. It’s not every day I do this— I generally prefer to work alone or be the ‘leader’ of my party, but let’s just say I have an excellent idea.

“We work together,” I suggest. “You let us in on your investigation, and we offer you our expertise.”

“Expertise?” He raises a brow.

“Four Sacred Gear users, one of which is a very good healer, a devil-reincarnated Nekomata with exemplary senses, and yours truly.” I point at myself. “Slayer of the Warhawk and Destroyer of the Beelzebub bloodline. Champion of the Devils. Immaculate at everything she does and a peerless engineer. Perfection given form: Akane Amamiya.”

You know, I’ve just realized that I have a very good resume. Dayum. People should praise me more.

3 Reputation with Magnus Rose [15/100]

“Perfection, huh?” He snorts. “I’d try to be a little humble if I were you. Pride cometh before the fall, miss.” 

“I don’t care about your outdated expressions. It’s just the truth.” I reply. “But I digress. The point is we could help you a ton. You may think of us as a bunch of rowdy children, but we’re rowdy children who defeated Kokabiel and fought back an invasion of the Old Satans.”

I offer him a hand.

“So what do you say?”

The reason I’m doing this at all is because… well, let’s just say that I sense an opportunity of some kind. Naturally, I don’t trust him or his group at all, but isn’t this the perfect chance to learn more about him and the CIA?

More than that, I’m a bit interested in this investigation of his. Let’s just assume that he’s not working with the Barracudas and that he really is here to stop them. First of all, why send a guy like this? He’s way too fucking strong for a bunch of juiced-up thugs.

There’s definitely some kind of conspiracy, and I know that if I get involved, it’ll help me out in the long run. Maybe I’ll find a bigger target to use my Devour on because right now, the Barracudas don’t sound as appetizing anymore.

I guess I’ll have to wait and see. I don’t know much about him, but this Magnus Rose looks pretty tempting. Soul-wise, I mean. He’s too old for my taste. And his dress code is atrocious. Then again, it helps him blend in more. Black suits don’t really ‘fit’ the whole Hawaiian vacation vibe.

Magnus takes a moment to think it over before sighing deeply and rubbing his neck.

“They’re not gonna be happy about this…” He whispers to himself. “But, well, better I have you kids under my watch. Can’t have you running around and causing trouble.”

He takes my hand and shakes it.

“Fine. You have a deal.” He nods. “There’s a bar called Revolve in Little Tokyo in Honolulu. Meet me there in the evening.”

“Sure thing.” I give him a thumbs up.

Magnus waves and leaves the resort’s perimeters, getting in a black car he parked nearby before driving off.

Didn’t take much effort to convince him, but that should be obvious. Most people would fold under the pressure, too. There are few people who can say ‘no’ to my face. And anyone who would do such a thing is a sinner that deserves to get their ass kicked anyway.

“Man.” Issei is the first to speak after Magnus leaves. “We’re gonna work with CIA.”

“Secret Agent style, dude.” Ichiban’s eyes sparkle in excitement. “Holy shit, that’s so fucking cool!”

“Bro, we gotta dress the part!” Issei says in agreement. “Black suits and all that.”

“Don’t be a dumbass. You wanna look easily recognizable?” I scoff. “Besides, I doubt a suit would look good on you.”

“I would totally rock a suit.” He disagrees.

“It’s kind of hard not to, I think.” Ichi crosses his arms and hums in thought.

As he glances at me, I grin.

“You just imagined me in a suit, didn’t you?” I accuse him with a knowing look, making him flinch. “You don’t have to explain— everyone knows I’d look sexy wearing one. In fact, I’d say I wear it better than all of you.”

I should try my hand at wearing a suit. A black and red one to keep up the theme. I mean, I can’t have gone on for this long not wearing one when I’m literally a Yakuza princess. Feels a little wrong. I’m sure I’d look stunning in one.

It’s just one of the many advantages of being me. I look good in everything. Yes, even a magical girl outfit.

God, I love being me.

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– Magnus – 

Admittedly, he had a feeling that something like that could’ve happened in the sense that he’d end up recruiting the kids for his mission. The girl brought up a bunch of good points— they were all useful in their own right, and having a decent backup in case things went south was always wise.

Sure, he was involving the Tojo Princess in possibly one of the most dangerous missions he’d been on, but she seemed eager and insistent on joining. And someone with her achievements, it was hard to outright reject her offer. The ‘children who don’t know what they’re doing’ excuse didn’t really work when those same children had fought Kokabiel and the Old Satans before. They were powerful kids with decent experience under their belt.

They did seem too enthusiastic for his taste, though. Especially the Princess. Although the rest of the group looked motivated out of their sense of justice, the Amamiya girl looked almost opportunistic, but Magnus just didn’t know why. It was bizarre.

Was she hoping to find something in particular? As far as he knew, Honolulu and Hawaii as a whole had nothing interesting about it besides the sleeping goddess somewhere on a hidden island. But she couldn’t possibly know that. Pele’s existence was highly classified. Not many were aware that she was still alive, even on the supernatural side of the world.

Of course, Magnus could be just imagining things. His paranoia getting the better of him. Why would a young Yakuza girl from Japan know anything about that? What could she possibly know? It just didn’t make sense.

Honestly, he really hoped that was the case because what he figured out from meeting her was anything but comforting.

Driving back to Honolulu, he pressed on his earpiece.

“Keep an eye on the Princess.” He said. “She’s the prime suspect of our little third party.”

“Are you serious?” Another agent questioned. “The spoiled brat is who we should be worried about?”

“Dead serious,” Magnus replied. “I detected the presence of highly advanced tech in her eyes. A pair of lenses, it looked like.”

“Could just be a toy from the Tojo Clan, no?” He questioned. “I mean, they gave her that mech suit a while back during the devil tournament, didn’t they?”

“No.” Magnus insisted. “It’s not the same.”

His fellow agent remained silent for a few moments.

Ever since he’d found the tiny spider-like bots latched onto some of the Barracudas, he knew that they could be dealing with something much worse than they’d expected. Who were they? What did they want? Did they know about Pele, too? Did they want to awaken her?

All of these questions had to wait. Magnus knew that he had no leads. At least, not for now. Not when whomever they were was so cautious. So, instead of mindlessly investigating Honolulu for them, he focused on figuring out the Overseer’s identity. After all, that was the head of the snake. Once it was cut off, the cleanup afterward would be smooth sailing.

So when he’d gone to tell the kids to stay away from the Barracudas— when the Tojo Clan Princess had shown up to confront him, he’d immediately noticed them. Her two highly advanced lenses. Impressive technology she shouldn’t have.

Technology with a very similar design philosophy to those little spider bots. It didn’t feel like the Tojo tech at all.

Without Unknown Dictator, he would’ve never noticed it nor the similarities. It was hidden even better than her spying tech— Something that was already remarkable enough. Just what the hell was he dealing with? Was she really just some kind of absurdly powerful kid? What was she hiding?

He had many questions and internally debated if he should confront her on the matter, but he decided it’d be better to bide his time for now. Magnus knew better than just to accuse her of things. He still had no idea why she was here and what she wanted.

She could still be doing something righteous. Perhaps, like him, she was simply trying to infiltrate the Barracudas to find a way to stop them permanently. Admittedly, Magnus didn’t know how much she knew, but for now, he’d play dumb. With how cocky and full of herself she seemed, she was bound to make a mistake. Confronting her and making her cautious would be idiotic.

“…Well, you’re the one with the tech Sacred Gear.” The agent sighed after a moment. “Understood. We’ll be keeping watch.”

Although the chances of it were low, Magnus hoped she wasn’t using her tech for anything evil.

He despised hurting children.