Dangerous Exchange - DXD

Chapter 7

With the exception of Rizevim, the rest of the characters were given less than one episode of screen time.

If that didn't tell someone everything they needed to know about them, I don't know what will.

These are the thoughts that were going through my head during the first month.

And in the entire anime, there was not even a mention of Damien's name. Was I a new character? Or someone who died without even being mentioned? These thoughts haunted me as well. An existential crisis at its finest.

Apparently, two years in an observation capsule didn't do much for my sanity.

Whether this was the same world or not, I didn't know. There were already several signs that my existence had changed something. Whether the real Damien was someone who shouldn't exist at all or die without a mention, I had no idea. The only thing I knew for sure was that I was going to mark this world with my bloody name.

I won't be forgotten as a side character.

Bam.

The servant fell as he passed by me.

Sigh.

This is something I tried to control too.

I don't know how, but I awakened my Haoshoku Haki. Maybe it happened when I died.

But the problem is control over it.

In this regard, I am similar to Naruto.

Not in the idiotic way of screaming "I'll become Satan" or something like that (I'd shoot myself before screaming like that), but in terms of strength.

The first time my death could have been caused by me being crushed by my own haki.

However, I always tried to suppress this thought. It is shameful even to think about it.

Anyway, that didn't automatically make me Hokage, as you might guess.

Basically, I have a reservoir of power that I can access. The tube that I draw power from is still my body. And I need to train to make that tube wider.

A peak man is nothing compared to a devilish physique.

Even if idiots don't train, they still have a physique much stronger than the average person.

A high-class devil is physically twenty times stronger than an ordinary human without training.

Let's not talk about the upper class, the satanic class and the super class.

So I'll have to train my body.

However, right now I am only concerned with controlling this power.

My body has been strengthened quite a bit thanks to the race, but it's still not enough to completely suppress the flow of haki that constantly tries to burst out of me when I lose control of my emotions.

The doctor advised me to practice some mental exercises.

The trio of idiots (Cruzerey, Shalba and Kateria) are delighted with my strength.

She shows them that their plans are close to being realized.

If because of her, some people fall unconscious or cannot stand in my presence, then they are not worthy of being near the young master.

Damn bastards.

If only the price for unleashing the full weight of Haoshoku Haki wasn't death… All in all, I was very tempted to crush them all with full force.

***

Trio of Idiots

***

***

With a sigh, I bring the servant to consciousness. After all, it was he who led me to my destination today.

After four years of learning the basics of reading and the alphabet, which I mastered with ease, I finally got the chance to learn magic.

Yes, magic!

I mean, sure, I already know how to do it, but I've never studied it formally. No one has tried to teach me anything that hasn't been decided by the idiot trio or maybe Rizevim.

In the house where I lived there was not a single book that talked in detail about magic.

I doubt this has anything to do with the child's safety.

So there is only one conclusion to be drawn. I am being controlled. They are trying to control every aspect of my training, wanting to know my capabilities so that if I go against them, I can be destroyed very easily.

Most likely, it was the Haoshoku Haki that made them, or more precisely Rizevim, be on guard.

The trinity of idiots are just idiots. Their envy is suppressed by the fact that I am created from the DNA of Lucifer and Asmodeus.

Yes, artificially from the DNA of two Satans.

Not their descendants, but the original Lucifer and Asmodeus themselves.

Well, okay, a lot has happened in these four years.

I was taken in for "raising" by Razevan Lucifer, who turned out to be a surprisingly decent "person". As decent as a devil can be in this place.

The main source of all the problems was Rizevim.

He had knocked every ounce of confidence out of Razevan with his attitude. Personally, I think he had been told he was useless so many times that he had come to believe it himself. Magic based on imagination can be very unpleasant at times. Subconsciously changing the body is not always beneficial.

Sometimes Euclid would come to see me to check my physical condition and measure my demonic strength.

Over the past four years, it has almost doubled.

This process will accelerate when I turn eight. Eight is the age when the devil child begins to develop faster.

And also the age when clan traits awaken.

But that doesn't mean that I didn't do anything for my own development and just sat on my butt waiting.

I continued to tear and rebuild my muscles with demonic energy.

This also counts as using magic, and magic, like muscles, can be built up through training.

However, this approach is still inferior to Zenkai or special drugs.

And I need to find a way to keep my power in check.

Because I saw how much power Rizevim had.

It seemed almost impossible.

Ten times stronger than the original Lucifer.

I thought Lucifer was as strong as Shalba or something.

Completely incorrect assumption.

If I judge correctly, a Satan-class devil is at least five times stronger than someone like Euclid.

The super devil, however, is a different story.

He is ten times stronger than a Satan-class devil.

It was very humiliating to realize how weak I was.

I calculated that Euclid is now fifteen times stronger than me. Satan will be five times stronger than him, that is, seventy-five times stronger than me.

The Super Devil, however, is seven hundred and fifty times stronger than your humble servant.

Euclid was stronger than a normal high-class devil, but then again, it was obvious that the original Descendants of Satan, especially Lucifer, possessed immense demonic power.

Razevan, who was a high-class devil, was actually considered a useless descendant of Lucifer.

It is also important to remember that energy reserves do not mean strength.

It's like having a gigantic supply of chakra. If you don't know how to use it properly, then having it is pointless.

But for me it hardly matters. In any case, at the moment they are stronger than me enough to crush me with the power of thought alone.

What I need now is to learn to use my power.

I tried to create magic based on my imagination.

*****************************************

Chapter 8

In my opinion, this is too wasteful. The clothing ripping that Hyoudou used in the anime was only possible thanks to the strengthening mechanism. Without it, it would be much easier to just rip the armor off with your hands, considering how much demonic power is required to perform such a magical effect.

The magic circle also plays an important role in creating magic.

This is one of the reasons why clan devils were so much ahead of clanless devils. A simple magic circle increased their effectiveness several times.

For example, a clanless devil would need to use 100 units of demonic power to, say, rip someone's dress. A clan devil could use a magic circle to do this and limit himself to 20.

This difference, on top of the genetic advantages already present, is very difficult to overcome. Even someone like Sairaorg had this genetic advantage despite not having the clan's demonic power.

This is the reason why Ajuka Beelzebub (Astaroth) was so feared. Because he could use almost 99.99% of his demonic power to good use, and only 0.01% was wasted.

He would only need a tenth of Sirzechs' demonic power to perform the same spell.

This shows what kind of monster Sirzechs must be to be considered the strongest devil.

At the same time, Rizevim is by no means a weakling. Although hardly on Sirzechs' level. It's not for nothing that the new Satan's retinue doesn't have a single Sacred Gear bearer.

His figures are specially selected to fight a man who can render all mechanisms completely useless.

And now I'm stuck with these monsters... and let's not forget the existence of people like Ophis and Great Red.

It was now that I truly realized the importance of the Longinus.

I could only imagine how much work I would have to do to surpass these creatures. Assuming all the shit starts strictly according to canon (which seems unlikely, damn butterflies with their fucking wings), I have about ten to fifteen years.

I asked Razevan and that trio of idiots for a magic circle, but apparently it was decided that I would get Lucifer's circle and that it would only be given to me when I began my formal magical education.

I tried to analyze it using the Essence of the Archmage, but I soon had to abandon this idea when I realized that I was being watched.

I was being watched every damn second.

During that period, which was three months ago, Euclid began to visit me often. I immediately quit training under the pretext that it was boring.

Children are very unpredictable, changing their desires ten times a day. Accept it.

In case anyone forgot, I'd like to repeat. I am, in essence, their weapon. When I said I was here as Naruto, I wasn't kidding.

Our situation is similar in many ways.

Although the presence of three idiots does not allow anyone to make fun of me.

"- There is a teacher waiting for you here, young master. Today, there will be another student present with you in class. She is two years older than you, but very talented." - the servant Fredrik warned me, leading me to the room.

I nodded solemnly in response. Apparently I was supposed to act like I had a stick up my ass.

"- I apologize for keeping you and wasting your time, young master." - the man bowed again.

"- You can go. I need to go to class."

And still speak like an idiot.

Basically, I had to act like an Uchiha.

"- Thank you very much, young master."

"- Hn."

I entered the room, wondering who would join me today. Knowing those idiotic three, it was unlikely that they would allow someone normal to get close to me. But knowing Rizevim as well, it was entirely possible that it would be someone who would become my overseer.

The room turned out to be quite spacious and had windows overlooking the garden.

There were three people inside. Razewan, another middle-aged man, judging by his Haki, at least as strong as Razewan, that is, a high-class devil and the last one, a young silver-haired girl with red eyes, a pure-blooded devil.

Purebred devils are more of a symbolic than a biological phenomenon.

Only those born to both parents from the Satan, 72 Pillars, and Extra Demon families can be called pure devils.

The rest are called natural-born.

"- Come in, Damien. Have a seat," Razevan beckoned to me.

I gave him a slight bow. It was more of a nod than a bow, but that suited him.

"- This is your teacher of magic and martial arts. His name is Gregory Bune." - the named one bowed to me. "Next to him is your training partner, who will study magic with you. Introduce yourself, girl."

"- Greetings, young master. My name is Gretel Lucifuge. It is a great honor for me to study magic with you." - the girl spoke in a slightly shy, but calm tone.

However, everything turned upside down in my head.

Lucifuge?

I had no idea that other Lucifuges existed.

"- Are you by any chance related to Euclid?" - after the question, my now more acute senses noticed how fear flashed in her eyes, but she quickly controlled her emotions and answered. "- I am his younger sister, my lord."

....hah?

Does Euclid have a younger sister?

I looked at Razevan.

"- I thought Euclid's parents died during the Great and Civil Wars?"

"- Her mother survived the Civil War, and was captured because she covered for Grayfia Lucifuge, which helped her betray the true Satans. As punishment, she was used to give birth to other Lucifuges.

"Three boys before Gretel failed the enhancement process and died. Besides you, she is the only one who survived the drug and the enhancement process after taking five doses. That is why she was chosen as your partner," Razevan explained, while my thoughts were racing at the speed of a supersonic jet.

I noticed how pain appeared on her face when I mentioned my mother, and anger when I mentioned Grayfia, and then fear.

Observation Hacks are extremely useful for observing emotions.

She was also afraid of me.

Considering the extremes these bastards went to, I can only imagine what they did to her mother.

Gave birth to other Lucifuges, which is a damn polite way of saying she was turned into a breeding bitch.

"- So, a half-sister."

However, Razevan shook his head. "No, Euclid himself conducted the experiments. He even used his own father's genetic samples for this. They are brothers and sisters in every sense of the word."

I completely shut down my mind using Occlumency.

I had to do this to prevent the King's Haki from crushing everyone here.

THIS FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT.

Did he do it himself?

If I remember correctly, the bastard was obsessed with Grayfia.

Was he trying to create his own?

And did he kill those three before her because they were born boys?

The very thought of it made me have to suppress the urge to vomit.

***

Gretel Lucifuge

*****************************************

Chapter 9

The girl herself was barely holding back her tears at that moment. Her hands were clenched into fists, and her emotions were overflowing, but even with her lips trembling, she tried to maintain an unperturbed appearance.

Was she trying to be brave? Or was this another way for Euclid to make her a copy of Grayfia?

Thousands of thoughts were running through my head, and I kept pushing them out of my head.

I couldn't even take a deep breath, because that would show my emotional instability. They would seize on any weakness I had.

Damn Damn Damn Damn Damn!

"It doesn't matter what her mother, brother, or sister did." I finally spoke, and all three looked at me. "What matters is that she's with us." I looked towards the teacher, trying not to notice the surprise on the girl's face. "I want to start our lesson today. Let's not waste time."

He was a little confused, but still nodded in response.

At that moment, Razevan asked me to raise my hand, after which the sign of the House of Lucifer appeared on the back of my hand.

"- Concentrate on the sign and try to create a magic circle."

I did everything as I was told, directed my demonic power into the sign, and at that very moment a silver-colored magic circle the size of a palm lit up on my hand.

Oddly enough, it was not the feeling of power and control that was the main thing in my head at that moment, but the beauty of the magic circle.

He was beautiful.

That was the only thing I could think about.

"- This is the sign of the House of Lucifer, created by Lucifer himself. The sign of the rightful rulers of the underworld. Use it with pride." - with these words, Razevan left the room.

"- In that case, let's begin our first lesson on devil magic." - the teacher began his duties. "- The basis of devil magic was created by Lucifer himself. The basis of this type of magic is image, desire and power." - he looked at us, as if asking if we understood. We nodded, and the man continued.

"The first part of casting a spell is to imagine something. You must have a clear image in your mind. The clearer the image, the easier it is to cast magic. The difference between a clear image and a fuzzy image can cause the spell to fail, its magic cost to increase hundreds of times, or even cause an accident that can lead to the death of the user. This step is the most important. Please remember this, young master."

I nodded and noticed that Gretel did the same.

The girl had to be smart enough to be sent to study with me.

"- The second part is Desire. In order to use magic, we must desire it. The stronger our desire, or conviction in the result, the easier it will be for us to perform magic.

Desire and intent are the driving force behind spells. Take a simple fireball for example. We can imagine a perfect fireball and then add power to it, but if we don't intend to harm anyone, if we don't want that outcome, then the damage will always be contained by our own magic.

Our demonic power is a part of us, an extension of our own self. If we don't want to attack, it will hold itself back. That's why desire is so important to the spell. In the case of the fireball, imagine that the Image is the shape and creation of the fireball, and the power is the fuel that keeps it burning, while desire is the temperature. Do you understand?"

I nodded again.

"- The last part is power. Basically, fuel for magic. The more power you add, the stronger the fire will be."

I raised my hand and asked the question that had been swirling around in my head for a long time, as I wanted to check if what I knew about magic circles was true.

"Why do we need magic circles if we can use magic without them?"

The teacher smiled in response: "- Good question, young master. The magic circle is primarily used as a focus. It has other uses, but we will talk about that later.

Let's say a clanless devil needs to use a magic spell, like the same fireball. He must imagine the spell, wish for it, and then use his power to create it.

Presumably, it will take him 100 units of energy to do this. However, if he creates a magic circle, it can be programmed to reduce the energy consumption of the spell by taking into account many factors, such as the flow of power, dispersion into space, and others.

If we use such a circle, then a clanless devil can, let's say, perform the same magic by spending eighty units of energy, and thereby prevent the loss of 20%. Is everything clear?"

I nodded.

"- However, the clans have specialized personal magic circles. These circles have been perfected over thousands of years, and the unnecessary in them has been cut off. It is similar to forging a sword or engraving a diamond: the unnecessary is cut off to achieve the best result.

The family sigils that mark the servants contain the original magic circle of the family. It can be used simply by putting your magic into it. There are differences between those used by the family and those used by their servants.

The sigil is also used to protect the magic circle itself, as it has a security code. It works like a machine: you input energy, you get the result, and you don't know anything about what happened or why.

The original magic circle is passed down to the heir or heiress, as it is one of the most guarded secrets of the family. I am proud to say that my House of Bune's magic circle can save 68% of energy." He seems very proud of it.

I wonder how much Lucifer's magic circle saves?

"- I assume there are precautions in place regarding escaped servants?"

The man smiled, "Of course. Most traitors remove the mark and then run away, because if they don't, they can be tracked down or the process of extermination can be initiated. The fools in the underworld don't use the second option now, because the reincarnated devils that the new rulers are using to defile our noble race are expressing their displeasure at this attitude. It's no wonder there are so many fugitives wandering around."

I felt a sudden chill down my spine. I wonder which of the two options I have? I need to find a way to remove the mark quickly.

Holy shit. They tagged me with a bomb and I didn't even realize it?

"- Hahahahaha, don't look at me like that, young master. The Heirs and family members don't have the destruction function in their marks. This is especially true for the Satan Clans. Those Clans have servants from the Extra Demon Clans. They all have their own personal magic circles.

The Lucifer clan has servant clans: Lucifuge, Satanachia, Agaliarept, Fleureti, Sargatanas and Nebrios. Each Lucifer gets his own assistant from the Lucifuge clan when he reaches adulthood." He said this, looking at Gretel.

The girl seemed to shrink under his gaze.

I changed the subject again so as not to draw attention to her.

Right now, anything would be better than thinking about Euclid and his debauchery.

"What other uses do magic circles have?"