Chapter 16: [16]: Draconic Deus (DxD)
Draconic Deus.
Earth.
Pacific Ocean.
[***]
In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the waves went back and forth like any other day, until, suddenly, a circular portal with the vibrant colors of a kaleidoscope appeared, tearing through space as if the sky itself was ripping.
From the portal emerged a teenager with white hair and golden eyes.
It was obviously Aiden.
Floating above the sea, Aiden looked around, observing the waves as the wind caressed his body.
"The sea... again...", he murmured, raising his right hand to shield himself from the sun.
"At least you didn't land in a dragon's nest. Imagine getting bombarded by a pack with their breath as soon as you arrive," commented Kotori, appearing beside Aiden in a flash.
She too floated above the water, dressed in a black sailor uniform with her hair tied in twin tails.
Soon after, the other girls began to materialize around them, curiously observing this new world.
"What attempt is this, anyway?" asked Kaguya, as the wind played with her orange hair, making it stick to her face.
Annoyed, she adjusted the air around her with a quick motion to avoid the discomfort.
"I don't know," replied Tohka, shrugging.
"Affirmation: 239 to be exact," said Yuzuru with a thoughtful expression.
"Have we really made that many attempts?" exclaimed Natsumi, completely stunned.
It was true.
Aiden and the girls had already made 239 attempts, using [Kaleidoscope] magic to travel between parallel worlds.
However, they always ended up in fantasy worlds or societies still trapped in medieval times.
Aiden wanted to reach a modern world, like the one from his past life, but that goal kept evading them.
"Let's hope this is the one… like the world from Darling's past life," said Miku optimistically, hugging Aiden from behind while resting her chin on his shoulder.
Aiden couldn't help but notice the two generous masses pressing against his back, and his mind briefly wandered into an involuntary thought: Miku is quite well-endowed.
"Yes… I'm already tired of jumping from one world to another," added Origami with a sigh, joining Miku in hugging one of Aiden's arms.
"Why don't we find out what kind of world this is instead of wasting time?" proposed Nia pragmatically.
"Unnn."
Aiden nodded, looking at Nia, who responded with an ironic smile upon noticing how Miku and Origami were monopolizing Aiden.
"[Rasiel]," Nia pronounced, summoning her [Angel].
The others, including Aiden, gathered around her, preparing to investigate with the almost omniscient power of the [Angel] what kind of world they had landed in this time.
The group reviewed the basic information about this world for a while, until the book disappeared from Nia's hands.
"This world is modern, but…" Kurumi frowned.
"It's similar to the one we saw in Nushi-sama's memories. The planet, the continents, and the countries have the same names," added Mukuro while playing with her hair.
"Yes…" Yoshino nodded timidly.
"But it's outrageous!" complained Yoshinon, the puppet in Yoshino's left hand.
And she was right: this world was, indeed, outrageous.
Demons, angels, fallen angels, vampires, youkais, dragons, Gods, and other supernatural creatures existed here.
All these races were divided into multiple factions, and alternate dimensions coexisted within the same world, such as Hell or the Underworld, where demons, fallen angels, dragons, and other beings lived.
These dimensions were as vast as the Earth itself.
There was also Heaven, but not the one you see when you look up; it was the Heaven described in the Bible, home to angels and the Biblical God… although, according to this information, that God was dead.
Aiden and the girls weren't too surprised by the diversity of races, as in Elicia, demons, dragons, and elves also coexisted, among others.
However, some of the races here were unknown to them, and the way this world was structured did manage to surprise them, especially the existence of angels and demons from the Biblical myth.
This latter point particularly shocked them because Aiden and his group's powers were based on the myth of the Tree of Life, the Kabbalah, and the Sefirot.
Even their weapons were literally called [Angels].
They couldn't help but feel intrigued.
Moreover, in this world, supernatural races lived hidden from humans.
Most of the population was unaware that the myths were real, although there was a minority who knew, such as the faction of the Church, which was subordinate to Heaven.
But the most outrageous of all were two entities.
The Great Red, the Dragon of Dreams, and Ophis Ouroboros, the Infinite Dragon.
Because of these two creatures, Aiden and the girls decided to classify this world as "outrageous."
They weren't sure they could defeat them if they were to face them.
They might have a chance if they unleashed all the power of their [Angels] and [Demon Kings], which were normally sealed.
Although Aiden could use them without issues when inverted, even so, he wasn't convinced they could win.
Either way, they thought, those two dragons wouldn't look for trouble… right?
"Ugh… I'm happy we found a modern world similar to my past life, but this is too much. I can only say: parallel worlds are fantastic," said Aiden, deciding to stay.
"Yes, all those myths are real here: Zeus and Olympus, Odin and Asgard... even the Biblical myth," added Kurumi, looking at the group.
Tohka didn't pay much attention, convinced that no one could defeat them.
Yoshino, though a little scared, trusted that Aiden would always protect her, and the others shared that same reassurance.
"The angels of this world have the same names as our [Angels]. It's a bit strange..." commented Kaguya, and everyone, including Aiden, nodded.
"Even the [Demon Kings] are demon clans in the underworld," added Kotori.
"That's not strange, considering the [Tree of Life/Death Sephira/Qlipha] is connected to the Biblical myth in another parallel world," replied Aiden thoughtfully.
As he reflected, he couldn't help but think about how incredible the existence of parallel worlds was.
Each one harbored unimaginable things.
Maybe, in some corner of the multiverse, there was a world where anime and the stories from his past life were a reality.
Perhaps even this same world could be the setting of an anime or a light novel from another universe.
With a tired smile, Aiden touched his forehead and decided to stop thinking about it.
"The only thing Muku worries about in this world is those two dragons," said Mukuro with a thoughtful expression.
"Yes, the Great Red, who controls the concept of dreams, and Ophis, the Infinite Dragon, who controls infinity..." Kurumi nodded, sharing her concern.
"Aiden could beat them!" exclaimed Tohka confidently, causing the group to laugh.
"Putting aside whether I can beat them or not for now... this is a hassle. This world is very troublesome," said Aiden with clear annoyance.
"That's the supernatural side of the world," commented Nia with a calm smile. "If we live among the humans, we don't need to get involved. We just have to hide our power~."
"Yeah, right... I don't believe for a second that we won't get involved with the world's problems," replied Origami, her tone dry.
Nia's smile instantly became stiff.
"According to the rules of this world, the twelve of us would have a strength on par with Satan, an Archangel, or even a God. So, sooner or later, it's likely we'll get into trouble just because we're powerful. And don't even mention Danna-sama, who can use all of our powers at once," added Kurumi with a dark smile, making it clear that she didn't trust staying out of the conflicts either.
"Well, at least we can defend ourselves and defeat anyone who causes trouble," exclaimed Tohka while throwing punches in the air, full of energy.
"Why are you so violent?" asked Natsumi, unable to hold back her comment.
"The only truly worrying individuals are those two dragons," said Aiden seriously.
The others nodded almost in unison.
"Yes! But there's no way those two would notice us just like that, right?" asked Kaguya with a carefree smile.
At that moment, the tension in the air skyrocketed, and everyone froze.
"Kaguya..." murmured Yoshinon, speechless.
"..."
"Question: Kaguya, idiot, did you just raise a flag?" asked Yuzuru with a smile that looked more like a grimace.
"But we just arrived in this world. We haven't done anything to draw their attention, right?" replied Kaguya, trying to maintain her smile, though it was also forced.
"Well, in [Rasiel], it says that that dream dragon protects this world from invaders from other worlds while floating in the dimensional rift," added Nia with a similarly forced smile.
"And, technically, we are invaders, right?" pointed out Aiden, looking at them with resignation.
"..."
"Shit..." murmured everyone in unison, looking up at the sky.
—Crack!
A moment later, a colossal rift opened high above.
From the abyss, a golden draconic eye watched them with a terrifying intensity.
"..."
The Great Red was there.
[***]
End of the chapter.
(•_•)
A/N:
I will be changing some details regarding the DxD universe.
For example, in the original work, the story takes place around 2008, but I've decided to set it closer to 2018.
Thank you for reading~
*