Chapter 1: The Return, Grayfia Doesn't Recognize Him!
"Whew..."
Accompanied by a brief sensation of dizziness, Akira finally made it back.
Looking at the dark red sky before him and the moon that resembled a blood moon, he knew he was back in the world of High School DxD.
DanMachi, Oregairu, Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia.
After traveling through three different worlds, today, Akira had finally returned.
Across those three worlds, the total time accumulated was a bit over a year. Based on the 1:100 time flow ratio, only about three or four days had passed in this world.
Before he started his world-hopping journey, Akira's power had only just broken into the Transcendent level. Now, his strength was enough to stand alongside Ophis the Infinite Dragon God, or even Great Red.
Not only that, but Akira now had a mother on the level of a Creator God at his back—she was his ultimate trump card and his greatest support.
The newborn world was still in its embryonic stage and required Tiamat to support it, so she couldn't leave just yet.
However, since that world was "created" by Akira, it was tethered to him. No matter how many worlds Akira explored, he could freely enter and exit that space.
This meant Akira carried a Creator God mother with him wherever he went. If things ever got truly desperate, Akira could easily trigger a "mutually assured destruction" scenario.
"Hmm? Who are you? Why are you in here?"
At that moment, the door to the room swung open. A maid with silver hair and a professional uniform stepped inside.
The moment she spotted Akira, her expression turned dead serious, and the magic power within her body began to surge.
Grayfia Lucifuge. She was the wife of the Devil King Sirzechs Lucifer and the head maid of the Gremory household. She was the one who, in a very literal sense, kept an eye on the Devil King and managed the Gremory family's affairs.
"Grayfia, it's been a while."
Seeing her, Akira spoke with a smile. To her, it had only been about four days, but for Akira, it had been over a year.
"Stop talking nonsense. State your purpose for infiltrating the Gremory estate."
As she spoke, magic power gathered in her palms. She was clearly ready to strike.
Judging by her hostile stance, it seemed she genuinely didn't recognize him.
However, this wasn't really Grayfia's fault. Originally, because Akira had inherited the Enkidu Template, his appearance leaned heavily toward Enkidu—long, shoulder-length green hair, a face more beautiful than a woman's, and that specific earthy aura.
But as he achieved a perfect inheritance of his Templates, those external influences had faded away.
Furthermore, after inheriting the [King of Shadowkhan] Template, Akira had gained the power of darkness.
Inheriting the [Tsugikuni Yoriichi] Template turned him into a master swordsman who had reached the realm of God in the way of the blade.
Inheriting the [Meliodas] Template gave him demonic magic power, a mana capacity on par with a Demon King, and even the Commandments.
Add to that the process of being "reborn" within Tiamat's womb, and Akira's current mana signature didn't share even a slight resemblance to his old one.
His appearance had changed, his aura had shifted, and even his magic power was different. Honestly, it would be weirder if someone could recognize him.
"It seems you don't intend to back down. Then don't blame me."
Grayfia made her move.
A magic circle bearing the Gremory crest suddenly lit up beneath Akira's feet, and a torrential flow of magic power surged upward to engulf him.
If this were anyone else, they likely would have been incinerated into ash instantly.
After all, one should never underestimate her just because she's a maid. She was a true Satan-class fighter. Back during the war between the Old Maou faction and the New Maou faction, she was Sirzechs' greatest rival.
Their feelings for each other had grown bit by bit on the battlefield.
Demons were naturally wired to admire the strong. As a powerful individual herself, Grayfia was naturally drawn to someone even stronger than her, and over time, those feelings turned into love.
Eventually, the two were united. While there was an element of a political alliance involved, it was mostly built on their genuine feelings for one another.
Their love story was famous throughout the Underworld, considered a classic tale by many female devils.
Boom—
In the middle of that mana flow, another terrifying magical force exploded outward, instantly scattering Grayfia's attack.
Grayfia's brow furrowed immediately. This intruder didn't have good intentions, and his power was immense.
"I'm Shin Akira, Grayfia."
"Hmph. You're not even good at faking an identity. Lord Akira has green hair, and his magic power radiates the waves of nature and the earth. You are nothing like him."
"I..."
Akira felt completely helpless. He had the shadow powers of the [King of Shadowkhan], the demonic power of Meliodas, the Sea of Chaos inherited from Mother Tiamat, and his current Demon God body.
The current him no longer possessed the breath of life, earth, or nature; all of that had vanished.
What replaced it was a darkness capable of swallowing everything.
Crack—
A second wave of attacks came flying. Akira didn't want to hurt her, so he continued to hold back without counterattacking.
However, as the exchanges repeated, Grayfia also realized that the opponent's strength far surpassed her own. In front of this man, she was simply too weak.
Otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to remain so relaxed.
Still, she was a Satan-class fighter. In the entire Underworld, fighters of that caliber could be counted on one's fingers. Where did this monster come from?
Akira didn't know what she was thinking, but his patience was starting to wear thin.
"That's enough, Grayfia."
Swoosh—
The Chains of Heaven shot out from the void, instantly binding one of Grayfia's arms. Immediately after, even more chains lunged forward, easily capturing her.
"The 'Chains of Heaven'? Are you... truly Lord Akira?"
The Chains of Heaven were Akira's signature, the ultimate proof of his identity.
The whole world knew that Akira was the heir to the soul of the "Chains of Heaven" from the lost Mesopotamian mythology—the chains that could bind the Gods themselves.
"Who else would I be?" Akira replied, his tone laced with a bit of exhaustion.
He realized his transformation was indeed quite drastic, so it made sense that she wouldn't know him at first glance.
Akira released the binding of the chains. Grayfia stepped back onto the floor, though her gaze toward him still held a lingering shred of doubt.
After all, the gap between this man and the person in her memory was just too large.
"My previous appearance was because I inherited Enkidu's soul, so many parts of me leaned toward him. Now that I've fully mastered this power, I've naturally returned to my original form."
"I see. So that's how it is."
After observing him closely, Grayfia noticed that his facial features hadn't actually changed that much.
However, the difference in his aura before and after was simply staggering. Plus, the shift from long green hair to short black hair made for a very jarring contrast.
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