Reincarnated into the Anime Multiverse, but High School DxD

"Can this even be called training? Beating up stray Devils within your own territory—isn't that just like catching mice at home?"

Ren had finally figured out where the problem lay.

The problem wasn't that they were weak. It was that, despite being weak, they had never thought about improving themselves. They merely guarded their little patch of land, caught a few mice now and then, and considered that training.

It was only when foreign enemies invaded that they discovered their team would scatter at the first charge.

Ren recalled that in the original story, it was not until the summer after the three factions' conference that Rias and her group finally thought to undergo special training in the Underworld, raising their team's overall strength.

Before that, they could only muddle through.

Even so, Rias's Power of Destruction had not improved much. Compared to Sona Sitri's ambition, if not for the protagonist's halo, Rias would have been completely left behind.

"You..."

Even though Ren was Suzaku Himejima's friend, Akeno Himejima still felt humiliated by his words.

If it had been true, she would have accepted it. But the key was that they really had been training hard.

"Do you think I'm wrong, so you're angry now?"

"I'm not angry."

Akeno Himejima's smile vanished.

But anyone could tell she was sulking.

Though she was one of the heroines, Ren had no intention of coddling her.

"Every one of you has problems, from top to bottom, except Kiba Yuuto. And Rias spoils you far too much."

Akeno Himejima was just about to retort when Ren suddenly said something that left her stunned.

"Since you think you've worked hard, why won't you accept the Fallen Angel bloodline within you? Koneko is the same. She's a cat yokai, yet aside from the monstrous strength bestowed by her Rook piece, I've never seen her use any yokai arts."

"Meow?!"

Kuroka blinked.

The moment her little sister was mentioned, she immediately pricked up her ears and listened closely.

"The bloodline within me..."

Hearing Ren bring up the past she least wanted to remember, a gloomy expression appeared on Akeno Himejima's face.

"That filthy Fallen Angel bloodline—I don't want it at all! If possible, I'd be willing to remove that filthy thing from my body!"

Hah!

The three Fallen Angels listening nearby immediately became displeased.

What did she mean by Fallen Angel bloodlines being filthy?

No matter how filthy they were, weren't they tens of thousands of times nobler than Devils?!

"But you have it. And despite possessing that power, you stubbornly refuse to use it when Rias is facing trouble. Or do you actually want Rias to marry that turkey? Is protecting Rias merely a slogan you shout?"

"No!"

Akeno Himejima raised her eyes with all her strength and stared directly into Ren's.

"Rias saved me from an assassin. She's also my best friend. How could I possibly be willing to watch her marry someone she hates?"

"Then why not use the Fallen Angel's power?"

"I..."

"Looks like your friendship isn't that strong after all. A fake sisterhood, huh?"

Akeno Himejima instantly became furious.

What did he mean, fake sisterhood?

Her bond with Rias was unbreakable. They were as close as sisters.

But just as she rose to angrily rebuke Ren, she suddenly realized that he was right.

Akeno Himejima slowly sat back down. The anger vanished from her delicate features, replaced by a face full of worry.

"Why did you stand up?"

Ren looked at Akeno Himejima with a light chuckle.

"I... I got tired of sitting, so I stood up to stretch a little!"

Akeno Himejima had nowhere to vent her anger. Every word Ren said struck straight at her heart, yet she could not find a single flaw in his reasoning.

But when she thought about it seriously...

Could it be that, just as he said, she and Rias really were fake sisters?

Watching her best friend get married off, yet all she could do was stand there and whine, I have no power?

No. In truth, she did have power.

Akeno Himejima knew better than anyone else about the power of the bloodline flowing through her body.

After all, merely a trace of its residual power had allowed her to wield powerful lightning, earning her the title "Priestess of Thunder."

If she accepted the power of her bloodline, Akeno Himejima was certain that her lightning abilities would rise to an entirely new level.

Yet whenever she thought of what she and her mother had suffered in Kyoto, and how that bastard had never appeared, she could not help but hate the thing flowing through her veins.

After all, the suffering she and her mother had endured had all been caused by that heretical bloodline.

If she and her mother had merely been ordinary humans, the Himejima Family would never have driven them to such desperation.

"Mr. Ren, I've disturbed you long enough today. I should be going."

After letting out a deep breath, Akeno Himejima regained some of her composure. She gave Ren a slight bow, then left everyone's sight.

After she left.

Asia wore a worried expression.

"Is Miss Rias really going to marry someone she doesn't like? That would be so pitiful."

The three Fallen Angels did not respond, but judging by their expressions, they clearly did not care about Rias and the others at all.

What did a Devil's family matters have to do with them?

Lavinia's expression remained as calm as usual. "I heard about this girl from Suzaku. Her father should be the Fallen Angel executive Baraqiel, so there's a very powerful force hidden within her."

"Baraqiel?!"

The moment they heard that name, the three Fallen Angels beside them were instantly shocked.

"That woman just now is Lord Baraqiel's daughter?!"

"Oh no, oh no... if Lord Baraqiel finds out someday, will he make things difficult for us?"

Hearing this, Ren suddenly thought of an interesting what-if.

If things followed the original story and Raynare accidentally learned that Akeno Himejima's father was Baraqiel, whether she would even dare cause trouble in Kuoh Town would be a question.

Ignoring the trio's unease, Ren could tell from Akeno Himejima's attitude when she left that she had taken his words to heart.

"Oh, right, meow! If Rias marries someone else, does that mean I can take Shirone back, meow?!"

Kuroka's eyes lit up.

"No. Koneko is part of her peerage. Once Rias marries over there, Koneko will probably have to go with her too."

Ren shook his head.

"What, meow?! That's impossible, meow! I'll never let Shirone marry someone else, meow! Don't stop me—I'm going to kill that turkey right now, meow!"

"..."

Excalibur

"Miss Kuroka, calm down. If you go now, won't you only make things even more troublesome?"

Asia tugged on Kuroka's clothes and tried to persuade her.

"But I can't let Shirone marry someone else, meow! Shirone is still so young—she can't even have children yet, meow!"

Kuroka was emotional.

After not seeing her sister for several years, her little sister was about to be married off. How could she possibly endure that?

"Enough, don't be so impulsive. If Akeno passes my words on to Rias, then as long as they truly are as close as sisters instead of merely talking big, they'll naturally know what to do."

Ren was not worried about that at all.

After all, he had already said this much. If Akeno and Koneko still chose to keep hiding things, then he could only respect their personal choices.

Other than fulfilling his promise to Kuroka and rescuing Koneko, he would not concern himself with anyone else.

Even if there were missions involved, he had no interest in saving a group of people who had chosen to give up on themselves.

Besides, Akeno and Koneko's issues were not particularly serious.

To put it bluntly, their emotional trauma was not even as severe as that shut-in vampire's problem.

Extreme social anxiety was quite difficult to treat, after all.

Otherwise, during the Rating Game, all they would need to do was present the shut-in. The mental shock would automatically trigger his "Time Stop." Even if Rias and the others could not resist it, they could at least force a draw against Riser.

Yet in the original story, even when Rias was truly about to marry Riser, she had never considered bringing out the shut-in.

All that could be said was that, as a Devil, her way of thinking was still far too human.

After everyone except Ren tried to persuade her, Kuroka finally calmed down.

That night.

Ren received a message from Griselda and immediately teleported to the First Heaven of the Heavenly Realm.

The Heavenly Realm remained bright and magnificent, with Angels of all kinds passing by Ren.

They had long grown accustomed to seeing humans unaffiliated with the Church appear in the Heavenly Realm.

Looking at those Angels, Ren suddenly had an evil thought.

If he shouted the news of the God of the Bible's disappearance through a loudspeaker, would all these Angels fall on the spot?

But he discarded that thought after only a second.

That would be far too cruel. Better forget it.

The Heavenly Realm had not yet mastered a way to reincarnate humans as Angels. If he shouted that out, he might bring the entire Heavenly Realm to a standstill.

Arriving at Griselda's private office, Ren pushed open the door and saw Griselda, along with two other figures standing before her desk.

Both wore nun's habits and had their backs to Ren.

Only after hearing the door open did they turn around and reveal their faces.

"Oh, Ren, you're here."

The first to catch his eye was a foreign girl with delicate features. Her smooth brows tilted slightly upward, lending her a hint of gallantry. Her lips were rosy and lovely, and when she smiled, she revealed a row of neat white teeth, giving off a sunny feeling.

"Mr. Ren, it's been a while since we last met, hasn't it?"

Then, the chestnut-haired girl revealed a delighted smile. Compared to the strikingly heroic Xenovia, her facial lines were softer and rounder, while her long eyelashes gave her a gentler temperament.

Irina Shidou energetically waved at Ren.

The two of them had met Ren during a mission and fought alongside him.

Though it had only happened once.

"It really has been a long time."

Ren was not particularly surprised.