DxD: Anomaly

"Let's see how you fare when the world learns of your existence."

Mephisto muttered under his breath, his gaze lingering on the door as it clicked shut behind Leonardo and Lavinia.

He remained still for a moment, then spoke again.

"What do you think of our two new recruits?"

A presence stirred beside him. In an instant, a towering figure materialized—a colossal, fifteen-meter-tall western dragon with deep purple scales. His triangular head bore sharp yellow horns, and bat-like wings folded neatly behind his armored form. Black pauldrons extended down his arms, while a metal-adorned loincloth swayed slightly as he shifted.

Tannin, the Blaze Meteor Dragon King, regarded Mephisto with a thoughtful expression before responding.

"The girl is strong—stronger than most of our magicians. She won't take long to reach the Ultimate Class."

He paused, then narrowed his gaze.

"But does she know the real reason she was sent here, Master?"

Mephisto's smirk didn't waver. He simply shook his head.

"No, she does not."

Tannin let out a low rumble of understanding but did not press further. Instead, his attention turned to the boy.

"And what of him?"

Mephisto chuckled. "The possessor of Annihilation Maker… Now, that is a dangerous card to be played."

Tannin crossed his arms. "He has potential. Ambition, even. But ambition without drive is meaningless."

"True," Mephisto agreed, tapping his fingers together. "But he does not strike me as one to let his potential waste away."

Tannin studied him for a moment before asking, "Are you planning to hide his existence from the other factions?"

Mephisto scoffed. "And why would I do that? If he wanted to remain hidden, he would have asked me. But he didn't."

The dragon frowned. "Then his life will be in danger."

"Oh, undoubtedly." Mephisto waved a hand lazily. "The Three Factions won't make a direct move on him—not while he's under Grauzauberer's banner. But the Old Satan Faction? They will but even to them, he is worth more alive than dead."

A knowing glint flickered in Mephisto's heterochromatic eyes.

"And that, my dear Tannin, is where things will get very interesting."

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As Lavinia and Leonardo stepped out of the room, an awkward silence settled between them. Neither spoke, yet neither knew how to break it.

Then, like an angel descending from the heavens, Seath appeared—his presence saving them both from the unbearable stillness.

"Follow me," he instructed, his voice as calm and monotone as ever.

Without hesitation, they obeyed.

Leonardo stole a glance at Lavinia. She was unusually quiet, a stark contrast to her usual talkative nature. He considered saying something but found no words, so he simply continued following Seath, whistling a light tune under his breath.

Lavinia, however, was lost in thought. Relief flooded her at the fact that Leonardo had been accepted, but she still couldn't understand why he had done what he did. What if he had been rejected?

She hesitated, then finally turned to him, stealing another glance at his carefree expression before mustering the courage to ask—

"Why did you say that?"

Leonardo turned his head slightly, meeting Lavinia's questioning gaze with a lazy grin.

"Say what?" he asked, feigning ignorance as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

Lavinia frowned. "You know what I mean. Back there, in front of the Chairman. Why did you say all that?"

Leonardo chuckled, tilting his head. "Because it's true?"

Lavinia stared at him, unconvinced. "That's not what I mean. You made it sound like… like you don't care if the whole world knows about you. Like you want the attention."

He shrugged. "And?"

She blinked, surprised by his indifference. "And?! That's dangerous! You've only just awakened your Sacred Gear! Do you even know how to properly use it? If people find out, they'll—"

"I know," Leonardo interrupted, his tone still light.

Lavinia clenched her fists. "Then why?!"

"It was a gamble."

Lavinia froze. A gamble?

Leonardo knew she was right. It was dangerous. The world was dangerous. If Mephisto hadn't taken him in, he would have had to seek refuge elsewhere—maybe the Church or Grigori. As long as it wasn't the Devils, he'd be fine. Making a deal with a devil when you had no power of your own was just asking to be reincarnated as one of them, stripping away his newly found freedom.

Going solo was also an option. Like one of those Sigma lone wolf MCs—it would've been tough, but not impossible.

High risk, high reward.

Lavinia's expression twisted in frustration. "A gamble? You… you idiot!" she nearly shouted, her usual gentle demeanor breaking. Here she was, worried sick about him, and he was gambling with his life like it was a game.

"And what if he had decided you weren't worth it?" she demanded.

Leonardo let out an exaggerated sigh, stretching his arms behind his head.

"Yeah, what if? No point dwelling on the past, Lavinia."

She bit her lip. "It hasn't even been five minutes!"

Leonardo smirked, his carefree attitude only fueling her frustration.

Lavinia opened her mouth, ready to argue, but before she could, Seath suddenly stopped walking, forcing them both to a halt.

"We're here," Seath announced, his deep voice cutting through the conversation.

Both of them turned forward. The hallway before them was surprisingly minimalistic—sleek, almost futuristic, a stark contrast to the grand, almost ancient entrance of the palace.

Seath reached into his robes, pulling out two small cards and handing them over. "These are your room keys. Don't lose them."

Leonardo twirled his card between his fingers, glancing at Lavinia, who studied hers with quiet curiosity.

"Your training starts tomorrow morning," Seath continued. "Be ready."

His piercing gaze swept over them, lingering for a moment before he added, "For now, get some rest. You'll need it."

Then, stepping aside, he gestured toward their doors, his glowing eyes gleaming in the dim light.

"And welcome… to Grauzauberer."

After Seath was gone, Leonardo turned toward Lavinia, who was staring at her room door.

"See you tomorrow."

Lavinia ignored him and walked straight into her room without another word.

Leonardo simply shrugged. "Women," he muttered under his breath before stepping into his own room.

The space was far more spacious than what he was used to. Compared to his old place, this was practically luxury. A bed, a bathroom, a fridge, and even a small kitchen—it had everything a person needed to live comfortably.

Wait… a kitchen?

Did that mean he had to cook his own food?

Fortunately, he knew how to cook, so it wasn't a big deal.

With a sigh, he grabbed a cold bo'oh'o'wa'er from the fridge and plopped down onto the bed.

"Finally, some alone time."

It felt like ages had passed since he woke up in that bloodstained alleyway, even though it had barely been a full day. The whirlwind of events—dying, waking up in a new body, meeting Lavinia, getting thrown into Grauzauberer—left him with little time to truly process everything.

But now, in the silence of his room, he could think.

And the first thing he needed to think about was his Sacred Gear.

He lifted his hand, thinking of creating Cthulhu he wanted to know if annihilation worked just like those fanfics he had read showed, staring at his palm as if expecting something to happen.

Nothing.

It wasn't surprising. His Sacred Gear—Annihilation Maker—was one of the most powerful Longinus, even though its strength depended on his imagination and understanding, but most of the fanfics forgot to take into account how much magical power it takes to create something after all, he can't just keep spawning god-level beings like that.

After all, he doesn't have that much of a mana reserve to create godlike beings on a whim.

and how does he know?

—FLASHBACK—

Leonardo sat slouched in his seat, arms behind his head, legs casually spread out. He looked at Lavinia, who was looking outside of the window with a light smile.

Leonardo stretched, letting out a small yawn. "Lavinia, I wanted to know how magic works. Like, is there a limitation, or can you spam magic left and right forever?"

Lavinia turned away from the window and gave him a curious look. "That's an oddly specific question. What brought this on?"

Leonardo shrugged. "Just wondering. If magic is as amazing as people say, why aren't magicians just throwing spells around all the time? Shouldn't they be able to spam magic left and right forever?"

Lavinia giggled. "That would be nice, wouldn't it? But no, it doesn't work that way. Magic has limitations, and the biggest one is mana reserves."

Leonardo raised an eyebrow. "Mana reserves?"

She nodded. "Think of mana like stamina. Just like how your body gets tired after running, your mana drains when you use magic. And once you run out… well, you can't cast any more spells until you recover."

Leonardo hummed in thought. "So, what happens if someone tries to use magic when they're out of mana?"

Lavinia's expression turned serious. "It depends. If you push yourself too far, you might collapse from exhaustion, or worse—your body could start breaking down. Some people even die from overusing their mana."

Leonardo blinked. "Damn, that's brutal."

"Magic isn't just about power," Lavinia said. "It's about control. Even if you have a massive mana pool, it's useless if you don't know how to manage it properly. That's why experienced magicians focus on efficiency—using the smallest amount of mana for the greatest effect."

Leonardo leaned back, processing the information. "Huh… I see. So, how big is your mana pool?"

Lavinia tapped her chin in thought. "Well, compared to an average magician, I'd say mine is about three times bigger."

Leonardo whistled. "Not bad."

Lavinia pouted. "That's not the point!"

Leonardo smirked. "Alright, alright. What about me?"

Lavinia frowned. "I can't say for sure, but considering you have Annihilation Maker, you should have a little bit less than my mana pool."

Leonardo raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it bad then, when my power required mana to create something?"

Lavinia nodded. "It is, but only for now, as you just awakened your magical power, and you already have a little less than me, so if you train, you'll be able to increase your mana reserve.

Leonardo closed his eyes, leaning back against the seat, processing everything Lavinia had told him.

It wasn't surprising, really. Annihilation Maker was one of the most powerful Longinus, capable of creating creatures from nothing but the user's imagination. It sounded broken—unlimited creation, endless monsters under his command—but reality wasn't that simple.

Most of the fan fiction he had read back in his past life made it seem like the user could just spam world-ending creatures whenever they wanted. But there was something those stories often overlooked—the cost.

Creating something out of nothing required mana. The bigger, stronger, and more complex the creature, the more mana it consumed. If he tried to summon a god-level being? He'd drain himself dry in an instant.

And how did he know this?

Because the moment he had created Sir Honksalot—the penguin—he felt it.

The sensation was strange. The instant he willed the creature into existence, something inside him shifted. A warmth spread through his body, but at the same time, he could feel something being pulled out of him. It was a draining sensation, like pouring water from a cup.

The penguin had only lasted a few hours before he willed it to go back, and it crumbled away, dissolving into mist. He could feel that he would have been able to keep him for a few more hours, but it was draining.

and the only reason that kept him from being drained of mana was because his first creation was just an ordinary penguin with armor.

That alone told him everything.

Even if he was able to keep one small creature for that long, that doesn't mean he'll be able to create massive, god-like beings. It was impossible. At least for now.

"Looks like I have a long way to go," Leonardo muttered under his breath.

If he wanted to use Annihilation Maker properly, he needed to increase his mana pool, improve his efficiency, and master control.

Otherwise, he'd never be able to use his Longinus at its full potential.

Leonardo sighed, rubbing the back of his head. He had hoped his Annihilation Maker would be more...convenient. But a purple man once said the reality is often disappointing.

At least Sir Honksalot had been a good test. The armored penguin had been simple—no supernatural abilities, no absurd enhancements—just a regular penguin with some extra protection. And even then, keeping him around for hours had been noticeably draining. If the creature had been anything stronger, Leonardo would have passed out in minutes.

That was the real problem. Longevity.

He wasn't even at the point where he could spam creatures—just one took a chunk out of his reserves. And what if he was in the middle of a battle? If summoning drained him too much, he wouldn't even be able to fight properly.

"This sucks," he muttered.

—END OF FLASHBACK—