DxD: Fusion

The distant hum of the refrigerator was the only sound in the apartment now that I was alone, an idle buzz that faded into the background as I sank into the couch, legs sprawled out and my Zanpakutō propped beside me like a silent sentinel before I moved it to my lap. The sun had climbed high by now, casting streaks of warm light through the slats of the blinds, but I wasn't ready to let the day move forward just yet. Not until I caught up.

I hadn't checked my system notifications since the battle. There had been too much blood, too much heat and pain, too much Rias. And honestly? I hadn't wanted to. I knew what they'd say. Some variation of "congrats, you didn't die—here's your prize."

But now, with the apartment quiet, my body healed, and the faint scent of cinnamon still lingering on my skin from where she'd pressed against me, I felt grounded enough to face it. Rias... That morning with her had been something I didn't realize I needed until it was already over. Not just the warmth, or the softness, or even the closeness. It was the fact that I let myself have it. I hadn't stood there overthinking every heartbeat. I hadn't frozen when her skin touched mine or pushed her away. I just… lived it.

And it felt good. No masks, no restraint. Just me. And her.

I owed her more than thanks. One day, I'd find a way to make it up to her. Not just for saving me—but for staying. For whispering that I wasn't alone while I healed in my sleep. For holding me like I mattered.

I exhaled and finally opened the System.

{Level up! 21 → 22: Rare Hoho Runestone acquired!} Effect: Raises Hoho one full letter grade, up to a maximum of A+.}

Nice. I'd been waiting for something like this. I had gotten an Uncommon one to increase the same thing, but it only went up to B+ so I couldn't even use it. I made a mental note to use this one after reading through the rest.

{Level up! 22 → 23}

Just a quiet blink. No fireworks. Just progress.

{Secret Quest Complete!} Survive your encounter with Ghom. Reward: 1000 XP. Legendary Physique Runestone: Increases Physique by one letter grade, up to S+. Optional Objective (FAILED): Kill Ghom. Reward: 3000 XP, Mythic Zanjutsu Runestone.}

I clicked my tongue and leaned my head back against the cushion.

"Damn."

So close. If I'd just been faster… stronger… more prepared… maybe I wouldn't be sitting here with an empty title and a body stitched back together by system magic. Then I thought about it some and realized no, it was not close. I didn't stand a chance against that thing. I was still irritated though. I didn't get to see what that Mythic Runestone looked like. But I survived. Speaking of…

{You survived fatal injuries! New Skill Unlocked: Physical Damage Resistance (Rank 1)} {Physical Damage Resistance ranked up! Rank 1 → 2}

The pain alone had better have been good for something.

{Compatible skills detected. Fuse Physical Damage Resistance and Pain Resistance?}

Yes. Obviously.

{New Fused Skill Unlocked! Physical Damage Nullification (Rank 2): All physical damage and pain experienced are reduced by 20%.} {+1000 Base Reiryoku for successful skill fusion.}

Now that… that was beautiful.

"Easily one of my best skills yet," I muttered, lips curling faintly. "Twenty percent at Rank 2 means it scales. If I can push it far enough… total immunity might actually be on the table."

It wouldn't make me invincible, but it would get me halfway there. But then I realized, most attacks from supernatural entities used magic. Maybe it wasn't the best skill after all. 

{More than 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. All injuries healed!}

I let my eyes close for a second.

"Thank you Gamer's Altered Body," I whispered. 

{New Skill Unlocked! Poison Resistance (Rank 3): All Common, Uncommon, Rare, and Legendary poisons are 30% less effective on the user.}

I blinked.

"That's probably how I stopped noticing the miasma near the end," I muttered. Ghom's presence had felt like a poison—thick, suffocating, eating at me from the inside out. But toward the end, I'd stopped noticing it. Not because it had faded. Because my body had adjusted.

The System was protecting me, even while I struggled.

{New Quest Alert! Kill Ghom the Demon General 

Optional Objectives:

??? }

"I planned on doing that anyway," I said aloud. My voice was flat, but my fingers tightened around my Zanpakutō's hilt. That thing wasn't just a monster. It was a reminder of everything I couldn't do yet.

{30% Soul Resonance Reached! It is the space between breath and silence, now echoing with a voice too familiar to ignore. The reflection no longer trembles—it stares back with recognition and sorrow. Your soul, once fractured, has begun to reassemble itself through agony, resolve, and the slow thaw of repression. You have not yet called her name, but she has touched your thoughts. The distance between you and your Zanpakutō narrows with every truth faced, every mask cracked. Rage has been acknowledged. Shame has been felt. Longing has been named. The voice you buried is no longer whispering—it is waiting. }

I sighed. Still as poetic as ever. 

I thought back to my near-death experience, being brought into my mindscape and seeing her. I had seen her eye partially. The color was beautiful, crimson with deep purple highlights and blue sparkles. The color seemed so familiar but I couldn't place it, which is odd, considering my perfect memory. Must be the Goddess' fault. I remembered my breakdown, seeing her disappear. She had to be the one that saved me. I really wanted to find out from her. 

After this, I was going to try again. Try to speak to her. Try to reach her.

{Title Earned! Fatal Survivor: If the user would take fatal damage, they do not die and are instantly healed to 50% health. This ability can only be used once per week.}

I let out a short, dry laugh.

"Well that's foreshadowing if I've ever seen it."

{Skill Rank Ups!}

Energy Sense (Rank 7)

Reiryoku Body Enhancement (Rank 7)

Cooking (Rank 6)

The Cooking one made me chuckle. Guess Rias wasn't just being polite.

With the feed finally clear, I pulled out the Physique and Hohō runestones and crushed them in my hands, them dispersing into fine particles. Light pulsed up my arm.

{Physique grade increased! A+ → S-}

{Congratulations on reaching S- grade physique! New Skill Unlocked! Metal Muscle (Rank X): The user's muscles have transformed to become much more durable and strong. Muscles now cannot be strained and have defense capable of stopping small caliber bullets. Strength has been dramatically increased, able to lift, push, and pull even the densest of materials, up to 2 cubic feet of tungsten (2409.5lbs) in weight! This is near the pinnacle of human strength!}

As soon as this skill unlocked, I felt my body start to transform. It felt, very weird. My bones elongated, my skin stretched, my muscles grew just a little more bulky but much more defined. If I had to guess, by the end of it, I had reached 6'. Tall for a 'Japanese' 15 year old. I found it odd that the system waited to make the transformation after I saw the notification. It hadn't done that with poison resistance. Maybe because it was internal and didn't affect the external body? I shook my head and refocused on the incredible new skill. 

"Wow. I had no idea reaching S grade in a stat would give such an amazing reward. Now it makes sense that I had to get a skill to even be allowed to push into it." I remembered reading a fitness magazine not too long ago that said the most weight ever leg pressed was 2,469lbs, so I'd essentially be the strongest human on the planet. Despite my still lithe but well built 15 year old frame. That wasn't even mentioning what I could do when using Reiryoku. Then came Hohō.

{Hohō grade increased! A → A+} {Agility Rank Up! Rank 9}

I rose slowly to my feet, feeling the subtle shift. I was a touch lighter, maybe a bit quicker. The kind of fast that felt noticeable. The extra boost to Agility was nice too.

But all I could think about was the moment Ghom's second form tore through the trees like a living calamity. I could be faster, stronger, tougher—but the gap was still there. Form 2 hadn't even been trying. He was a monster, and I'd been a toy.

My fingers clenched at my sides.

"Are these stats… really the limit of a human?" I murmured.

The question hung heavy.

I was getting stronger every day. My skill ranks were climbing. My base stats had skyrocketed. But against true monsters, I was still bleeding in the dirt. Would it always be like this? Would I always be one misstep from death, even at my best?

"Status."

{Status

Name: Toshio Amano

Title: Zanjutsu Prodigy 

Race: Human

Age: 15

Level: 23 (1350/2300)

Health: 100/100

Reiryoku: 9975 --> 399,000/399,000

Physique: S-

Zanjutsu: B+

Hohō: A+

Hakuda: C+

Spiritual Potential: B

Soul Resonance: 35%} 

My stats were looking pretty impressive for only having spent a little less than a year here. But yet, they didn't seem like they were enough. I really hoped that increasing Observe would let me see other's health and mana. I really wanted a benchmark to see how my reserved compared. Despite the increases, they were only base stats. I needed my Zanpakutō. I needed her.

I picked up my sword off the couch.

"I hope you're listening," I whispered. "Because I want to talk to you… if you're willing to hear it."

Happy with the progress—but frustrated by the price—I turned, walking toward the bedroom.

It was time for Jinzen.

Time to try again.

XXX

I settled onto my bedroom floor, crossing my legs and placing my unsheathed zanpakutō across my lap. The now worn yoga mat beneath me. Sunlight filtered through half-drawn curtains, painting stripes across the blade that seemed to shift and dance with each subtle movement.

Jinzen—sword meditation. The practice was simple in theory: quiet the mind, focus on the blade, and listen for the voice within. In practice, it had been one of my most consistent failures.

But this time felt different. The near-death experience with Ghom and the morning with Rias had cracked something open inside me. The emotional dam I'd built over two lifetimes had begun to leak, and rather than trying to patch it, I was finally ready to let it break.

I took a deep breath, slowly letting it out through my nose. My heart wasn't racing, but it wasn't calm either. It hovered in that strange in-between—a quiet tension, like the stillness right before a wire snaps.

I reached for the space within.

The ambient hum of the world faded. The curtains. The bed. The bedroom. All of it receded like mist drawn into the sea. In its place came darkness—fluid, slow, almost viscous. My inner world.

It did not welcome me.

The transition this time wasn't violent like before. I wasn't dragged into it by trauma or desperation. It came gently, but with weight. Like sinking. Like surrender.

The Sunken Sanctuary took form around me. I was standing at the base of the steps.

Shallow waters lapped quietly at broken stone steps in the sanctuary. Cherry petals drifted across the surface, circling ruined pillars and jagged steps. The once-proud temple had sunk a little deeper now. I noticed it instantly—the waterline was higher. The sigil at the center of the courtyard was submerged, glowing faintly just beneath the surface like a heartbeat under skin. I hadn't remembered seeing that sigil. I had no idea what it meant, what it represented.

The air was warm, dense with memory. The scent of sakura and smoke lingered faintly, familiar in a way that made my chest ache.

And at the altar, exactly where she had been before, she waited.

My Zanpakutō spirit stood barefoot on the rising shallows, her back to me. Her long crimson hair fell in soft, dark sheets, the dripping embers that fell from the burning ends hissed into the water. Her hair was more violet than I remembered. That same blank white mask remained, hiding her face, but something in her posture had changed. Less wrath. More sorrow. A tension held close.

She hadn't run.

That, by itself, was enough to make my throat tighten.

I took a step forward. The water barely reached my ankles now, but the ripple it made stretched far—like it carried meaning here, the ripples never stopping. My voice caught in my throat, dry, rough. I swallowed and tried again.

"I don't know if you can hear me," I began quietly. "Or if you even want to."

She didn't move. Didn't turn. But the embers falling from her hair flared once—brighter.

"But I'm here," I continued. "Not because I want to control you, or command you… but because I think it's time I finally listened."

My hand rested on my chest, just over the space where that hollow pressure had lived since I was a teenager—since Mom died, since Scotty buried his feelings beneath steel and silence.

"I've ignored you for a long time, spent all this time trying to deny you, reject you," I whispered. "Bury you under logic, under expectations, under facts, under all the things I thought I had to be. And I don't know how to fix that. But I want to."

The cherry petals floated past her feet now, circling in a slow spiral. I stepped again. The reflection beneath me distorted—my face fractured by water and shadow.

"I don't know your name yet. But I've seen your eyes. I've felt your anger. Your pain. And I think—no, I know—that wasn't just you. That was me too. Everything I didn't let myself feel."

She still didn't answer. But the air thickened—warmer, heavier, as if the entire realm were holding its breath.

"I want to know you," I said, firmer now. "Not just as a weapon. As… as the part of me I left behind. The part I'm finally ready to remember."

Another step. The water reached just below my knees now, though I hadn't moved that far across the flat surface. The sanctuary was sinking faster.

Her hand twitched.

Then she turned.

Slowly. Deliberately. One foot shifting on the water. Her head tilted slightly, and the mask caught the light—featureless and white, but no longer slightly cracked. A large fissure ran down the left cheek now, like a fracture in porcelain.

My breath caught.

Behind the crack, I could see her glowing eye. Crimson again. The same shimmering iridescence of violet and electric blue hidden in its depths. Then I suddenly realized.

The nebula. It wasn't just familiar.

It was the same color as the space the Goddess had brought me to after I died. That glowing field of stars and silence. The moment I chose this life. I remember being awestruck in its beauty.

She had been with me even then.

"…It was you," I breathed. "You've always been there, ever since the beginning."

The spirit took a step forward, water sliding around her legs. Her mask shimmered faintly at the edges—like it didn't belong entirely in this world anymore.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for what I've done to you." The deep pang of sorrow cut through my heart like a sharp blade, and at the same moment, her hair burned even more violet rather than the crimson/orange I'd seen the first time I saw her.

Her voice, when it came, was a whisper layered in heat and ache, feminine. It didn't resonate throughout the world in that neutral, genderless tone. Yet it was still slightly warped.

"You still haven't said it."

My heart skipped.

"Said what?" I asked, barely above a whisper.

Her head tilted again. The mask began to splinter—just barely. Light escaped from within. Not blinding, but intimate. Like a fireplace at night.

"My name," she said, voice soft, cracking like firewood. "Say it. And I'll answer."

The temple trembled.

But I couldn't. I… I didn't know it. The name hadn't come to me. Not fully. It hovered at the edge of awareness, just beyond memory, just beyond clarity.

"I'm trying," I said. I looked down, tears coming to my eyes. I couldn't tell if they were from frustration or something else.

She stepped back once, retreating toward the altar. Her hand touched her chest—right over the small sigil burned into her bare skin, and for a moment, I saw her flinch.

"You are," she admitted. "Keep going. But it's still not good enough." Her hair roared in crimson fire, her one visible eye matching the color. She flicked her hand down, a Zanpakutō I didn't recognize materializing in her hand.

"Don't come back unless you're ready. Unless you know it," She stated in a tone that suggested anger. Why?

The temple began to shift around us—pillars sinking deeper into the rising water, the altar crumbling at its edges, the embers overhead swirling into frantic patterns. I felt the connection weakening, reality pulling at me from the other side.

"Wait—" I reached for her, but my hand passed through her form as if through smoke. The last thing I saw before the inner world dissolved was that single crimson eye, watching me with emotions too complex for simple categorization—disappointment, hope, fury, longing—all swirling together like the water at her feet.

I gasped as consciousness slammed back into me, my eyes flying open to the mundane reality of my bedroom. Sunlight still streamed through the curtains, though its angle had changed—I'd been under longer than it had felt. My muscles ached from sitting motionless, and my hands had tightened around my zanpakutō's hilt with enough force to leave imprints on my palms.

The sword remained inert in my grip, neither vibrating with acknowledgment nor still with rejection. Just waiting, as I was waiting, for the moment when I would remember what I had forgotten—or perhaps discover what I had never known.

But something had changed. The connection between us felt more alive now, raw and real in a way it hadn't before. I clutched her to my chest.

"I'll keep going. I'll learn your name. I promise," I spoke softly.

Feeling like I needed to calm my mind, I returned to my position, entering cultivation. I just wanted to focus on the energy flowing through me. In the back of my mind, I was wondering what skill I'd get for getting cultivation to rank 10. I hoped it was strong.

XXX

The Next Day

I opened my eyes to the dim light of early morning, the world outside my window just beginning to glow with that pale golden haze that marked the end of night. My body was stiff, locked from hours of meditation on the mat, but it didn't matter. I had stayed under longer than I'd planned—again.

But this time, it wasn't a failure.

Even if I hadn't learned her name, I had spoken to her. I had been seen.

I stretched my arms, joints popping in protest, then stood. A quick shower followed, my body now leaner and stronger than it had been even a few days ago. I could feel the S- rank Physique humming under my skin, a quiet tension like a loaded spring. The Hohō boost made everything lighter too—my steps barely whispered against the floor as I moved.

After throwing on my uniform, I made breakfast—scrambled eggs with grilled onion, toasted rice balls, and a bit of soy-glazed fish I had meal-prepped two days ago. I plated everything neatly and sat down at the table. Once I was about finished, I heard a knock coming from my front door.

I blinked, glancing at the clock. Still early. Too early for neighbors. Kiba wouldn't show up uninvited, and there was no way Akeno was a morning visitor—

I stepped to the door and opened it, eyebrows raised.

And there she was.

Rias Gremory stood in my doorway, hair freshly brushed, her uniform already pristine. Her crimson hair glowed faintly in the rising sun, and her blue-green eyes lit up when she saw me.

"Good morning," she said gently with a radiant smile.

"Good morning to you as well," I echoed, stepping aside without thinking. "Come in."

She stepped past me, and without a word, I wrapped my arms around her.

She didn't hesitate.

Her arms slipped around my back, holding me close in that same gentle way she had the night before. And in that moment, I realized the dynamic between us had shifted. Not lovers. Not just friends. Something in between, caught in that quiet space before a decision was made. But it was warm. Comforting. Familiar.

And I didn't want to let go.

After a few seconds, she pulled back with a soft smile. "You're feeling better."

I nodded. "Yeah. I am. Why'd you come over so early? Not that I mind."

She brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "I wanted to walk with you to school. And… talk about what my peerage and I discussed last night."

I blinked. "About Ghom I take it."

She nodded.

I grabbed my bag and closed the door behind us. The sun had risen a little higher now, and the walk to Kuoh was bathed in golden light. We walked side by side for a few moments, the silence comfortable.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

I glanced at her swaying hand beside mine, then up at her face. "Great. Better than I've felt in a long time."

She smiled, pleased. "I'm glad. You really scared me, you know."

"I scared myself too," I said lightly. She glances my way, as if just noticing.

"You seem taller, and a little broader…" She look confused. Probably because people didn't just grow like that overnight.

"Remember what I told you about me having a special body? It's related to that." By her expression I could tell she understood, then blushed briefly as if remembering something. Ah, when we were in bed. She quickly recovered.

"That body of yours is definitely interesting. Not very human for a human." She giggled. I couldn't help but agree.

We walked a few more paces before she spoke again, her voice shifting into that serious, leader-like tone. "So. About Ghom… After I left, I called an emergency meeting and I spoke with my peerage. Then I called my brother."

I gave her my full attention.

"They confirmed that Ghom wasn't just any stray," she continued. "He was a Primordial Demon General—one of the few who commanded entire legions in the Demon-Devil War about 280 years ago. He served under one of the Lesser Evil Demons: Azmodan, the Sin of Gluttony."

I stopped walking for half a beat.

"…You're saying I fought a demon general from a forgotten war?"

"Yes," she said softly. "The Demon faction tried to seize the Underworld from the Devil faction. But they underestimated the Four Great Satans. My brother in particular was one of the ones leading the charge. The war ended quickly. Most of the demons were slaughtered. Ghom was believed to be among the dead."

I ran a hand through my hair, letting out a breath. "He was insane. He wasn't leading anything anymore."

"I'm not surprised," she said. "Demons like him—those who fully embrace their sin aspect—tend to lose their minds eventually. Ghom represented Gluttony. He was a creation of hunger, of consumption. Hiding alone in a forest like that remaining undetected? That might've been the last scrap of sanity he had left."

I glanced down at her hand again.

Then, without thinking too hard, I reached out and laced my fingers through hers.

Her intake of breath was sharp. The faintest blush bloomed across her cheeks, but she didn't pull away. In fact, she squeezed my hand a little tighter.

"Toshio…" she murmured. Her expression turned teasing. "If people see us like this at school, others will talk~."

"Let them," I said simply. "Anyway—continue."

Her blush deepened, but she smiled as we kept walking, our hands swinging gently between us.

"It's worrying," she admitted after a beat. "Ghom being so close to Kuoh, even after my brother personally scouted the region, means he must've been extremely good at hiding. Or worse—he wasn't alone."

I nodded grimly. "If there are more demons like him… I don't even want to imagine what a 'Lesser Evil' looks like, let alone something stronger."

"Exactly," she said. "This might not be over." That was an ominous statement if I ever heard one.

"Any talks about hunting Ghom down?" I asked curiously.

"Not yet. We need to hear your report of his abilities first. When I told my brother what happened, he insisted he be the one to deal with it. It almost sounded like he bore a grudge, which is very unlike him." Rias looked lost in thought at that. But that was bad news for me. I wanted revenge. And those quest rewards. But I could talk to her about that later.

We walked in silence for a few steps more. I glanced over at her again. She caught the look.

"Thank you again," I said quietly. "For saving my life. I mean it. I'll make it up to you however I can."

Her smile turned sly. "Careful. You might not like what I request."

"…within reason," I clarified.

She laughed, the sound light and happy. "Too late to make rules now~."

I smirked. "You simply didn't give me enough time to finish."

She snorted in amusement. "Oh I'm sure."

She elbowed me lightly, still grinning.

Then I shifted gears. "I've been meaning to ask you about something."

"Oh?"

"Magic," I said. "What kinds are there?"

That caught her off guard. "You want to know about magic?"

I nodded. "If there's a kind humans can learn… I want to try. I feel like I'm reaching the peak of what I can do as a human. I need another edge."

She hummed in thought. "Well… Devil magic and human magic are very different. Devil magic is instinctual—born from imagination and willpower. It's fluid. Adaptable. Human magic, on the other hand, relies on formulae, incantations, and technique. It's structured, often slower to cast, but can be incredibly powerful in the right hands. Especially with preparation. Come to think of it I think you'd probably be pretty good at it."

I considered that. "Can you get me some grimoires or research books on it?"

She shrugged. "I can, but they'll be basic ones. Devils don't have much use for human spellcraft since the two magics are so inherently different."

"That's fine. I'll take whatever I can get."

She gave me a side glance. "Let's see… I saved your life, I'm helping you make money with your fancy physics designs, and now I'm about to start teaching you magic. Just what exactly are you offering me in return?"

It was playful. Flirtatious. But I could feel the underlying warmth too.

I looked around. We were already near Kuoh. Students had started to trickle onto the sidewalk.

I stopped and gently tugged her hand toward me.

Then I leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.

She froze.

Color exploded across her face as whispers around us turned into a rising murmur. I didn't even need to listen to the words. I could feel the heat of the stares.

"I can give you more things like that," I said with a smirk.

Still holding my hand, Rias covered her cheek with her other hand. "That's not fair."

"Probably not," I agreed. "So what do you want?"

"Come to the ORC after class," she said, finally composing herself. "I'll tell you then."

"Deal."

As we approached the gates, a familiar voice greeted us.

"Well, well… I didn't know Rias was the type to hold hands in public."

Akeno stood there, arms folded under her chest, eyes sharp with mirth.

Rias didn't miss a beat. "This was Toshio's idea."

Akeno blinked, her teasing momentarily thrown off. Then she pouted. "And why doesn't Toshio ever hold my hand?"

I extended my free hand to her, palm open. "Oversight. Let's fix that."

She smiled, her expression softening into something far more sincere. "Gladly."

She slipped her hand into mine, and just like that, we walked through the front gates—me, in between two of the most beautiful girls in the entire school. That I've ever seen really.

And for the first time in a while, I didn't feel like I was dragging myself toward survival and passive existence.

I felt like I was living.

I was doing it, mom.