DxD: Wrong Way

After a moment of surprise, Aoki quickly dismissed the matter from his mind.

He had encountered similar situations before; for instance, Koneko was supposed to be one grade below Hyoudou Issei, yet they were now in the same grade.

Clearly, the world he inhabited was not the original Devil High School DXD; otherwise, characters from other anime would not be appearing.

Now, even if someone told him that Kiba Yuuto was actually a blonde with large breasts, he would readily accept this fact.

As he caressed Amano Yuuma's delicate, round, snow-white buttocks, Aoki stated candidly, "It's not my mission to spy on you; I simply fell in love with an artifact and wanted to ask if there's any way to find it."

"Well..." Amano Yuuma gasped, slowly pulling the dragon out of her body, her delicate face blushing.

Once she calmed her body, she thought for a moment and decided it was acceptable to tell Aoki the truth; it was necessary for their continued close cooperation.

"Actually, it's fine to share this with you. We received orders from above regarding a very dangerous artifact that appeared nearby, and we were instructed to eliminate its host."

Amano Yuuma continued, "But we still don't know who is residing within that artifact, let alone how to destroy it."

Aoki rubbed his chin. This artifact was likely the Boosted Gear.

Of course, he had no intention of revealing anything about it.

"From what you've said, it seems you don't have any way to search for artifacts."

"Of course not. Artifacts are not easy to locate. If they were, there wouldn't be artifacts that actively choose their hosts; they would all be forcibly possessed."

Aoki rolled his eyes. He was well aware that artifacts were hard to find. Even a common second-class artifact like the Dragon's Hand could double its host's power, making it a significant threat.

"My apologies, I may have overestimated you."

With a hint of disappointment, he added, "That's right; Rias can't even take the initiative to search for artifacts. Given your status and strength, it's no surprise you lack the means."

Although what Aoki said was true, it did not prevent Amano Yuuma from feeling furious.

She firmly gripped the soft flesh around Aoki's waist and did not release him until he wore a smile of compliance, pleading for mercy.

With his strength reaching A-level, Aoki naturally felt no pain from her grip; however, given their open embrace, he didn't want to disrespect the fallen angel.

After venting her frustration, Amano Yuuma pouted, "I may not be able to search for the artifact, but I know how to separate it from its host's body."

Before meeting Aoki, she had not been able to enhance her strength any further, so she concentrated on studying artifacts and sought ways to deprive their hosts.

After all, finding an artifact without an owner was exceedingly difficult, and it might not even be suitable for use.

If one took it from a prepared host, those issues would not arise.

As Aoki gazed at Amano Yuuma's delicate features, he was reminded of a certain naive nun.

"Yuuma-chan, this method could lead to the host's death."

He sighed and warned her, "You'd better not use it within the confines of Kuoh Town."

Amano Yuuma shifted her body to lie more comfortably in Aoki's arms.

"Why? One person's life isn't enough for her Buchou to go to such lengths against us."

Indeed, Rias wouldn't act over this matter. In fact, if it weren't for the iron-willed Hyoudou Issei, she wouldn't have even considered saving the foolish blonde nun in the original storyline.

"No, but if you do, it will end our cooperation."

Aoki wanted to woo the naive little nun, but he had no idea where she might be at that moment. It was possible she hadn't yet been expelled by the foster church.

It was unreasonable for him to speak harshly to Amano Yuuma over someone he had never met.

After all, she had been the one to grant him his first experience...

"Everything... ends when it's over; no one cares."

Although he spoke these words, Amano Yuuma had already discarded any intention of taking the artifact from him.

For her, an accessory was nothing compared to the ever-increasing strength.

Whenever she felt a brief sadness and loss upon hearing Aoki suggest their cooperation would end, she simply brushed it aside.

Aoki caressed Amano Yuuma's smooth pink back and chose not to linger on the subject further.

He had done all he could. Whatever fate awaited the nun, only time could tell.

In the worst-case scenario, Rias could use a chess piece to reincarnate her as a bishop's pawn.

Speaking of which, even the dead could be resurrected; the effect of the Demon Chess Pieces was truly remarkable…

"Tell me about the method to deprive the artifact," Aoki prompted, dismissing distracting thoughts.

"What? I can't use it, but you can?"

Amano Yuuma scoffed, "Typical of a demon; you're much worse than a fallen angel like me."

"I'll teach you a word: double standards."

Aoki was unfazed; he had never denied that he held double standards.

If Hyoudou Issei hadn't been a well-known medium and hadn't made a good impression on him when he first watched the anime, he would have kidnapped him and performed a deprivation ritual.

Even now, having decided to take possession of the Boosted Gear, if other methods failed, he would eventually take it by force.

At most, he would prepare a method of resurrection beforehand.

Aoki vaguely recalled that after doing this, the 'Mother's Smile' artifact truly became just an accessory and could be loaned to others.

The resurrected nun would no longer be the artifact's host, merely its user, and she would no longer have to fear death from being deprived of it.

Amano Yuuma rolled her eyes at Aoki, "Double standards…Haha, that's quite an accurate description."

Aoki shrugged and replied, "I merely stated that I won't allow you to use it in Kuoh Town. You may use it anywhere else you please."

The owner of the artifact was an unknown individual and unlikely to interfere in others' business.

If the artifact Amano Yuuma sought to seize belonged to an enemy, he might even proactively assist her.

"Alright, alright, I won't cause any trouble for your dear Mr. Buchou in Kuoh Town."

"Right," Amano Yuuma said with a touch of irritation, jealousy dripping from her tone. Little did she notice that even Mitelt and KaraWarna, who had been watching, exchanged glances.

Aoki could hear the jealousy in Amano Yuuma's voice, but he recognized that their relationship was merely cooperative; he didn't bother acting like a superficial friend.

"Please explain in detail how to remove the artifact. In exchange, I can assist you with one thing within my means."

Amano Yuuma's eyes sparkled, "That's all?"

"Depriving the artifact requires a special ritual. This ritual can only be performed on a full moon night, and you must prepare a statue carved from purple inkstone in advance..."

After hearing Amano Yuuma's explanation, Aoki couldn't help but frown. The process of removing the artifact was more complicated than he had anticipated.

Not only did the ritual have to be held on a full moon night, but numerous items had to be prepared ahead of time; the purple ink statue was merely one of them.

Ultimately, the entire ceremony would last four or five hours, requiring complete attention throughout to fully extract the artifact from its host.

It was no wonder Amano Yuuma hadn't executed the deprivation ritual on the blonde nun right away in the anime. It wasn't a matter of desire, but rather inability.

Regardless of how troublesome it was, Aoki recognized he still had to find a way to gather various ritual items as a last resort.

"Yuuma-chan, can you help me prepare one of those ritual items I just mentioned?"

Aoki contemplated for a moment and decided to rely on the fallen angels to collect them. The materials weren't particularly rare, but they were quite troublesome to procure, and he wanted to keep this matter hidden from Rias.

"I can offer a little extra on top of the purchase price, treating it as a commission."

Spreading out her two pairs of jet-black wings, Amano Yuuma stretched. "I have a set ready to go. I was originally planning to use it myself, but it won't hurt to lend it to you now."

"Oh? That's fantastic!" Aoki exclaimed, feigning surprise. "Thank you, Yuuma-chan; you truly are the cutest."

"Don't be too quick to celebrate," Amano Yuuma warned, raising her delicate hand. "I won't lend it to you for nothing. You must agree to one more condition."

"What condition?"

"I haven't thought of it yet. I'll let you know when I come up with something."

As Aoki gazed at the innocent yet somewhat suggestive fallen angel, he muttered to himself.

He was quite familiar with this type of plot, so...

He flatly refused, "How about I just pay for it? I'll add 30% to the total amount you collect and return these items to you after using them."