DxD: Wrong Way

Amano Yuuma's plump, pale chest rose and fell as she looked at Aoki and exclaimed, "Am I really short of that little bit of money?!"

"I don't need that little bit of money either…" Aoki replied, spreading his hands innocently. "I'm just trying to save myself some trouble. This amount won't buy me any favors."

"..."

After a moment of silence, Amano Yuuma took a moment to compose herself.

Despite being a fallen angel with a vicious personality, she was still a child at heart.

Women, by nature, are often more emotional than men. Time and time again, the blending of experiences and emotions led to deeper connections. She claimed it was just a transaction, but beneath the surface, feelings were already beginning to take root.

"It's alright; none of us are particularly short on money."

Amano Yuuma crossed her wings and slowly reclined on the bed. "In that case, as you mentioned earlier, if you can do something for me within your capabilities, I'll lend it to you provided you add one more thing."

"Power."

Aoki agreed immediately, recognizing that there was little difference between one element and two, and ample room for manipulation within those four words.

"Warna, take him to the warehouse to retrieve something."

"Yes, Lady Raynare."

As she watched Aoki and KaraWarna walk away side by side, Amano Yuuma let out a soft snort, then turned and walked towards the bathroom.

She wanted to wash away the lingering scent that boy had left behind, keeping only the life energy she felt within herself.

…

…

At the beginning of October, the weather gradually turned cooler.

As Aoki surveyed the ritual array in his garden, he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

After more than half a month of practice, he had mastered the method of artifact deprivation.

However, the Takamine family didn't have a basement, so they had to keep it in the yard while applying low-level illusion magic to avoid alarming ordinary passersby.

"All that's left is to wait. I hope I don't have to use this method."

In the past half month, Aoki had not slacked off in his cultivation, aside from practicing the ritual formations. His Qi and magic power had reached the limit of his body's capacity—there simply wasn't any room left.

Himejima Akeno's magic power far surpassed that of others at her level. She was an undeniable genius, but compared to Aoki, who was steadily improving through dual cultivation, she still fell slightly behind.

While both were at the peak of A-tier, Aoki's magic power equated to 1.5 times that of Himejima Akeno. But that was his limit.

At this point, every time he practiced dual cultivation, Akeno gained little benefit aside from an increase in mental power, which was difficult to measure.

"Next, when the Sekiryuutei's cage hand appears, I must find a way to break through to S-tier."

Just as Aoki contemplated whether he should focus on extracting advanced magic power and gradually work his way up to S-tier through hard work, or face more dangerous opponents…

Ahem, it was probably better to challenge powerful foes in order to stimulate his martial arts talents through real combat, when suddenly his cellphone rang.

"Hello, Yuuma-chan, good night."

Aoki answered the phone, joking, "Do you miss me calling at such a late hour? But we just saw each other last night~~."

"I need your help with something. Meet me in Matsuyama."

Amano Yuuma spoke in a serious tone. "Once the task is complete, you'll have accomplished something significant."

As the busy signal chirped from the phone, Aoki pursed his lips, choosing not to voice his concerns about the task potentially being beyond his abilities.

Forget it… Let's take a look first, and if it's reasonable, I'll help.

…

Mount Mitsu is located southwest of Kuoh City. After crossing this mountain, you leave the confines of the city behind.

Due to its remote location, Mount Mitsu is almost uninhabited. Because of its proximity to the border, many stray "demons" opt to enter or exit Kuoh City from here.

Fifteen minutes later, Aoki descended slowly, his wide bat wings gradually disappearing.

Following the message on his phone, he made his way to the designated meeting point at the mountain's base, where Amano Yuuma and KaraWarna were already waiting.

"Yuuma-chan, what's the urgency?"

Aoki scanned the area but noticed Mitelt was absent from her maid uniform. Doubtfully, he asked, "Are you two the only ones here today? Where's Ruth?"

Having engaged in dual cultivation together, the three fallen angels had always appeared as a trio. Mitelt, being the most vivacious one, was noticeably missing, leaving the atmosphere feeling a bit off.

"That's what I need to discuss with you tonight."

Amano Yuuma said quickly, "Mitelt may have encountered danger on Mount Mitsu."

"Um?!"

Aoki was taken aback. Mitelt had just reached A-tier in dual cultivation last night. With her strength, she should be able to escape even if she faced defeat.

Before Aoki could inquire further, Amano Yuuma continued, "Let's head up the mountain first, and we'll discuss the specifics as we go."

As they searched uphill, Aoki began to piece together what had happened.

Mitelt had been a step ahead of KaraWarna, successfully reaching A-tier in dual cultivation just last night.

Her lively and spirited nature had spurred her to test her skills with a solo mission that morning, despite her recent promotion.

The objective was to acquire something, and the associated danger did not seem significant, considering they had undertaken similar missions alone previously. Furthermore, Mitelt was already at A-tier, so she had gone out on her own.

While it was true her strength was still new and not entirely stable, there should not have been any enemies in that area capable of threatening her life.

However, nearly two full days passing without Mitelt's return raised alarms. Amano Yuuma had attempted to contact her, but to no avail.

Mitelt's assignment was in the mountains. She had originally intended to return directly, but due to her recent breakthrough, she opted to call for backup. While she surpassed Mitelt's strength, she was still only at A-tier.

To be cautious, she decided to enlist help from someone who was also A-tier but could reliably contend against five typical youthful foes.

With Aoki's presence, as long as they didn't encounter an S-tier opponent, this operation was guaranteed to succeed.

As for the likelihood of an S-tier demon appearing in Mount Mitsu… it was nearly nonexistent.

The destructive power of an S-tier assailant would be enough to obliterate a hill. If such a creature emerged in the human realm, it would be swiftly neutralized by the brave clan.

Should the issue remain unresolved, even an entire city might struggle to cope.

The unusual combination of two fallen angels and a demon was rare, which attracted numerous stray demons lurking around Mount Mitsu.

Several of these formidable monsters boldly stepped out before Aoki and his companions, declaring, "Hey, halt! This isn't an area for you to wander freely."

"Get out of the way; I don't have time to deal with you right now."

Amano Yuuma responded impatiently, her focus on Mitelt, leaving no room for distractions from the rabble.

"Stinking woman, how dare you speak to me like that? I- ah!!"

Before the creature could finish his threat, a beam of red light shot forth, piercing straight through him. He let out a scream as the B-tier hybrid wolf demon fell lifelessly to the ground.

The remaining monsters stared in horror at the gaping hole in the wolf monster's forehead, their bodies going rigid as they instinctively swallowed hard.

It seemed they had bitten off more than they could chew, and it was the kind of encounter with spikes they didn't want to face.

"Is there anything else you'd like to say?"

Amano Yuuma coldly scrutinized the group, ready to spend mere minutes resolving this if they continued to obstruct her.

Noticing Amano Yuuma's apparent indifference, the fierce creatures began to feel uneasy.

"N-no, nothing at all."

They quickly became compliant, shaking their heads like rattles as they moved aside to clear a path.

Amano Yuuma discarded the spear of light she had wielded and glided past them at low altitude, barely glancing in their direction.

"Wait a moment, Yuuma-chan," Aoki suddenly interjected, "At this rate, we don't know how long it will take to find her. Why don't we ask the locals directly?"

Amano Yuuma and KaraWarna paused, following his gaze toward a few creatures preparing to enter the forest.

"Good idea."

As soon as the words left her lips, four or five solid spears of light, generated from magic, fell from the sky, preventing the group of monsters from proceeding any further.

Chichi——

One spear pierced the ground, its half-trembling form looming right in front of the local monsters.

"T-three… three adults! What may we assist you with?"

One of the more intelligent monsters was quick to respond, saying, "We'll gladly share everything we know!"

Several others chimed in, eager to please.

"Indeed, indeed, sirs! Just tell us what information you need!"

Amano Yuuma and KaraWarna exchanged glances, the latter nodding and stepping forward.

"Have you seen a fallen angel with blonde hair dressed as a maid today?"