DxD: Wrong Way

At KaraWarna's question, several individuals nodded after taking a moment to consider.

Mitelt's appearance and features are striking, and she is likely to reveal her true identity during missions. As a fallen angel, once you catch sight of her, she becomes unforgettable.

"I saw her at Mijin Lake around noon today. She seemed to be in a fight with someone."

"I spotted her on the west side of the forest, and she was mocking someone."

"What I witnessed was her holding a box and flying to the mountain's peak, humming a tune as she went."

"I'm here..."

The monsters conversed for a while, growing more perplexed as Aoki listened.

"Wait a minute," he interjected. "Please tell me the times when you saw her."

After a while, Aoki pieced together the situation based on the monsters' accounts.

Mitelt's mission must have been successful, but he couldn't understand why she had not returned, opting instead to ascend Mount Ontsu.

After mulling it over, Aoki inquired again, "Who is the strongest on Mitsu Mountain?"

"The strongest…" Several monsters exchanged glances and remained silent for some time.

They likely knew who the strongest was but hesitated to voice such claims in front of the three powerful figures.

Aoki frowned and rephrased, "Who is the ruler or administrator of the mountain?"

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment before a brave monster finally said, "Mitsu Mount is quite chaotic, with frequent and complicated personnel movements and few resources. There aren't any true managers or rulers here."

"Uh…" Aoki's mouth twitched; perhaps he was overthinking the situation.

"So, no one here possesses A-level strength or higher?"

In unison, the monsters responded, "No."

"With that kind of strength, who would still be here?" The bold monster added, "As long as an A-class individual is cautious, there's no need to worry about punishment. The human world is far more interesting than these deep mountains and ancient forests."

Aoki regarded them thoughtfully. If circumstances were different, he would have liked to converse further with these monsters. Given that they found the human world intriguing, why did they resort to committing crimes and dwelling as street monsters?

As long as they acted judiciously and employed some skills, they would not attract unnecessary trouble.

With their abilities, they shouldn't be living such unfulfilling lives in human society.

Observing them closely, Aoki noted that they weren't creatures that appeared on his enemy list. He calmly declared, "I'll let you go this time, but don't mistake my leniency for weakness. If you show up in Kuoh City again, there will be consequences."

As he spoke, he revealed the Gremory family crest on the back of his hand, causing the monsters' legs to tremble in fear.

While they were unsure of Aoki's exact strength, it was clear he was the leader among the three. Equally evident was that his power surpassed that of the fallen angel who had previously vanquished the wolf demon, and he belonged to the Gremory family, tasked with ensuring the safety of Kuoh City...

Only after Aoki and his companions vanished from sight did the monsters feel safe enough to leave.

Having heard the explanations from the local creatures, Aoki and his comrades felt considerably less anxious.

Although they remained uncertain about why Mitelt had lost contact, they did not believe her life was in imminent danger.

The three of them flew along the path toward the mountain's summit. Aoki continuously employed detection magic along the way, and as they neared the top, they stumbled upon an unusual site.

"Stop."

Aoki landed slowly and approached the chaotic energy he sensed.

Suddenly, a buzz filled the air, and the three of them became disoriented as the dark night around them brightened unexpectedly.

"Lady Raynare! And Wana and Uesugi!"

As Aoki shook his head vigorously to dispel the dizziness, a familiar voice called out from a short distance away.

The lively girl's voice was filled with excitement—it was Mitelt, the one they had been searching for.

"Lute..." Aoki was the first to regain his composure. "Indeed, you are here."

Noticing the strangeness of the surroundings, Aoki surmised that Mitelt must be nearby.

"Aha."

Mitelt nodded with joy before asking curiously, "Why are you all here?"

"Of course, we are here to find a mischievous child who is having such a good time outside that she doesn't know how to return home." Amano Yuuma ruffled Mitelt's hair, her expression turning stern as she looked at the untouched fallen angel.

Once she confirmed the girl was unharmed, her anger began to surface. "Lute, why didn't you return after completing your mission? Why couldn't you contact us?"

"Lady Raynare, it's not that I don't want to come back; it's that I can't."

The blonde fallen angel, dressed in a maid outfit, wore a look of distress as she explained, "After completing the mission, it was still early, so I wanted to stroll around the mountaintop before flying directly back. But as I passed by, I was suddenly pulled in, and no matter how I walked or flew, I couldn't escape."

"Can't escape?"

Amano Yuuma murmured as she looked around, only to realize the scene before them was entirely different.

They had previously been on Mitsu Mountain, late at night, yet now it was daytime, and the terrain did not resemble that of a mountain at all.

Amano Yuuma turned to Mitelt and asked, "What's going on here? Is there any danger? What do you mean you can't get out?"

Mitelt blinked, "Uh… I don't know where this place is. There shouldn't be any danger. As for why I can't get out… Lady Raynare, you should probably try for yourself; I'm not sure how to explain it."

Listening to the exchange between Amano Yuuma and Mitelt, Aoki decided to walk backward as a test but soon discovered that if he traveled more than three hundred meters, he would be teleported back to his original position.

Changing direction yielded the same result, and even ascending into the sky did not provide an escape.

After examining the thick soil, Aoki abandoned the notion of digging three hundred meters down to explore.

Even with his present strength, digging such a depth would prove to be an arduous task.

After wandering around and considering the information Mitelt provided, Aoki began to piece together the situation.

It appeared they were ensnared by a large semi-circular—possibly circular—barrier with a radius of three hundred meters.

This barrier allowed entry but prevented exit; reaching its edge resulted in being teleported back to the center.

Though it was perpetually sunny and breezy, devoid of danger, there was also a notable absence of food or water.

Additionally, this barrier blocked mobile phone signals and magical energy, explaining why Mitelt could not respond to Amano Yuuma's attempts to contact her.

Time slipped by, and ultimately, they found themselves with a dead phone battery. The four of them sat in a circle, cross-legged, at the center of the teleportation area.

"What should we do? Should we try to break out forcefully?" Aoki pondered aloud, deciding to take a reckless approach.

He experimented with conventional methods: locating the center of the barrier, seeking magical nodes, and probing uncharted areas. However, all his efforts proved futile—there was no way to escape.

They couldn't even fathom what this invisible barrier looked like.