God in DxD

"Greetings," my voice echoed through the church basement, attracting the attention of the misty figures. "I apologise for this..." I waved my hand in the air. "It's a peculiar greeting, but there was no other way to get you out."

A semi-transparent figure of a man in a cloak stepped forward, shielding his friends.

"I remember you," the speaker's voice was barely audible, more like a whisper. "You're the boy who was friends with Reynal."

"That's right!" exclaimed a short blonde woman, nodding to the blue-haired woman. "But...," her eyes narrowed suspiciously, "we're dead. So why are we standing here?"

"You see," I began from a distance, "I have a very interesting artefact that doesn't fit into the world system." Their eyes expressed a ton of scepticism and distrust.

"All artefacts, even those belonging to other pantheons, are part of the Biblical system. — Kalavarnar crossed her arms over her chest, raised an eyebrow and continued. — Even if you create a new one, Shiva or Odin will lose all their power over it, and it will become just another cog in God's machine.

"I knew it would be impossible to convince you without a demonstration. — I draw souls and send them deep into my mechanism. — Let's begin the enlightenment of the 'dark people'. — I grunt and prepare a spell to transfer information.

It's experimental, and ninety-nine percent of the test subjects burned their brains trying to master the knowledge they received, while the remaining one percent simply went mad. But ghosts do not think with matter, so they can master information without harming themselves. Additional research and recalculation of some blocks are needed, but that's not a day's work. So "it'll do."

Magic has seeped into their souls, giving them the information I need at a certain angle and in special doses. Now they are almost enlightened individuals who know at least something about the structure of the universe.

"Holy shit," said Donasik, sitting down where he had been standing. "So that's what awaits us in the future," he breathed hoarsely. How? Who knows, he's a ghost, but his habits remain.

"The son of Lucifer, the Office, the Dark Dragons, the Beast of the Apocalypse. And that's just in our world, but there are other realities and worlds different from ours." Milte covered her face with her hands.

"Why are you showing us this?" Kalavarnar, the eldest of the three and the most experienced, pulled herself together. "You know the future, or at least a possible version of it. Why did you bring us back to the world of the living?"

"You were the closest people in Reynal's life. She is extremely precious to you. That is why I will give you a choice. I sat down in a chair that appeared next to me, accompanied by the rumbling sound of Ddraig landing behind me. It was as dramatic as it could possibly be. Approximately zero seven ultramarine. "We will sign a contract that will prevent you from betraying me, and in return, I will give you your lives and the opportunity to see your sister, who is like a daughter to you.

"Why should we believe you?" Donasik asks doubtfully. "You already know that we want to return to our sister, so what's stopping you from threatening her health to make us obey you?"

"I like her," I shrugged, looking at the raised eyebrows of the fallen, "Imagine, I'm not lying. I'm not going to hurt her, I'll support her, cherish and nurture her. I'm giving you a choice, because voluntary submission is preferable to coercion. It saves time on breaking personalities and rituals like that.

"The methods of demons," the gangster sneered. "Not the methods your father loves so much.

"I don't give a damn about his approval or what he likes. The methods are practical and effective, that's what matters. But since you are my friend's family, I am giving you a choice.

"A wonderful choice," Milte growled, "Either you obey, or I'll make you obey by force. Don't you think there's not even a hint of choice here?

"A choice is a choice," I shrugged. "And it's up to you whether you stay sane or..." The hint was clear.

"Haven't you thought we might turn against you? After all, you're forcing us to stay with you," Donasik said.

"There's a contract for that. Once you sign it, you lose the ability to even think about betrayal.

"Hmph. Let us think about it," said Kalavarnar, beckoning her friends to her.

"Five minutes is enough. And that's not negotiable." I started timing them.

"Demon," Milte spat.

Five minutes dragged on quite a long time, but finally the timer ran out, signalling the end of the meeting.

"We agree, but only on certain conditions," I just waved my hand as if to say, "Go ahead, I'm listening." "You won't harm Reynal, and you won't change our identities. We want to remain ourselves."

"Okay," I nodded. "I already mentioned the first point, but as for the second, I will not replace your identities with others, nor will I break your will with rituals in order to subjugate you. I will bring you back to life and even give you strength, after some experiments, of course. Sign the contract."

Three parchments woven from energy appear before the trio, on which are written the points mentioned earlier and some new ones. Nothing terrible, but they clarify my power over them and limit their freedom.

"This is more like selling your soul to the devil..." the blue-haired woman sighed. "But for Rainal's protection, I agree to anything," she whispered so softly that I could barely hear her, but in my inner world, I could hear even that.

She signed the parchment first, followed by the others. A flash of light and the visualisation of chains binding their souls showed us that the contract was active.

"Well done," he clapped his hands. "Now that we've decided everything, I'll tell you how I'm going to resurrect you.

A sofa appeared behind the trio, and they sat down on it.

"The resurrection will be unique, but I have the Grail," — at these words, the eyes of the fallen widen, "— which gives me some ability to manipulate the properties of flesh in a wide range. The body will be a fusion of dragon, demon, and angel, without the weaknesses inherent in these races. Your magical potential will be increased a thousandfold thanks to the souls of the dragons. I'm sorry, red one, but they will serve a righteous cause.

"I can't stop you, if you haven't forgotten, only hit you over the head to restore your sanity. But that's unlikely to stop you," the dragon muttered discontentedly. "Don't touch the young and the females. The unwise ones, please."

"That's what I wanted. I'm not a monster, after all." A crooked smile distorted his face, and the irony in his voice made even the suitcase snort. "So," I turn back to the angels. "You'll become stronger, faster, and so on, but your bodies will be different. Although we could mould you into a Gorynych and each of you could control your own head.

"No, thanks," Kalavarnar shook his head immediately. "Better to each his own, that way there will be more opportunities for attack and defence.

"As you wish, but the multi-headed dragon option is still on the table. All right, I won't scare you. Do you all understand?

"Yes," they nodded in unison.

"Wonderful. I'll work on your new bodies when I have time, but for now," I cast another spell to transfer knowledge and copy Luc's memory of his mastery of magic and his many battles. "Absorb this knowledge and practise. Practise the new techniques, Red will help you, he can change things here and create simulations based on memories. Understood?" Nods. "And yes, when I bring you back, don't rush to hug your girlfriend. To her, you're dead, so don't reopen old wounds. You will protect her and my family without them knowing about your origins. I hope that's okay with you?"

"It's enough for us that she's safe. But why don't you want her to know about us?

"Her family is dead. I'll give her a new one that will ensure her loyalty. I may like her, but that won't save me from possible betrayal, and this way I'll bind her to me.

"You're such a bastard," Donasik sighed sincerely.

"I know," I shrugged. "But my unwillingness to be betrayed is quite logical, especially when you remember Lilith's story. This kind of attachment is very beneficial, because I will give her what she lost." My smile turned into a grimace. "And you can't tell anyone about it because of your contract, just like you can't run away, betray us, or refuse to carry out your duties. You're my boys, forever and ever."

"Red," I said mentally to the dragon. "Don't spare them, the training should be as close to combat as possible. They won't die, but they'll learn a lot. You can take the images of monsters from the memory of the Nameless King."

"Understood, understood. Go on. If you haven't forgotten, you left Reynal alone with her mother and sister, and in that condition. Get ready for a beating," the lizard cackled and flew off with the angels.

The team is ready to face the beast of the apocalypse and Rizevim. The safari to the dragons' habitat can be postponed. I'll go there before the Scandinavians arrive.

***

Leaving the fallen one in the care of Akeno and Shuri, especially without telling them enough about what had happened, was very rash of me. But, thank God, the gods, random chance, and some other cosmic unknown shit, the girls quickly surrounded their friend (they had known each other since our life in Grigori) with care and attention, listening to her misadventures and offering their shoulders as a vest. I returned during another hysterical outburst, so I wasn't noticed by the tearful faces sitting hugging each other on the sofa. It was a striking display of solidarity. I took out a couple of bottles of wine, looking at the empty ones, and poured it into glasses.

"Verg. — They finally noticed me." "Where were you?"

"Cleaning up." I frown. "I don't want to give the demons any extra information; they're already too proactive."

Reinal looked at me with her tear-stained eyes and asked.

"Did you... did you find them?"

"Yes," I nod. "But there wasn't much left. I burned everything with light."

The fallen one burst into tears again and buried her face in my collarbone. When did you manage to get here? Akeno and Shuri, who were watching our actions, just smiled and nodded.

"We agree," my mother said silently.

"What?" I didn't quite understand.

"We agree with her candidacy," the woman nodded to herself. "We all know her well, so having Reinal in our small circle won't cause any problems. Especially since she lost her family. Akeno and I hope that with your help, we can pull Reinal out of her depression."

Seeing my eyes widen in surprise, they laughed silently and, after drinking some more wine, pulled her towards them, sending me away.

"Don't bother, we're girls, we'll have a little evening of revelations to distract the poor thing," Akeno said to me and ushered me out of the house. I hope they don't find my box of Asgardian booze...

Where should I go now? It's still two weeks before the Excaliburs arrive in the city. Training? Experiments? What an interesting choice. The main thing is that it's rich.

The whispers of the Grail ghosts grew louder with the return of the souls of the fallen from the Dark Lands. God knows how they got there, but it doesn't matter anymore. While I was busy talking to the resurrected and my family, it wasn't so noticeable. But now, with no distractions, the whispers pressing on my brain became too noticeable. The annoying shadows took on additional contours. They reach out their hands, wanting to touch me, screaming.

Sighing several times and clearing my head of intrusive thoughts, I raise my eyes to the sky.

Maybe I can finally deal with Sazex's blood? Clean it, modify it, inoculate it. After all, the power of the Baels is very cool and won't be superfluous. But I am distracted by a small rune circle that appears near my ear.

"Verg?" It was Azazel. "Are you free?"

"Yes, did you want something?

"Talk. About what happened at the game." The fallen one's tone suggested he wouldn't wait.

"If that's the case..." I teleported and found myself standing in his office, where glasses and a bottle of Asgardian ale — that rare swill that can get us drunk — were already waiting on the table. "Who am I to refuse you?" I sat down in a chair, crossed my legs, and looked at Azazel.

"Let's start with your mood swings and that smile. You know what I mean." My uncle's eyes studied my face, searching for something only he knew.

"Okay." I shrugged. I didn't have much to lose. "I'll tell you the truth, I won't even try to dodge the question... well, maybe a little." I made myself comfortable and took a sip of my drink. "You would have found out anyway, once you gained access to the system. And you will get access, if not now, then later, because Azazel is the only competent and intelligent artefact maker of that level, and he is loyal, especially after signing the contract. Michael will give you the opportunity to dig into the divine system and patch it up. And once you have access to it, you would sooner or later find out that Lucifer's soul was sealed inside it.

"That's... not hard to believe." The fallen angel drank his glass and refilled it. "Continue."

"After the gene implantation, the system decided that my body was suitable for resurrecting the archangel, but there was a problem. My artefact sent everyone to hell and sealed the resurrected one inside itself. That's where we met, talked, got to know each other. But the mechanism decided to merge our souls. At that moment, Az choked, and while he was coughing, I continued. "I'm the dominant personality, he's the one being absorbed. So I am me. Don't worry, I have his memories and some special powers. That's all, almost. Just a few little things.

"And you, as I understand it, didn't want to talk about it." My uncle narrowed his eyes.

"Well, yes, why would you need to know about that? Seriously, what difference would it make?" I raised an eyebrow.

"WHAT?! Are you kidding? The appearance of a new Lucifer won't go unnoticed!" he flared up. "You'll be the centre of attention no matter what.

"So? I'll be in the spotlight for a while, then they'll forget. Not right away, but eventually. I'm not going to get involved in politics, at least not of my own free will. And if they start harassing or threatening me... Drayg will help me, and my artefact is far from weak, just like me. We'll kill them and use their souls for artefacts! Or feed them to someone. Who cares.

"M-m-m-m," the fallen man clutched his head. "Why me?! Where did I sin? Father! And you can't bring me back. All that's left is to accept it. Except," he narrowed his eyes, "Lutz had a bad habit of torturing and killing anyone he didn't like. How can you be sure he won't decide we're the ones he doesn't like?

"If anything, the red one will knock some sense into you. He's my safety net.

"Oh, f*ck. This is karma, definitely karma," muttered the fallen one. "In any case, I'll keep an eye on you. I'll gather information about your condition and so on. I don't even need to be nearby, just don't break my data collection spell.

"Okay." I watch as Az creates a rune circle that settles on my body. "It will fly off in battle, I warn you."

"Just hang around for a week, and we'll see what happens." My uncle waved his hand, indicating that the conversation was over.

I teleported back to the lab and could finally get to work on the blood.

Cleaning the blood took several hours. During this time, I tried to concentrate on the process, pushing the whispers further into the back of my mind. I had mixed success.

The gene implantation was successful. Lucifer's memory helped. I remembered the moment when I created the first Bael and implanted in him the power that the fallen angel himself did not use. Why didn't he use it? It was simple: at the time when he wanted to implant this power in himself, which would have developed thanks to his angelic origins, the Grail was taken from him, depriving him of the regeneration he so desperately needed. Only a demon could painlessly accept the power of destruction, and he was more of a mixture, just like me. But I had something he didn't: the artefact.

Moments stretched out, time turned into thick jelly, allowing me to literally feel its flow.

"Your mother!" — the whisper of many voices grew louder again, making it impossible to concentrate on anything.

"Your... MOTHER!" I couldn't stand the pressure that wasn't directed at Cepesh, lost my temper, and released the excess energy that had built up during the gene transfer into space.

"Well... that was strange," said the dragon, scratching his jaw. "Why did those pathetic souls suddenly start attacking you?

"I don't know." I had already calmed down, as the voices were no longer audible after my outburst. "We need to correct the data that Azazel's spell received, otherwise he won't like the result." I grunted, interfering with the spell's work and changing the information it had received. And five minutes later... "Done." I relaxed wearily. "I don't feel any increase in strength."

"How can I put it? I can see it better from my side, so try to strike it with the desire to split it into molecules." The dragon sat in the same position as before.

I concentrated, stirring up my emotions, wanting to destroy the mannequin in front of me, but the result was the same magic, albeit with a hint of death energy thanks to the Grail.

"Well, to hell with it," I sighed, cleaning my clothes. "I'm too lazy to check everything, let it remain an untrained ability for now. Right now, I'd better get some sleep. Preferably forty hours.

I teleport to my warm, even hot bed and instantly fall asleep, hugging my soft pillow.

***

A sound like the howling of a hellhound in spring pierced my temples, causing a dull pain. Damn the bastard who came up with that alarm clock sound! But at least it helps me wake up.

"Mmm-hmm," someone mumbled something incoherent from the side and, snuggling under the blanket, threw it aside. "Brother," she reached for my neck to hug Akeno, "I'm tired, carry me to the bathroom."

"What did you do to get so tired?" I asked sarcastically, already knowing the answer.

"I won't drink your alcohol anymore, only wine and only in small doses." The girl grabbed her head with her hands and moaned. "Help me."

"No," I say, watching my relative's hangover with some pleasure. "It's your first time, and it should be unforgettable. Mwahahaha. Don't hit me!" My sister's sharp fist rams into my side, which is not very pleasant. "Let's go to school. I'll make you a headache cocktail before you leave. And for Mum and Reynal..." I looked around the room, where girls were sleeping in different corners, hugging chairs and armchairs. "Mmm-hmm."

***

Digging into the minds of the fallen souls I had caught during the massacre in the church was fruitful, even though it took up all my study time. But I went a little too far and burned their personalities, leaving only a vegetable patch. Of course, sending them to reincarnation would be too rash and wasteful, because such a source of energy doesn't just lie around on the road, especially not souls that are not human, but angelic.

"Vergil-senpai?" Koneko addressed me. "Excuse me, but the president and Sona-senpai would like to see you."

"Let's skip the senpai and other Japanese nonsense, I asked you to. — I grimaced at such an address. — Come on, show me where the whole world of our academy has gathered. — I beckoned my sister with my hand and followed the cat.

It turned out that the horned ones had gathered in the student council office, where they were sipping tea and chatting casually. But as soon as my majesty entered this den of vice and bureaucracy, they immediately stopped talking and turned their attention to us.

"Madam President, Sona-senpai, I brought them," White reported, settling down on a chair by the wall and starting to crack open some cookies.

I, dragging my sister behind me, sat down on a chair without asking permission, grabbing some tasty treats from Koneko on the way, for which I was rewarded with a murderous look.

"I'm all ears," I said, passing Akeno the second cookie I had taken from the cat using telekinesis, and crossing my legs to begin the conversation.

"We've received strange reports of magical disturbances in the area around the church," Sitri began. "And we'd like to find out what's causing them."

"There were some problems, but they were resolved very quickly," I shrugged. "Nothing you need to know about."

"We are the masters of this city, and we must be aware of what is happening here! What if it could be dangerous for us and the residents?" Rias slams her palm on the table.

"What does that have to do with me?" I raise an eyebrow and look at the girl and her friend as if they were crazy. "If you want to know, set up a surveillance network, summon some minor demon assistants to patrol the area and report anything unusual. You could scan the city yourselves for new elements. Why should I report to you?" I tilted my head to the side. "Seriously, I have other work to do, and you're my subordinates, not my bosses."

"Grr," Rias growled, and I melted. She looked too much like a hamster. A hamster with red fur.

"Calm down, friend." Sitri put her hand on Gremory's shoulder. "He's right, but still." She turned her gaze to me. "If we had known what happened, we could have helped or prepared ourselves."

"Well, you couldn't have helped, you're not in the same weight class, so even preparation wouldn't have saved you. And for God's sake, if you want to know what's going on, ask your own people, not some hired hands. Seriously, who in their right mind would give you that information?

"Mmm," Sitri massaged her temples, "I knew it would be useless. I dare not delay you any longer.

"You really should set up your surveillance network. — I'm giving you useless advice," — At least you'll understand that this isn't a city, but a transit yard. — A flash and teleportation.

"Asshole," Sona snorted.

"That's not the word for it," Rias pouted.

***

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