Rizevim cut the communication link.
The moment the magic circle dissipated, the corners of Sebastian’s mouth curled slightly.
He snapped his fingers and opened another communication spell, this time connecting directly to Sirzechs Lucifer.
“Sebastian?
I heard you traveled to the human realm recently.
Did something happen?” Sirzechs’s voice was far warmer than Rizevim’s.
Sebastian skipped the small talk.
“I picked up some intelligence.
Rizevim believes the recent movement from Heaven is a cover for a squad of Knights led by a Holy Sword Wielder.
He plans to steal those Holy Swords.
I investigated the area Heaven is targeting, and it appears the recent Devil attack on the church—along with the priest who reported it—was staged entirely by Rizevim.”
“Sirzechs,” Sebastian added calmly, “it’s a trap.
He is trying to manipulate both Heaven and the Underworld.
If this escalates, it could trigger another Great War.”
Sirzechs’s tone turned grave.
He did not question the reliability of the information; when it came to threats of that scale, he could not afford to take risks.
He also knew Sebastian was putting himself in constant danger as an insider within Rizevim’s circle.
“Sebastian, do not get involved in what happens next,” Sirzechs warned.
“Leave it to us.
Keep your head down and make sure your cover isn’t blown.
If things go wrong, contact me immediately.
I will personally come to get you out.”
“Understood.”
After a few more words, Sirzechs ended the call.
Sebastian stood up and walked to the window, watching the sun hover over the horizon.
A slow smile spread across his face.
A squad of Holy Sword Wielders…
a few strategic lies…
Two short calls were all it took to set the board.
Whatever happened next was out of his hands, and even if the situation spiraled into complete chaos, it did not matter.
By the time the dust settled, he would already possess the infinite magical energy of the Third Magic.
In the quiet of his private training grounds, Sebastian reflected on the changes occurring within him ever since he touched the threshold of Satan-class power.
He had been testing his limits, maintaining his Devil Trigger until his magical energy was entirely depleted.
Only then did he drop the transformation.
The crushing, Satan-class pressure vanished instantly, and his overall energy signature plummeted.
Yet, this time, Sebastian was not focused on the temporary drop in strength.
He was analyzing a subtle detail: the moment his Devil Trigger deactivated, the demonic power did not dissipate into the air like standard magical energy.
Instead, it was pulled directly back into his core.
He spent a long time analyzing the phenomenon.
If I view this through the lens of my old world’s knowledge, transformation abilities are methods of drawing out innate demonic power.
Devil Trigger releases that power, while Sin Devil Trigger strips away the human facade entirely.
He muttered to himself, “If the human form is simply a tightly sealed shell hiding a Devil’s true nature, then power retracting back into the body makes total sense.
I am a pure-blooded Devil of the Lucifer line.
My transformation is simply pulling out the latent power within my own bloodline.”
This realization solved another mystery that had troubled him: why his Devil Trigger felt less overwhelming compared to legendary figures like Dante or Vergil.
It was not just about base strength; it was about the bloodline itself.
The original Lucifer had fought alongside the other three original Satans against God, possessing strength near the level of a Super Devil.
If I combine the full potential of the Lucifer bloodline with my own cultivated strength, resolve my energy consumption issues through infinite magical power, and master Sin Devil Trigger…
my transformed state should easily reach the level of a Dragon God.
He scratched his head, weighing his options.
A power level comparable to the Dragon Gods was more than enough to dominate the world of High School DxD.
However, relying on that alone would not be enough if he ever had to face threats beyond this world.
Even Great Red had eventually fallen.
Dante eventually surpassed his father Sparda because his own base strength grew, Sebastian reasoned.
The limitation isn’t the transformation—it’s my current base form.
Right now, without transforming, I am only around the level of a Middle-Class Devil.
He smirked.
If my transformation taps directly into my bloodline, then drawing a top-tier bloodline in the future will give me an immediate leap in power.
But for now, fixing my magical energy reserves is the priority.
While tension mounted among the leaders of the factions, Fuyuki City remained quiet.
In a secluded room, Sajyou Ayaka sat quietly, flipping through a book.
“It’s about time,” she murmured, a faint smile gracing her face.
“I thought they would come to us first, but it seems they aren’t going to make the first move.”
She closed the book.
She had seen the previous battles in the city, but they no longer held her interest.
She wanted to see the intruder fight once more—the one who, despite being battered after defeating Saint George, had still dared to draw his blade against Solomon.
Solomon stood beside her in silence.
He was well aware that his Master was unusual in almost every aspect, but to him, it made no difference.
In another part of the city, inside the Einzbern estate, Irisviel suddenly set down her utensils, her eyes narrowing.
“Someone has entered the domain.”
Her gentle expression instantly shifted to high alert.
The Einzbern Great Barrier was active.
After Sebastian took over the territory, he had Grayfia completely upgrade the boundary field.
It could now share visual feeds directly and even launch defensive attacks.
Sebastian was already planning to construct a similar defensive network for the Lucifer territory once he returned to the Underworld.
“Who is it?” Sebastian asked, though he already had a strong guess.
“It is Solomon, along with his Master,” Irisviel reported.
Then she blinked in surprise.
“Wait…
his Master is a young girl.”
Sebastian paused.
Not the Old Director?
“Share the vision with me,” he said.
Irisviel nodded, and the image captured by the barrier appeared in Sebastian’s mind.
Standing next to Solomon was indeed a young girl with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a clean Western-style dress.
As if sensing his gaze, she turned her head toward the barrier’s focal point and smiled brightly.
Sajyou Ayaka?
Sebastian’s expression darkened.
She is the Master contracted to the Heroic Spirit Solomon?
What kind of absurd combination is this?
Recognizing the threat, Sebastian cut the visual feed.
His sudden shift in posture made the rest of the room tense up.
“Lord Sebastian, what’s wrong?” Kuroka asked, her ears twitching.
Sebastian suppressed the rising tension in his chest.
“Prepare for combat, but we are changing the plan.”
He had originally intended to use superior numbers to crush Solomon.
He and Grayfia would lead the main attack, while Artoria, Kuroka, and the others would handle Solomon’s summonings.
But with Sajyou Ayaka in the picture, the calculus had completely changed.
“I will handle Solomon alone,” Sebastian stated.
Grayfia and Kuroka exchanged stunned looks, both glancing instinctively at Artoria.
Artoria, however, looked noticeably relieved.
She had always disliked the idea of ganging up on a single opponent.
“Master,” she offered, “as a Servant, it would be more appropriate for me to engage Solomon.”
“No,” Sebastian said firmly.
He looked around the room at his Peerage.
“Grayfia, Kuroka…
Ingvild, if you can control your Sacred Gear, you come too.
You have only one task: stall the enemy Master.
Don’t worry about defeating her—just keep her occupied!”
Grayfia stared at him.
She never questioned his orders, but the directive was unusual.
“Lord Sebastian, is there something dangerous about their Master?”
“Yes,” Sebastian replied, his mind racing as he recalled everything he knew about Sajyou Ayaka.