Highschool DxD : Actually Satan

Chapter 32: Character Development



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Tia stood in the middle of the cramped, dimly lit room, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, her face twisted in sheer disgust.

The walls were lined with shelves packed to the brim with questionable doujins, stacks of DVDs with equally questionable covers, and a monitor that she really didn't want to check the search history of.

Ronan, perched on Leo's shoulder, took one look at the surroundings, fluffed up his feathers, and cawed in what could only be described as deep disappointment.

"Caw" ( ̄ヘ ̄)

"This... this is revolting," Tia said, her voice filled with horror. "I feel tainted just breathing the air in here."

Leo, meanwhile, was losing it. He clutched his stomach, laughing as he leaned against the doorway, pointing and laughing at her.

"Oh, come on, Tia. I didn't think a mighty dragon like you would be scared of a little culture."

She shot him a glare before her eyes flicked to the computer desk.

Her face twisted even further as she pointed at the white stain, her arm trembling as if she had just discovered some eldritch horror.

"Leo. Is that—?"

Leo followed her gaze, took one look, and immediately understood. "Oh —."

Tia gagged, physically backing away from the computer. "Gross. Gross. GROSS!" she chanted like a broken record while her hands were crossed, her steps exaggerated as she tiptoed away like she was escaping a landmine field.

Ronan, for once, mirrored her reaction exactly, puffing up like a horrified cat and cawing loudly in agreement.

"Caw!! Caw!" (´ж`ς)

He flapped his wings wildly before launching himself onto Tia's head, apparently deciding her was the safest, least-tainted place to be.

Leo, meanwhile, was doubled over, laughing so hard he had to clutch his knees. "I— I didn't think I'd see the day where one of the most powerful dragons in existence is terrified of some dried-up gamer juice."

"DON'T CALL IT THAT!" she shrieked, hands shooting up to her ears like she was trying to erase the words from her mind.

Ronan cawed again, this time with a sound that was disturbingly close to a dry heave.

But just as Tia thought she had made her escape, her foot landed on a suspiciously soft pile of clothes.

The moment she realized what she had stepped on, her entire body froze. Then, slowly, she looked down.

Big mistake.

The second she saw the rumpled state of the fabric, the stains—oh gods, the stains—she let out a sharp, horrified scream and launched herself into the air, her wings manifesting on pure instinct.

"NOPE! NOPE! NOPE! I'M OUT—THIS PLACE IS CURSED!"

Ronan, still on her head, flapped frantically. "Caw!! Caw!!" (v⚆ᗝ⚆v)

Leo was on the floor at this point, wheezing between cackles. "T-Tia, oh my god—You—HAAHAHAA!!"

"I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS DDRAIG'S SUCCESSOR!" she wailed mid-air, looking genuinely betrayed. "THIS IS BEYOND EMBARRASSING! THIS IS A VIOLATION OF EVERYTHING SACRED!"

Leo wiped a tear from his eye, still grinning. "Hey, I bet Ddraig's been screaming in shame inside that Sacred Gear for years, if he was aware of his surroundings."

Ronan dramatically flopped onto Tia's head, his wings drooping and him nodding. "Caw…" (v⇀‸↼‶v)

Tia shuddered, landing gingerly on a clean spot in the room. "No. This is worse than shame."

She took one last look around, horror still evident on her face. "This is blasphemy."

Leo watched as a ball of chaos magic slowly formed in Tia's hand, crackling ominously with destructive energy. Meanwhile, Ronan, still perched on her head, cheered her on enthusiastically.

" Caw!!"(v`ヘ´)=🔥

Leo, with the deadpan patience of a man who had seen too much, sighed. "Now, now, I understand your reaction, but don't you think that's a bit much?"

Tia didn't even look at him. Her expression was that of someone with 100% motivation, as if she had never been so sure of anything in her life.

"No," she said flatly. "It's a perfect reaction."

Leo crossed his arms. "Okay, but if you kill him, you won't be able to bully Ddraig."

Tia froze. The chaos magic in her hand flickered.

Then, as if someone had flipped a switch, all emotion drained from her face. The ball of chaos magic disappeared like it had never existed.

Ronan let out a disappointed caw. "Caw…"(v ̄︿ ̄v)

Tia turned to Leo, her expression now one of pure business. "Okay. Can we begin now?"

Leo smirked. "Sure. But before we do that…"

He snapped his fingers, and instantly, the room changed.

The air became fresh. The stains, the questionable piles of clothes, the general sense of moral corruption—all of it was wiped clean in an instant. It was as if conceptually the room had never known filth.

Leo held out his hand, and with a small flick of his fingers, a triangular prism of pure energy flickered into existence.

The construct pulsed faintly, like a muclear core wrapped in purple glass.

Without further ado, he pressed it firmly against Issei's chest.

The glowing prism phased into the unconscious pervert's body, vanishing beneath his skin.

Tia, watching with curiosity, crossed her arms. "What's that?"

"Well…" Leo said, turning to her with a shrug, "I don't exactly want to kill the dude. So, it's better if we have a backdoor to his soul. This way, we can reach the Sacred Gear directly—without your aura frying the poor bastard like a microwave dinner."

Tia paused, tapping her chin as if giving it serious thought. "Yeah… kinda makes sense," she said, nodding in agreement.

Leo grinned slightly, reaching out and scooping Ronan into his palm. The crow, proud and dignified, puffed out his feathers—only for Leo to ruffle his head like a pet owner fussing over their dog.

"You're done here, bud. Go home," Leo said, walking over to the window and pushing it open.

Ronan, still fluffed up, hopped onto the windowsill, turned back dramatically, and gave a final, dignified "Caw!"(v^_^)v

Justice delayed is justice denied."

"Yeah, yeah," Leo muttered, rolling his eyes.

With that, Ronan spread his wings and took off into the night.

Leo turned back to Tia, reached out, and clasped her hand. She blinked in surprise but didn't pull away.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied.

The air shimmered around them as their forms began to

blur. In a flicker of distorted light, they both dematerialized, vanishing.

Ddraig was drifting in the depths of slumber, his consciousness nestled deep within the Sacred Gear. Time passed strangely in this state — moments stretched into eternities, yet eternity itself felt like a fleeting breath. He was content, undisturbed, and frankly, a little too comfortable.

Until something very wrong happened.

A sudden, crushing pressure descended upon him, like a mountain being dropped on his chest. His senses flared in alarm, instincts screaming as his once-calm slumber turned into a storm of violence.

What the hell—

Before he could fully grasp what was happening, something — no, someone — lashed out.

WHAM!

A solid, bone-rattling kick slammed into the side of his head. His entire vision spun, his essence recoiling from the unexpected assault.

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF—" Ddraig roared, his voice echoing through the Sacred Gear's empty void.

His massive, draconic form twisted in place, scales gleaming bright as his fiery aura ignited around him.

"WHAT THE FU—"

His eyes focused just in time to feel the sting on his snout. Confused and half-awake, he groggily shook his head.

Then... he felt it.

That aura. Cold. Furious. Familiar.

"Oh no..."

His pupils shrank to pinpricks.

"TIAMAT?!"

Panic surged through him like wildfire. Without wasting another second, Ddraig bolted like his tail was on fire, shrinking his massive form and flapping his wings like a panicked pigeon.

"NOPE! NOPE! NOPE!" he shouted, zigzagging wildly through the void of his Sacred Gear.

"WAIT! HOW ARE YOU EVEN HERE?!" he yelled over his shoulder, but he never slowed down.

He shot deeper into the void, weaving through the labyrinth of his host's spiritual space, muttering frantic prayers to whatever cosmic force was willing to listen.

"There's no way she's here. This is impossible. —"

Suddenly, golden bands of light materialized from thin air, snapping tight around his limbs.

"OH, COME ON!"

The chains yanked him back so hard he practically whiplashed through the void. He flailed desperately, claws scraping at the glowing binds.

Even if he could break out of them if he used his powers fully , currently Ddraig was in a state of panic and not thinking clearly.

"THIS IS DRAGON ABUSE!"

Before he could shout another complaint —

POW!

Tia's fist slammed directly into his snout. Ddraig's head snapped back like he'd been hit by a freight train, sparks dancing in his vision.

"OWWWWWW!" Ddraig howled, clutching his face with his claws. "WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS?!"

Through watery eyes, he looked up — and there she was.

Tia, with a smug, self-satisfied grin and her fist still glowing from the punch.

"You deserved that," she said flatly, cracking her knuckles like she was just getting started.

"You're insane!" Ddraig barked, still nursing his snout. "I've been sleeping for years! What could I have possibly done to deserve that?!"

"Oh, nothing much," Tia said sweetly. "Just existing."

"WHAT?! ALSO YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE! WHAT KIND OF TRICKS ARE YOU USING?!"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Tia said smugly.

Ddraig groaned louder, muttering under his breath. "I swear if this is about that time I borrowed gold from you—"

"Borrowed?" Tia's smile vanished, her voice now sharp enough to cut steel.

Ddraig gulped. "I-I'll pay it back!"

"Anyway," Tia said suddenly, her voice casual — almost dismissive. "I don't actually care about the gold."

Ddraig blinked. "Huh?"

For a moment, he was genuinely baffled. His mind raced. Wait... so this isn't about the gold? Then what—

His thoughts cut off as he noticed her expression change.

Tiamat's smile widened — far too much — and her eyes gleamed with wicked delight. Her dragon aura surged like a tidal wave, pressing down on him with suffocating force.

"I just find beating you very enjoyable."

Ddraig's face twisted in horror. "Oh, come on!"

Without warning, her fist came flying — fast and brutal.

BAM!

Ddraig managed to counter with his own clawed fist, grunting as the impact shook his entire body.

"Why?!" he barked, weaving back and throwing another punch.

Tia ducked under it, grinning like a maniac. "I've got to pay you back for all those beatings you gave me in the name of training."

"That was for your own good!" Ddraig snarled, blocking another strike only to get sucker-punched in the ribs.

"Yeah?" Tia sneered. "Well, this is for my good."

POW!

SMASH!

The two dragons launched flurry after flurry of punches, their fists colliding with enough force to shake the void itself.

Ddraig, towering in his massive dragon form, was somehow being manhandled by Tia in her human form, her attacks finding every weak spot he thought he'd buried under scales and pride.

On the sidelines, Leo stood quietly with an awkward sweatdrop forming on his temple.

He watched Ddraig — a mighty dragon in his full glory — flailing to defend himself from a deceptively small, human-looking Tia who seemed far too entertained by this.

There was only one thought in Leo's head.

The daughter is nothing like her mother at all...

"Hey, Leooooo!" Tia called out cheerfully — a little too cheerfully — as she drove her fist directly into Ddraig's eye.

The mighty dragon let out a thunderous roar of agony, rolling around like a wounded lizard.

His massive tail thrashed wildly, flattening imaginary furniture in the void.

Leo winced. That looked painful.

Tia stood over Ddraig's squirming form, her gaze now cold and emotionless — a stark contrast to her earlier smugness. "Turn off his healing factor," she said flatly.

Leo blinked. "Oye Oye Isn't that... kinda too evil?"

Tia didn't answer. She just stared at him — that same cold, detached stare that drained the warmth from the air.

Leo froze.

That look... That's not just a death stare. That's...

His mind flashed back to one of the most horrifying figures he had ever encountered — a being whose very existence defied logic and common sense.

The hellspawn from the pits of salt.

The one who turned Goetia — fucking Goetia — into a Gundam.

The demon of gacha-Gudao.

Leo swallowed hard. ...Sorry, bro. Rest in peace.

With a flick of his fingers, he disabled Ddraig's healing factor.

"WHAT?!" Ddraig's muffled roar boomed as he clutched his swollen, bruised eye.

"Don't worry!" Leo called back, half-grimacing. "Think of it as... character development!"

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Idk man i wonder if my stories are cursed to never hit 1k powerstones.

Power Stones and Reviews please


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