On Rias's peerage side.
Gasper made rapid progress after training in coordinated combat with Rias. While he still couldn't completely eliminate his weaknesses—fear of pain and holy power—he had at least reached the point where those weaknesses no longer affected his fighting.
Koneko's growth was likewise extremely fast, and she was on the verge of breaking through into a true Maou. After all, acquired factors were always variable and never fixed.
Originally, under Akuto's plan, Koneko would have a showdown with her sister, Kuroka, during the tripartite summit.
But because Lavinia was taken by Augusta, the deployment around the White Dragon Star was thrown into chaos. Kuroka ended up running around nonstop to retrieve her adopted big sister, and she had no room to proactively approach Akuto. Because of that, Kuroka also postponed her plan to look for her little sister.
If Kuroka didn't come to Koneko, then naturally Koneko had no chance to confront her.
Afterward, Vali heard that Akuto had captured Augusta and Walburga, and had reclaimed Lavinia's body.
Just as he was preparing to find Akuto and demand answers, Luluya and the "Celestial Centaur Super King Queen" (name unclear) discovered them.
…
From Lavinia, Vali learned the truth.
It turned out Akuto had helped drive out Augusta's soul and repair Lavinia's damaged soul.
More than that, in the process of saving her, Akuto had even helped her evolve her Sacred Gear.
There was no doubt Akuto had done the "Abyss Witch" group a major favor.
Vali felt deeply embarrassed to challenge Akuto right after receiving such a debt of gratitude, yet only a few days later he still issued a challenge anyway.
In the end, he decided to delay the timing of that challenge.
Of course, aside from owing Akuto, another reason was simple: he felt that, at this moment, he was not Akuto's opponent.
Even without seeing it firsthand, Akuto's Chief God-class power displayed during the terror incident was beyond dispute.
That Chief God-class barrier was like an uncrossable chasm in front of Vali. Even if he used "Juggernaut Drive," he probably still wouldn't be able to break through a gap of that magnitude.
Vali's plan was to reach Chief God-class at all costs first, and only then challenge Akuto.
…
Honestly, it was fortunate Vali didn't know how Akuto had "treated" Lavinia.
Otherwise, he would have stormed Akuto's door that very same day.
The way Akuto treated Lavinia was the same as how he treated Saori Tojo, Natsume Minagawa, and Shikuko Nanataki: step one was to secure the bond, and step two was to secure the heart.
When Lavinia was delivered to him, she woke up dazed, her mind still foggy, yet her connection to Akuto was already firmly established.
Under Akuto's bloodline infusion method, Lavinia remained in a sustained state of "fullness" for a long period of time.
Later, during a moment when their souls and bodies resonated in perfect harmony, both of their Sacred Gears underwent evolution.
Lavinia's Sacred Gear, [Eternal Ice Princess], evolved into [Eternal Moment Ice Princess].
And Akuto's Sacred Gear, [Momentary Ice Emperor], evolved into [Momentary Eternal Ice Emperor].
Originally, [Eternal Ice Princess] and [Momentary Ice Emperor] were not particularly outstanding among Sacred Gears. But after evolving, [Momentary Eternal Ice Emperor] gained the heavier "weight" possessed by [Eternal Ice Princess].
Because aside from using them separately, Akuto and Lavinia could also use their Sacred Gears together, unleashing even greater power.
Lavinia herself was a natural airhead-type blonde onee-san. Once she confirmed she and Akuto shared an extraordinary bond, she accepted him with almost no hesitation.
By this point, Akuto's succubus bloodline had advanced to the level where he could judge exactly how deep someone's affection was through physical contact alone.
After confirming Lavinia's loyalty, Akuto gave her an Irregular Piece, told her certain information related to her master, and then let her return to report her safety first.
After the tripartite summit ended, and before he opened the third dungeon instance, Akuto stayed in the DxD world for a total of four days, and then spent another two and a half days traveling east beyond the world's end.
To Vali's group, it looked like Lavinia returned to report her safety on the second day.
But in reality, Lavinia had already spent a very "fulfilling" five days with Akuto.
During that period, aside from Saint Makie Shibato, Akuto paused the baptism scheduling for the other saints and nuns, focusing instead on collecting the Maou Imprints of the Four Great Maou Houses.
After twenty days passed, Akuto had essentially subdued the Four Great Maou Houses completely.
Aside from the Leviathan line he belonged to, Akuto selected, from each of the other three former Maou houses, the most loyal individual to inherit the position of "former Maou."
While a "former Maou" could not compare to a true Maou, in the Underworld, as long as they were willing to submit, they could still receive a quasi-"provisional Maou" status.
Meaning that the standing of these Four Great Maou Houses would even faintly surpass the "King House," "Grand Duke House," and "Noble House" factions.
If these Maou Houses were not still in a "atoning for罪" state, their subordinates would likely accumulate supporters very quickly.
But… as time passed, that "atonement" status would inevitably be lifted.
When that day came, Akuto's own supporters plus the supporters of the Four Great Former Maou Houses would be enough that Akuto believed he alone could fully control over half of the Underworld's power.
…
Finally, there was the rogue mage organization, "Witch's Night."
Akuto understood very clearly what those witches pursued.
Beyond pursuing chaos and causing trouble, their greatest pursuit was knowledge.
Any knowledge tied to the mage domain—magic, formations, alchemy, pharmacy, and more—so long as it was mage knowledge, they held an unprecedented interest in it.
It just so happened that Akuto possessed a book: [Thirteen Holy Arts — The Formless Book of Unnamed Seals].
"Do you know what this is?"
Summoning Augusta and Walburga to his side, Akuto took out the Nameless Spellbook.
In front of him, the rejuvenated Augusta and Walburga exchanged a glance.
"This is… a grimoire?"
They couldn't see everything within it, but just from the forbidden-spell-grade formations embedded in the book itself, they could tell it was extraordinarily advanced.
Originally, they thought Akuto had called them over to have them serve him. After living at Akuto's side for a time, they had seen far too many girls enter Akuto's room.
So before arriving, both of them had deliberately put on their favorite outfits.
Akuto, naturally, noticed their change in attire.
…
At first glance, Akuto's mind instantly produced the name "Yukari Yakumo."
Their faces weren't the same, and their aura wasn't the same, but in terms of flamboyance and style, their witch outfits were remarkably similar to that impression.
…
Walburga's styling was still purple gothic in tone, as usual, but the noble and luxurious feel of this "banquet outfit" surpassed her ordinary "going out outfit" by who-knew-how-much.
The princess-style gothic-lolita dress was adorned with complex yet orderly patterns, making the whole ensemble radiate refined extravagance.
Her fair skin and expensive purple fabric complemented each other. At her thighs, the deliberately exposed "absolute territory" caught the sunlight, looking healthy and alluring.
If that were all, then Walburga would merely be a princess-like goth girl who loved purple.
But…
Combined with her naturally "unhinged" temperament and the holy aura carried by the Holy Cross, that strange sensation—holy yet bewitching—transformed her from a "cute sheltered girl" into a "landmine princess" brimming with dangerous madness.
That contrast—noble yet manic, seductive yet sacred—perfectly matched the kind of destructive charm Akuto associated with that archetype.
Of course, unlike ordinary "landmine" girls, Augusta and Walburga were on an entirely different level. The damage they could cause was exponentially higher.
As for Augusta, her outfit was similar in theme, only more mature in style.
Unlike Walburga, Augusta had been prepared from the start. When Akuto rebuilt her body, she already understood how different Akuto was from ordinary people, and why he had restored her to her most radiant, youthful prime.
In short, standing before Akuto now was a witch master-and-apprentice pair dressed in two distinct styles of purple: mature elegance and youthful splendor.
…
Seeing they were mentally prepared, Akuto continued at an unhurried pace.
"That's right. A grimoire. But unlike an ordinary grimoire, this one can automatically record every spellcraft in the DxD world at Chief God-class and below."
"…What?!"
The moment Akuto said that, Augusta and Walburga instantly lost composure.
After realizing the Nameless Spellbook could catalogue all spellcraft in the world, they immediately verified it.
With a single thought, the spellcraft they wanted appeared in front of them.
A grimoire like this was nothing less than a divine gift to all mages.
"Do you want it?"
Akuto smiled, closed the Nameless Spellbook, and looked at the gorgeously dressed witch master and apprentice.
"We… we want it…"
Their eyes overflowed with a visible thirst. This Nameless Spellbook absolutely qualified as the ultimate treasure for all mages.
"If you want it, you understand what you must pay."
"I'm not a generous man. I only keep good things for my own people."
At that, Augusta and Walburga exchanged a look, seeing resolve in each other's eyes.
"Akuto-sama. We accept the wager's outcome. We accept your terms."
Slowly, the two knelt devoutly before Akuto, placing their hands—still wrapped in white lace gloves—across their foreheads, and bowed.
Akuto was satisfied with their response.
Seeing two witches who were once wildly unrestrained display such a posture of submission in front of him brought a strong surge of conquest to the surface.
Not long after, the atmosphere in the room shifted decisively.
From there, what followed was not something to be spelled out in detail. What mattered was the result: Akuto accepted their surrender, and the witch master-and-apprentice pair became firmly bound to his side—both in allegiance and in the exchange that sealed it.
(End of Chapter)
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