The ground beneath Arthur's feet began to tremble violently, as if the island itself were reacting to something far beyond its comprehension.
The air grew heavy, charged with an invisible pressure that made even breathing feel slightly unnatural.
[Activating Dimensional Travel System]
In front of him, space itself started to distort. At first, it was subtle like heat ripples bending the air but within seconds, thin cracks began to spread across the fabric of reality. They stretched outward, jagged and unstable, as if the world had become fragile glass on the verge of shattering.
Then—
With a deafening sound resembling breaking crystal, the cracks exploded outward, forming a massive tear in space.
The very concept of "distance" seemed to collapse around it.
Reality peeled open.
The hole pulsed erratically, its edges flickering with unstable energy, while a high-pitched, mechanical ringing filled the air, drilling into Arthur's ears in a way that made it impossible to ignore.
[Wait for the crack to stabilize, host, then jump in.]
Arthur folded his arms, staring at the phenomenon with narrowed eyes as the tear gradually expanded, slowly forming a more stable and defined shape.
"I swear, if I die here, my ghost is going to haunt you forever."
[This system would very much like to see you try, host.]
Arthur raised an eyebrow slightly, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
"You're getting bold."
[If this change in behavior is undesirable, this system can revert to its previous personality.]
Arthur let out a quiet chuckle.
"No, leave it. It's actually more interesting this way."
Time seemed to stretch unnaturally as he waited. The distortion wasn't just affecting space—it was influencing time itself, making each passing second feel elongated and strangely heavy.
Eventually, the violent tremors subsided.
The ringing faded.
The tear stabilized.
Its edges stopped flickering wildly, and the interior of the rift settled into a deep, incomprehensible darkness.
[Now, host.]
Arthur inhaled slowly, steadying himself. There was no point hesitating now.
With a firm push off the ground, he leaped forward.
The moment he entered—
Everything disappeared.
For a brief instant, there was nothing. No light, no sound, no sense of direction.
Then, gradually, his vision returned.
What he saw defied comprehension.
An endless void stretched in every direction, a vast expanse of darkness dotted with distant formations that resembled nebulae—clouds of energy swirling slowly like cosmic storms frozen in time. Colors that didn't belong to any natural spectrum shimmered faintly within them, creating a surreal, almost dreamlike environment.
Arthur felt his body lose all sense of weight.
For a moment, he was disoriented, his balance completely gone as gravity ceased to exist. His instincts kicked in quickly, and after a brief adjustment, he stabilized himself, shifting into a controlled freefall posture.
[Activating traveler's guide...]
The moment the system finished speaking, beams of light appeared around him, forming a cylindrical path that enclosed his body. The light pulsed softly, guiding him forward like a tunnel through the void.
Arthur's gaze sharpened as he focused ahead.
In the distance, he could see another distortion forming—a second tear, smaller than the first but clearly functioning as an exit point.
"That must be it…"
[An optimal arrival point for the host is being calculated...]
A faint tension crept into the atmosphere.
[The best landing point has been found.]
The system paused for a fraction of a second before continuing, its tone noticeably sharper.
[Please accelerate, host. External predators have been detected approaching your position.]
Arthur's expression changed instantly.
Without hesitation, he pushed his body forward, accelerating rapidly through the tunnel of light. The speed was immense, the surrounding space blurring as he moved.
Then—
He felt them.
Presences.
Many of them.
Each one carried an overwhelming weight, easily comparable to Maou-class beings. Their existence alone radiated hostility, a suffocating malice that made his instincts scream in warning.
In the distance, he could see them.
A dark mass moving like a living swarm, shifting and writhing like a cloud of locusts devouring everything in their path. Their forms were indistinct, but the sheer density of their energy was enough to make it clear—they were predators of this space.
And they had noticed him.
Arthur clenched his jaw slightly and pushed himself even harder, his speed increasing as he raced toward the exit.
The distance closed rapidly.
The swarm followed.
For a brief moment, it felt like they might catch him—
Then—
He crossed the threshold.
The world vanished again.
---
When his vision returned, the first thing he saw was a bright, clear blue sky stretching endlessly above him.
The sudden contrast from the void was almost jarring.
Arthur blinked once, his senses quickly adjusting as he took in his surroundings.
"Where are we, Jarvis?"
[Host, we are currently in—]
He raised a hand slightly, cutting it off as his gaze fixed on the horizon.
"Wait… Jarvis I already know."
A faint smile spread across his face, one filled with genuine excitement.
"I'm looking at something incredible."
[Host, this system would like to remind you that its name is not Jarvis.]
Arthur chuckled softly.
"I know, I know. I'll give you a proper name later."
His eyes remained locked on the structure in the distance.
An enormous tower.
Black.
Monolithic.
It rose from the center of the land like a pillar connecting earth and sky, so massive that it seemed to dominate the entire landscape. Surrounding it was a vast circular city, filled with buildings that resembled a medieval civilization, bustling with life even from afar.
Arthur exhaled slowly, his smile widening.
"Babel… the labyrinth city of Orario."
He took a step forward, his voice filled with certainty.
"I'm in the world of Danmachi… aren't I?"
Ding!
[Congratulations to the host for correctly identifying the world.]
Arthur's excitement didn't fade.
"If that's the case… what point in time am I in?"
[Three weeks before the beginning of the main story.]
"That's perfect."
There was no hesitation in his steps as he began walking toward the massive gates of the city, his expression bright, almost eager.
Meanwhile, in the world of High School DxD, time seemed to crawl forward in Arthur's absence, each passing day stretching longer than the last.
The moment he vanished, a subtle disturbance rippled through space itself. It was faint, almost imperceptible to the untrained, yet powerful enough to be noticed by those at the top of the supernatural hierarchy.
Several factions sensed it - the Devils, the Angels, even a few of the Fallen but none of them bothered to investigate too deeply. For beings accustomed to strange phenomena, it was easier to dismiss it as an anomaly rather than expend effort chasing something uncertain.
However, for the people closest to Arthur, there was nothing vague or ignorable about his disappearance.
Inside Arthur's house, what could only be described as an emergency meeting was underway. The atmosphere was tense, thick with anxiety that no one could quite put into words. At the center of the discussion was a tracking circle that had been secretly placed on him as a precaution. It had always functioned perfectly—until now.
The signal had completely vanished.
"It's possible he deactivated it himself without realizing it," Ravel suggested after a long silence, her tone calm but not entirely convincing even to her own ears. "With his power, it wouldn't be strange if he disrupted the spell unintentionally."
Her reasoning made sense on the surface, yet no one present felt reassured by it.
Because at the exact moment the tracking signal disappeared, a spatial disturbance had been detected in the same location.
That coincidence was far too precise to ignore.
The discussion continued for hours, voices rising and falling as each of them tried to find a logical explanation, but in the end, nothing they said managed to ease the growing unease in their hearts. They were left with only uncertainty—and that was far more terrifying than any confirmed danger.
During the first week, each of them tried to cope in their own way.
Rias buried herself in responsibilities, maintaining a composed exterior even as her thoughts constantly drifted back to Arthur.
Asia clung to small routines, trying to stay positive and convincing herself that he would return soon.
Ravel attempted to analyze the situation logically, searching for patterns and possibilities, even though none of them led anywhere concrete.
Akeno… struggled the most.
By the second week, the tension had only intensified. The atmosphere among them resembled that of a household waiting for someone who should have returned long ago, every passing hour amplifying their worry.
At Venelana's suggestion, they all moved to the Gremory residence in the Underworld while Arthur's home in the human world underwent renovations. The change of environment was meant to distract them, to provide some sense of stability, but even that could not fully suppress the anxiety gnawing at their hearts.
Venelana, with her experience and calm demeanor, took it upon herself to support them. She spoke gently, offering reassurance born from years of watching her own husband leave and return countless times. Her words carried weight, and slowly, Rias, Asia, and even Ravel began to regain some sense of normalcy after long conversations with her.
But Akeno…
Akeno was different.
She ate less with each passing day, often pushing her food around without taking a single bite. She spent long hours staring out of windows, her usual playful and teasing expression replaced by an unsettling emptiness. When she slept, it wasn't restful—it was more like an escape, her body trying to shut down the storm of thoughts she refused to voice.
To anyone unfamiliar with her, she might have appeared fine.
But to those who truly knew her… the truth was obvious.
Venelana, Rias, and Grayfia understood all too well what was happening. Akeno's past was not something easily forgotten—her mother's death, her father's absence, and the feeling of being abandoned had carved deep scars into her heart. Arthur's sudden disappearance had unknowingly reopened those wounds, dragging buried fears back to the surface.
No matter how much they tried to talk to her, her responses remained the same—gentle smiles, soft reassurances, and deflections that avoided the real issue entirely.
It was as if she was trying to convince herself more than anyone else.
In the end, there was nothing they could do but wait… and hope.
By the third week, even Ravel found herself unable to remain composed. She decided to return temporarily to her family home, seeking her mother's advice and guidance. For someone as pragmatic as her, admitting uncertainty was not easy, but this situation had long surpassed the limits of logic.
At the same time, Rias and Sona arranged a private meeting, one that neither of them spoke about beforehand.
Whatever was discussed between them carried enough weight that, shortly after, an intense battle broke out between the two factions. The clash lasted for hours, shaking the surroundings with its intensity. Neither side held back, as if they were venting frustrations that had been building for weeks.
And yet, when it ended, both of them returned as if nothing had happened.
No explanation was given.
No questions were answered.
It was assumed they had reached some kind of understanding through that confrontation, and given their history, no one found it particularly strange.
Time continued to pass, though for Akeno and Asia, it felt unbearably slow. To distract themselves, they began helping the Gremory household staff, immersing themselves in simple tasks just to keep their minds occupied.
When the fourth week arrived, anticipation replaced part of their anxiety. The renovations of Arthur's house had been completed, and everything was ready for his return.
And yet—
No one wanted to go back without him.
The house felt incomplete without its owner, like a stage waiting for its main actor.
Even Kiba and Koneko, who had endured Arthur's harsh training firsthand, found themselves missing his presence more than they expected. The silence he left behind was far more noticeable than his overwhelming strength had ever been.
Then the fourth week ended.
And still—
Nothing.
By the fifth week, the situation had worsened.
Akeno's condition deteriorated further, her quiet despair becoming harder to ignore. The others weren't much better, their thoughts spiraling into darker possibilities with each passing day. Injuries, captivity, even death—scenarios they didn't want to consider began to feel increasingly real.
The sixth week came and went with no change.
Hope began to feel fragile.
Then, as the seventh week began, something finally shifted.
A pair of emissaries from the Church quietly arrived in Kuoh City.
-
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Current Chapter - 70 ( New World - Danmachi )
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