Since the dawn of the Age of Superpowers, the world's changes have been rapid and constant.
Despite this, the entire process remained under Rias's control.
Starting with the government and public opinion, and with various factions and races maintaining order openly, it caused a massive stir initially but didn't provoke a violent backlash from humanity.
After all, while humans on Earth seem free, they are actually controlled by various Pantheons.
This control is seamless; just as the original Rias was the lord of Kuoh Town, the town was essentially her private territory, and its people were her private property.
This was the case at least until she returned to the Underworld to inherit the Gremory territory, even if humans themselves never knew when they had become someone else's private property.
The Pantheons' control over humanity isn't simple; it's a comprehensive grip on economy, politics, military power, public opinion, and every other aspect.
Only in places like Japan, where the local pantheon has perished, is control held by the Five Great Clans and other races like Yokai.
Even so, Japan's supernatural world is as accessible as someone else's restroom; the Biblical Pantheon, based in Europe, can come and go as they please, even using an entire town as a trial ground for Pure-blood Devils.
Furthermore—compared to other races, although humans lack weaknesses like fear of light, garlic, or crosses, their average talent is much lower.
Even if cultivation methods were popularized, most people's practice would only suffice for physical fitness and longevity, little different from general health maintenance.
Especially for those over thirty, who have passed the golden age of cultivation, the possibility of developing superpowers isn't non-existent, just extremely low.
Most likely, they wouldn't even reach the level of a Low-class Devil in their entire lives.
Those with even less talent, even if they started practicing from childhood, would only be effectively maintaining their health.
Unless they can hitch a ride with another race and reincarnate into one.
Moreover, the cultivation method passed down by Rias only allows one to reach the level of a Middle-Class Devil at most.
This isn't a limitation of the technique itself, but the inherent limit of humanity.
In the original High School DxD, most named powerhouses were Sacred Gear Wielders, and Devils sought out Sacred Gear Wielders for their peerage; this point alone shows how poor human cultivation talent truly is.
Many Devils are born with magic power exceeding that of a Middle-Class Devil; for someone like Rias, her birth is already the finish line for over 99% of humans in this world.
Reaching a level equivalent to a Middle-Class Devil already makes one a powerhouse among humans.
For example, the stray priest from the original story, Freed Sellzen, an exorcist directly under the Vatican Papal Office.
This guy, wielding a holy sword and an exorcism pistol, only had strength equivalent to a Middle-Class Devil; if he fought a gifted Middle-Class Devil like Toujou Shirone without using underhanded tricks, he'd likely be beaten to death.
And yet, he was called a genius of the Church.
A genius who became an exorcist at thirteen, with the great achievement of eliminating one Devil and magical beast after another—
That was how the original story described him.
Furthermore, he was a warrior bred with the genetic factors of the Church's hero, Sigurd; his talent was undoubtedly top-tier.
That's right, that kind of trash talent is top-tier among humans; if his mindset were stable and he had a Sacred Gear and enough resources, he wouldn't be much worse than Cao Cao!
One can imagine that humanity lacks not just the truth and cultivation methods, but also talent.
Moreover, strength equivalent to a Middle-Class Devil is a comprehensive measure.
Physical strength, combat experience, weapons, and supernatural abilities—generally, these four aspects combined allow one to fight a Middle-Class Devil.
When it comes to pure supernatural ability, humans simply cannot compare to other races.
Even the Cao Cao from the original story, without his Sacred Gear, could at most fight a High-Class Devil to a draw.
But with a Sacred Gear, this guy could even kill gods and demons, and even trade blows with Transcendents.
One can imagine the gap.
On the other hand—
The reason Rias used the God of the Bible persona to popularize the cultivation method was to usher in the Age of Superpowers.
Talk of enemies from a Other World was merely an excuse to pressure the Pantheons.
As for those Machines, although they possess power exceeding the Dragon God Level, with Rias's current strength, crushing them would be effortless.
In this world where gods and demons coexist, ordinary mortals are no different from weeds.
No, calling them weeds is too kind; more accurately, they are livestock.
Humans dominate the Human World, but in reality, every corner of the Earth is controlled by the Pantheons.
The globe seems filled with human traces, yet gods still stand above their heads.
Even in battles between humans and other races, or between gods themselves, there is a high chance of harming ordinary people.
It's like two people fighting and accidentally stepping on an ant.
Even in the event of an unfortunate death, as long as the memories of the deceased's family are modified, the existence of the supernatural world can remain hidden.
In other words, humans never belong to themselves; even their lives can be snatched away at someone's whim.
Long ago, the God of the Bible bestowed Sacred Gears upon humanity.
The greed of gods and demons, and the exclusion of humans—these are all facts.
But at the same time, Sacred Gears gave humans power.
Even the lowest-level Sacred Gear, if well-developed, can grant a person the ability to fight against other races.
At the very least, Sacred Gears can bypass talent and even raise the upper limit for humans.
A holder of a Sacred Gear could even slay gods and demons.
Users of Sacred Gears can be considered the high-level combat force of humanity.
Perhaps many Sacred Gear users meet with misfortune, but it is precisely because of their existence that humanity is not kept like livestock as in ancient times.
Without Sacred Gears and the Church built by the God of the Bible, the humans of this world would be even more miserable.
Strengthening oneself and seeking a path of coexistence—that is the direction this world should truly take.
As for technology... how could the gods and demons of this world allow weapons like nuclear bombs to appear? In terms of firearms alone, they are far behind what Rias knew in her previous life.
Influencing all of humanity in every aspect—this is the shackle of gods and demons.
On the other hand, although rapid world changes cause various problems, with Rias watching over it, at least the bloodshed of breaking the old era can be minimized.
The superpower world has its own rules and regulations; just like Devils, except for special individuals, every Devil possesses magic power.
Setting aside the old order of the aristocratic era—after all, during that time, commoners didn't have it easy either.
Since the establishment of the new order, instances of bullying by the Devil side have decreased by 90%, or at least many have disappeared from the surface.
One could say the reform of the Devil system served as an experiment before launching the Age of Superpowers.
Regardless, the Age of Superpowers has arrived.
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