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DxD World — The Underworld
Five hundred kilometers outside the devil capital, at the edge of a vast stone forest. A black cat crouched low among the rocks, quietly watching the snow-white, towering palace deep within the forest.
After observing for a long while, the cat paced in small circles. Then a peculiar Underworld cuckoo bird landed on the rock above her, speaking in a worried tone. "Kuroka, are you really going to break into that devil palace?"
Lowering its voice, it continued:
"I only overheard that the Mother of Devils lives deep in this forest while spying on some nobles at the devil council. There's no solid proof. But even if it's not true… we're not allowed to touch that place. The yokai leaders would never let you provoke them."
Both the bird and the black cat Kuroka, belonged indirectly to the yokai faction of Japan—Kanto Yokai Faction.
They weren't weak.
But compared to the devils, one of the three major factions of the world, they were nothing.
One was a regional power.
The other ruled vast territories in the Underworld and held influence across the world.
Not even close.
If Kuroka really invaded the Mother of Devils' castle and got caught, both of them would be handed over by their own side as bargaining chips.
The bird didn't want to die. So it did everything it could to talk her out of this.
"Kuroka, don't forget… the Mother of Devils is said to be terrifying. There are even rumors she fought Hades himself centuries ago and seriously injured him in a single strike."
"And Grayfia Lucifuge, one of the Six Houses of Lucifer and the Silver-Haired Queen of Annihilation, serves as the head maid there."
"If you try to break in, you're basically signing your own death warrant."
"Just stop. It's way out of our league."
The black cat Kuroka licked her paw lazily, golden eyes narrowing with a very human kind of mockery. "Finished talking?"
"If you're done, get lost. Weren't you planning to sell me out anyway?"
The bird froze, then flushed red with anger.
"You ungrateful idiot! Fine—try and die then! I already tipped off the devil council. The Bael family's people will be here any minute to hunt you down. Good luck surviving that!"
Before it could say more, it flapped its wings and flew off in a hurry, clearly afraid she might retaliate.
Kuroka hesitated for a moment… but let it go.
Partly to avoid drawing attention.
Partly because, in the past, the bird had given her plenty of accurate intel.
Turning back, she stared at the distant, extravagant palace, her expression growing serious.
"Lilith, huh… If I had a choice, I wouldn't be sneaking into a place like this."
Kuroka was born to a branch of the Naberius family, ranked twenty-fourth among the Seventy-Two Pillars.
Her father was a human researcher loyal to the family.
Her mother was a nekomata yokai.
A half-breed.
But their union wasn't love.
It was an experiment.
"Artificial Super Devil Project…"
Hatred flickered across her feline face.
Super Devils were rare anomalies—beings who surpassed the limits of their race, blessed with unimaginable talent.
The current Satan Lucifer was one such being. His magic power far exceeded others of his kind, even reaching ten times that of the previous Lucifer.
And that kind of talent could be inherited.
Naturally, factions began researching ways to artificially create such beings.
Kuroka's father had been one of those researchers.
Which made her a test subject.
But when the experiments stalled and the Naberius family grew desperate, even targeting her little sister, Kuroka finally snapped.
She betrayed them, went into hiding, and eventually joined the yokai faction.
Soon after, the Naberius branch family was wiped out by the devil council, and all related records were sealed.
But Kuroka knew better.
The research hadn't stopped.
Other devil families were still working on it in secret.
Nothing had changed.
"If my investigation is right… the mutation in Naberius's experiments came from this place."
She peered at the palace again from behind the rocks.
Everyone involved in those experiments was her enemy.
And if the intel was right, her biggest enemy might be inside that very palace.
She watched. Waited.
Minutes passed. But no movement.
No pursuers from the Bael family either.
"…Guess Sirzechs really does have some pull."
A mocking smile tugged at her lips.
"Then again, he's the one who asked me to infiltrate this place in the first place."
She let out a quiet laugh.
"That idiot bird… as if I'd come here without backing."
With her nerves steady again, Kuroka hesitated briefly… then gritted her teeth and moved.
Slow. Careful. Determined.
She crept toward the palace.
...
About ten minutes later—
The sharp toll of bells shattered the silence.
Shouts erupted from within the palace.
"An intruder has entered Lady Lilith's chambers! A sacred treasure has been stolen!"
"All maid units, lock down the area! Recover the treasure at all costs!"
"Move! Deploy all high-class devils! The intruder is a cat—kill every cat inside the palace!"
Not long after the alarms rang out, a bloodied black cat leapt over the wall, a gemstone clenched in her teeth.
She dashed along a preplanned route, escaping the stone forest in a desperate sprint.
At the same time—
On the rooftop of the palace, a silver-haired woman in a maid uniform calmly picked up a communicator.
"Proceed with containment as planned. Do not make any real discoveries."
"Understood." ×N
Maid squads stationed around the palace bowed in unison.
After giving the order, Grayfia turned and entered the palace.
Inside, she approached a luxurious lounge chair and knelt on one knee before a purple-haired woman reclining with a face mask on.
"Your Majesty. Among the candidates recommended by the Four Great Satans, one has passed the test and taken the treasure."
"Oh?"
Algol raised an eyebrow, thinking for a moment before her expression turned surprised.
"Someone finally passed? It's been almost five hundred years!"
She clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"What's wrong with this world? Such a simple requirement, and it took this long?"
"These devils are useless. And ugly."
Grayfia remained silent, calmly waiting for her to finish complaining.
After a while, Algol stretched lazily and asked. "Which little one made it?"
"A reincarnated devil. Former bishop of the Naberius branch family—Kuroka. Race: a rare variant nekomata yokai, a Nekoshou."
"A reincarnated devil, huh? Better than those worthless purebloods, I guess."
Algol closed her eyes again and gave her order. "Assign someone sharp to keep an eye on that little cat. Don't interfere."
"If anything unusual shows up around her, report to me immediately. Do not provoke it."
"Yes."
Grayfia bowed her head.
Once she left, Algol slowly opened her eyes again, a playful smile forming.
"That cat's pretty cute… seems just Ryo's type."
She let out a soft, amused chuckle.
"Heh… looks like this world is finally about to enter its turning point."
.
.
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