The Foldable Cultivator [High School DxD]

[NuclearBirb]

Extremely funny reaction to basically go "lol haha suuuure youre demons" to rias and sona. The difference between a cultivation Demon and a DxD devil is truly grand.

 

[Starman25]

The MC will take an interest in Sacred Gears, the information the Fallen Angels possess regarding them, and the experiments they conducted on their wielders (this appears in the novel: Devil!Issei conversing with Fallen Angels while, in the background, other Fallen Angels perform experiments on Sacred Gear bearers).

 

[Boroda Orka]

"Is this normal?" Tsubaki asked.

Sona rarely saw Tsubaki show such strong emotion. She had feelings, of course; Shinra-chan was simply very reserved. Loyal and caring, intelligent and serious—her Queen embodied the very qualities the heiress of House Sitri valued.

Yet now the astonishment on her closest aide's face was impossible to miss. Chiba-kun had begun accepting the Rook—the Evil Piece that had responded to him—but the process wasn't going at all as it usually did.

He had settled into the lotus position and taken the Rook in his hands. That was when things got strange. Over a minute had passed, and the process showed no sign of ending. The Piece itself was sinking into his body very, very slowly.

"I've never seen anything like it," Sona said, shaking her head as she sat down on the sofa and topped up her tea. "Let's wait and see."

Her new servant was a strange one—still human, for now. He kept surprising her even as he accepted the Evil Piece.

Despite her worries about the strange way Chiba's reincarnation was unfolding, a faint smile of triumph crossed Sona's face. They'd gotten lucky this time. The student council played an active role in school life, so she kept a list of every student who showed even a hint of promise.

Chiba-kun was on that list. She knew enough about him to see that he could be useful: in Hell as a servant of House Sitri, or in the human world working for the Shitori family. Someone so diligent and determined would always be in demand.

Sona was still inexperienced, but she worked hard to live up to her position as heiress. She took every opportunity to strengthen herself and her House, even when that meant offering the House's patronage to promising young mortals.

It had all begun quite recently. Sona had seen it herself: the quiet, composed, serious Chiba Taro-kun had returned to school after his "cold" practically glowing with life force. He had stood out before, but that seemed normal enough given his training under a renowned kendo master, his wushu classes, his healthy lifestyle, and his almost fanatical attention to his diet.

But no healthy lifestyle could explain such a leap. That much life force was beyond human limits. They had looked for an explanation and found none. An athletic young man had fallen ill, spent a week at home, and come back to school changed. He and his parents were entirely human, and nothing suspicious had been found in his home.

"Sitri-san," Tsubaki said, drawing her attention. "Why did he agree so quickly? He didn't even take time to… What's that?"

An expression of deep frustration crossed Taro's serene face. Gold flashed beneath his closed eyelids—brief and bright, like a lightbulb burning out.

"Blood?" Sona's voice grew worried. Blood was running from Taro's nose.

The heiress of House Sitri barely had time to frown before his face was serene again.

"Everything's fine, Sitri-sama," Chiba-kun said, sounding a little guilty. "I'm sorry I worried you."

"Chiba-kun?" Sona was startled to hear him speak. "What's going on? Why is it taking so long? What was that flash?"

"Everything is proceeding as it should. I have almost no control over it, but I've managed to slow it down. My body is my kingdom, but the power of this artifact, this Evil Piece, is like a great army inexorably conquering my lands. I have only enough strength to slow its advance. Incredible power."

"But why?" Tsubaki couldn't help asking. "You agreed to this!"

"Two reasons." Frustration crossed his face again. "My dantian, the seat of life, has begun producing altered qi. My body is changing along with it. The reincarnation is happening on every level. The array I built inside my head had one absolute requirement: it had to be constructed from qi native to my body. But the life energy I used to build it is now foreign to me. If I hadn't destroyed the array before the changes reached my brain, it would have killed me. Several months of work down the drain, unfortunately."

"And the second?" Sona made a mental note of what her… not-quite-servant had said and prompted him to continue.

"A thirsty man drinks from every spring." A delighted smile spread across Taro's face. "I thirst for strength, for power. And what's happening inside my body is the work of a truly great mind. I dare to hope I can grasp at least some of the principles and mechanisms at work within me."

"Oh?" Sona was surprised yet again. Slowing down his reincarnation so he could study it? That was… highly unusual.

"As for your question, Shinra-san, I thought it through carefully before I agreed." His smile faded. His expression was serene again, his voice measured and calm. "Your faction seemed the best fit for me. I intend to become strong. Very strong. But that's a difficult road. I'll need resources and training. I doubt I can get everything I need on my own, and even if I can, I won't be able to keep my growing power a secret. I'll need fights, chances to hone my skills, opponents worth facing. Someone will notice. Maybe not ordinary people, but one of the three factions certainly will."

Chiba Taro fell silent for several seconds. When Tsubaki was about to hurry him along, Sona stopped her with a hand on her arm. Whatever he was observing within himself seemed to demand his full attention.

"As I grow stronger, someone will notice," he continued as though he'd never paused. "And the factions won't be content to leave me alone. No matter what a powerful neutral promises, he could always side with an enemy. The Fallen seem the least appealing option, all else being equal. For one thing, I beat up the only black-winged bird I've met, and I don't even know his name."

"Yes, that was unwise," Tsubaki said with a hint of mockery. The remark was meant more for Sona than for the boy, who still sat with his eyes closed.

"Not at all," Chiba replied. "Two things led me to join that fight: the surveillance I'd sensed ever since you and Sitri-sama took such an interest in me in the school corridor, and Hyoudou Issei's sudden increase in strength. Someone noticed the changes in me at school, so there was a good chance it was you. Too many coincidences: my progress in cultivation, the unexplained attention of the school's most beautiful girls—who'd barely spared me an indifferent glance before—and then the surveillance. I concluded that the school had 'owners.' Fairly friendly ones, at that. I was being watched, but no one tried to pressure me. I appreciated that. An idiot might have taken offense at being watched, but I'm no idiot. I'd keep an eye on an unfamiliar young man on my turf too. I wouldn't want some stranger causing trouble in my own backyard."

Sona exchanged a look with Tsubaki. It was interesting to follow Taro's reasoning. He'd had few facts to work with, but his conclusions seemed sound.

"And then there was Issei. He'd changed. Grown stronger. I could sense he might become an opponent worth fighting one day. Not yet, of course—right now he's still trash—but the potential is there. And as I said, I want to grow stronger. So I decided to keep an eye on him, just as you'd kept an eye on me. That gave me two possibilities: the school's mysterious owners might approach me, or Hyoudou might lead me to the information I was after. Then that winged piece of trash in the stylish hat showed up. Perfect opportunity. Save Issei, get some answers, and do his patrons a favor. He had to have patrons. Someone like Issei couldn't have gained that kind of power on his own. Unless you count the power to get a hard-on."

"And what if he really had been on his own?" Sona asked.

"He couldn't have been. I heard what the winged man said, and I saw Issei's reaction. The Fallen asked Hyoudou-kun, 'Where's your master?' The feathered trash in the hat sounded certain. He assumed my classmate was either out wandering on his own or an Exile, while Issei just gaped at him. To be thrown out of somewhere, you have to have been there in the first place, and Hyoudou's dumb face made it perfectly clear he had no idea what was going on. So there was a chance he was a new initiate who didn't even know he'd joined anything. Anyone even slightly acquainted with that member of the Perverted Trio would have no trouble believing it."

He fell silent for a couple of seconds, frowned slightly, then raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Marvelous…"

"What?" Tsubaki asked, confused.

"The changes. They're incredible…" He fell silent for a few more seconds, then his expression became serene once more. "Forgive me. I got distracted. Anyway, even if Issei had been on his own, saving him could still have gotten me information. Maybe he'd found some strange object or something. Either way, I stood to gain. But when you appeared in the park, everything fell into place. And after Sitri-sama explained things, I decided House Sitri was a perfect fit for me."

"And what makes you say that?" Sona asked with a faint smile.

"As I said, things are already strained between me and the Fallen. Cross them off. I know nothing about the angels, for one thing. For another, I'm not fond of men dressed in white. Too often, the only things setting them apart from everyone else are clean clothes and lofty slogans. Cross them off. You…" He paused, and Sona thought she caught the faintest mocking smile on his face. "The demons seemed the most appealing choice, based on what I know. You came to Issei's aid—a little late, granted, but you came. Gremory-san was very sweet with Hyoudou, fussing over him like that… Your teleportation magic impressed me. And you attend the same academy I do. You know where I live, who I am, who my parents are. You could make trouble for me. Besides, there are two groups operating here, and you don't seem to be enemies. And I'm happy with the terms you offered."

"Why Sitri and not Gremory?" Sona asked, taking a sip of tea.

"First, because Sitri-sama defeated Gremory-san in the battle for me. I heard your conversation, and now that I know about the Evil Pieces, I understand what it was about. An argument is a battle too, and whoever is stronger wins. All else being equal, I'd rather serve the stronger party. Second, that argument showed me your Houses had already reached an agreement about me. Gremory-san is unlikely to want to offend Sitri-sama. Third, there's Issei, who clearly serves House Gremory. He's a decent enough guy, even amusing, but if I spent too much time around him, I'm afraid I'd end up killing him during one of Hyoudou's bouts of terminal horniness. And fourth and finally, Sitri-sama ranks first when it comes to beauty. So, given a choice between her and Gremory-san, of course I choose Sitri Sona-sama."

"According to Kuoh Academy's unofficial beauty rankings, I'm in third place," Sona corrected him calmly.

"I don't give a damn about rankings put together by a bunch of trash," Taro said serenely. "Beauty is subjective, and as far as I'm concerned, Sitri-sama, you take first place. And not just at our school—not by a long shot."

"Um…" Sona caught Tsubaki's amused glance and blushed just a little. "Thank you, Chiba-kun."

"The truth weighs nothing, but to the weak it's heavier than a mountain," he said calmly. "Forgive me, but the changes taking place won't allow me to continue our conversation."

Silence settled over the student council room. He said nothing, his face frozen into a stony mask. Only his slow, deep breathing showed that he was still alive.

"The ego on that boy…" Tsubaki shook her head.

"Hmm?" Sona raised an eyebrow and took another sip of tea.

"The truth is heavier than a mountain to the weak, but he's so strong he can say it to your face without hesitation," her Queen said with a snort. "And he calls everyone trash every other sentence."

"He certainly thinks highly of himself," Sitri agreed. "I'll talk to him. Chiba Taro is about to discover a vast world inhabited by some very powerful beings."

"And if he doesn't listen?"

"Then someone he offends will give him a beating." Sona shrugged.

"He's smiling!" Shinra Tsubaki exclaimed suddenly. "He's listening in on us!"

Sure enough, a faint smile of anticipation had appeared on Taro's face. Sona smirked.

"Well, he said he couldn't continue our conversation. He never said he couldn't listen."

"You sly… demon!" The Queen shook her head in disapproval, though her eyes were laughing. Taro's smile grew a fraction wider.

"Don't flatter him just yet." Sona hid her own smile behind another sip of tea. He hadn't needed to let on that he could hear them, after all.

---

Original Russian story

You can find more chapters on my Patreon.

The translation of new chapters will also be published here—but with a bit of a delay.