DxD: Silence for Two (Completed)

— Nothing, — Ophis delivered her verdict, putting the book aside and reaching for a new one. Opening it, she again began to skim through page after page until she reached the end. — It's empty here too.

The next volume went to the impressive tower of already read books. The girl leaned back in her soft chair and looked around the room. Dozens of shelves several meters high were completely filled with various grimoires and rare copies of magical literature, often the only ones of their kind — Mephistopheles' personal library. The devil proudly presented his collection, which, thanks to his position as the head of the best magical organization and school, he was able to collect over the centuries in the human world.

For any magician, this place was the promised land. One single book out of hundreds available could turn their life upside down, elevating them above the rest. Access to this place was almost impossible, but this did not concern Ophis. She could go wherever she wanted and no one would stop her unless they wanted to know her wrath. Although Mephisto kindly agreed to provide his collection at the dragon's request, because they had a good relationship with each other due to Sai's apprenticeship with the legendary devil.

Looking at her watch, the girl realized that Silence would be busy for some time.

— There is one last option left, — Ouroboros sent her lover a text message asking him not to wait for her and to return home after training, and began to concentrate her efforts to find a specific dragon.

Since the meeting with Odin, one idea had been obsessively spinning in Ophis's head. The words spoken by the old raven touched something inside the girl. She knew that she was the Infinite Dragon God, and everyone called her that, but in fact, Ophis had never used this aspect of her essence, so she wanted to fix it.

Unfortunately, the girl's closest circle could not help with this. Neither Tiamat nor Crom Cruach knew much about the workings of the divine powers, and she had no desire to ask the gods about it. Every time Sai was busy with his own training, she came here to look through each book. However, trying to get a hint from the best library was unsuccessful. Divinity was mentioned in the books many times, but none of them indicated a way to control it.

— That's where he hid. — Besides her, only Great Red had a similar origin, but Ophis was not going to ask him for help or advice. However, she knew of another being that could answer her questions in some way. — I hope everything works out.

Near the Japanese coast, at great depths, there was a house of one of the gods of the Shinto pantheon. Inside the barrier separating the crystal palace from the thickness of the sea water and the outside world, there was real turmoil. Earlier, every inhabitant of the castle had felt a strong and suffocating aura from an unknown being. The servants and guards panicked, not knowing what to do, until their master contacted them and relayed his orders.

Thanks to this, the slowly approaching girl was greeted with all possible respect and reverence, despite the fear of the power displayed. The palace doors opened wide before her, and the guards bowed to her sides. The owner of the house stood in the doorway with a friendly smile.

— Welcome to my domain, Ophis, — the speaker looked like a middle-aged man dressed in the expensive Chinese clothes of the rulers of the past. Stroking his beard, he invitingly pointed inside the castle. — Please, let us proceed to the banquet hall. My servants are already preparing a feast for us.

— There is no need for that, Ryuujin. I am here to ask you something.

— Then we can talk while we eat, — the god insisted. — You shouldn't refuse my hospitality.

— Okay, — Ouroboros decided to agree in order to quickly get to the point of the visit. — It will be interesting to try new dishes.

On the way to the destination, the girl was given a short tour. And Ophis had to admit that there was something to see in the crystal palace. The constant clicks of the phone camera confirmed this. Ryuujin, like many others, loved luxury and treasures, so his house was full of various riches that were lost in the depths of the sea.

— Help yourself, — by the time they arrived, beautiful maids were putting out the last plates with various delicacies. — Leave us.

— Thank you, — before starting to eat, she captured these truly culinary masterpieces on camera. — Your subordinates are very skilled. Most human chefs are far from their skill.

— Thank you, they have been with me for more than one century, — the man smiled at the sincere praise, slowly sipping his wine. — Now that we have had a little refreshment, maybe you can tell me what you needed from a simple Japanese god?

— Not so simple, — the girl tried the drink and was very surprised by the wonderful taste. — Although you consider yourself mainly a god, but at the same time have the appearance of a dragon, Ryujin. With your strength, you are worthy of the title of dragon king, but you prefer to consider yourself a god.

— That's true, — he nodded, — and so what?

— I want you to teach me this. I'm trying to use my Dragon God aspect, but it's not working, so I want to get information from a being with a similar, but opposite problem.

— I see, — Ryuujin thought deeply. The situation is extremely unusual, and can result in both terrible and extremely favorable consequences for his pantheon. God has decided to gain Ouroboros's good favor for Shinto, and the fact that she lives in their territory is already a huge plus. — I don't have an answer to your question, but I will tell you how it happens for me. All my further words are just a theory, without any evidence, but this is my opinion.

— Okay, I'll listen to you.

— We, the gods, are born from human faith and draw strength from it. The quality of the faith received depends on the number of followers and their strength. This is why everyone hates Christianity so much. The Abrahamic faction has spread throughout the human world, taking away believers and displacing other pantheons. Many could not bear the loss of their flock and degenerated over time. Scientific progress also contributed to this.

— How does this information relate to my question?

— I am just getting to that, — the man responded to the impatience of the listener. — You are called the Dragon God of Infinity. Specifically, a god for dragons. Naturally, the strongest race will have the strongest gods, but due to their nature, the aspects of deification for dragons are limited. Otherwise, I cannot explain why only two Dragon Gods have appeared in all their existence.

— Are you saying that I am the embodiment of the infinite life and potential of dragons?

— Roughly speaking, yes.

— Hmm-m-m... Let's assume that this is so, then what next?

— You are already using divinity, you just don't realize it. How did you find this place?

— I can find the location of any dragon if I want and concentrate on it.

— Here is the proof, — Ryuujin said confidently. — You have never thought about your powers and their properties before. Focus, — he began to instruct Ophis, — feel the power inside you. Try to look deeper, understand its source. Where it comes from and what it carries within itself. In this way, it is possible to sense the thoughts of your followers, feel their desires and prayers.

Following the instructions, the girl immersed herself. For the first time since her birth, she tried to look so deeply into the source of her power. Previously, Ophis had only used her infinity. It happened so naturally that the idea of ​​getting to know it better had not even occurred to her. In fact, until recently, with her appearance on earth, she had generally acted without much thought.

More than half an hour passed, which Ryuujin spent watching from the side at the frozen, motionless Ouroboros. He was about to think that the idea had failed, when a powerful wave of energy emanated from Ophis. Every being with dragon blood could sense it. The presence of their God, ready to answer the call of her follower, if only one could sincerely pray to the Dragon God of Infinity. Pray to Ophis.

— Thank you for your help, Ryuujin, — the full-fledged Dragon God said, opening her eyes. — Now I'll go home.

— Goodbye.

Without wasting another second, the girl moved to her home. She wanted to see her beloved's reaction and throw out the accumulated feelings in a passionate impulse.

— Welcome back, my goddess, — Sai greeted her appearance with a gentle smile. Ophis literally felt the love he felt for her. — I can congratulate you.

— Yes. Sai... — the girl's joy abruptly left her as soon as she found herself in the arms of the young man. She saw and felt what she couldn't before. Among the flow of her infinity, there was a tiny trace in the aura, a residual, but unmistakably familiar flair. — Why do you have the blessing of the Red?

***

— So she succeeded,— Tiamat felt it while judging another rating game of devils. — Maybe I should really follow her advice?

When Ouroboros appeared in her cave more than a year ago, the dragon queen was scared. The visit of the guest was too unexpected. One moment she was rolling around in piles of gold, and the next moment the Dragon God of Infinity landed on her face. It was hard to imagine how much strength it took her to hold back a frightened scream.

Having calmed down and talked to the apathetic person, Tiamat caught another stupor. It turns out that Ouroboros herself came to her for advice. Ophis wanted her to explain to her the meaning of the emotions she was experiencing. Later, such gatherings only became more frequent, because with each passing day the "baby" became more mature.

Without realizing it, the Karma dragon became Ophis' best friend, with whom she discusses all her news and secrets. To her shame, Tiamat even knows about how the Dragon God lost her virginity and her fetishes that were revealed after that.

Recently, the topic of moving has been coming up more and more often in their conversations. Ophis wants her friend to move closer to her. The benefits of civilization offered by the city also played a big plus in this matter, but for now Tiamat continued to live in her current lair, in the forest of familiars. She did not particularly want to change her usual appearance to a human one, but the thought of this increasingly visited her head.

Close the contract with Ajuka, stop serving as an arbiter for stupid demons, completely surrender to her desires, as Ophis says. Lying on top of his treasure mountain all day long. Eating the best food that can be found in the human world or killing Ddraig's current host. No! Taunting him every day, driving Welsh into hysterics. Fortunately, this generation's Sekiryuutei gave him a great excuse. Decided!

***

After spending centuries training constantly, Crom Cruach finally gave himself permission to rest. Besides, in his current state, only gods and beings in the top ranks of the Strongest Top are capable of making the evil dragon give it their all. However, fighting them is fraught with the beginning of a hunt for his head by the entire pantheon. An unnecessary risk in the current situation.

— Who would have thought that an unknown puppy brought by Ophis could hurt me, — he stroked the scar on his left hand with a predatory grin. — His aura is like that of the Celestials; strange eyes that will allow him to compete with Azi Dahak in the future, as well as my training, — a mad laugh burst from the man's throat. — Aha-ha-ha! I can't wait to see what kind of monster he will grow up to be.

Crom only had to wait until the boy gained experience. Then he himself would be able to progress, becoming stronger. After all, it was because of an equal opponent that Albion and Ddraig were able to achieve the power of the Celestial Dragons. And thanks to Sai and Ophis, he would be able to wait for the right time in comfort.

The young couple had repeatedly shown him how comfortable it was to live, compared to his previous refuge. The evil dragon had moved to live next to the Ouroboros house, right on the border of their territory. He already knew everything he needed from Sai, but he was not so naive.

Crom Cruach, like any self-respecting dragon, had a cache of treasure, but he was not going to spend even the coins. Having found a place he liked, he hypnotized the previous owners to transfer all the property to him, and to avoid any trouble, he ordered them to get as far away as possible within a week and commit suicide. He attributed Silence's attempts to play by the rules of these bugs to his age and the remnants of his previous personality, which should pass with age or become his quirk.

— The little one managed it after all, — as the dragon lay on the couch, playing a game console and snacking on pizza and washing it down with beer, a wave of energy overtook him. — Now the world should be more fun. I can imagine how everyone will be alarmed. Ha-ha-ha!

***

Bent over the table in his personal laboratory, the fallen one adjusted his own artificial sacred mechanism. According to Vali's latest reports, who was leaking information about the "Khaos Brigade", the terrorist organization is planning major internal movements. This is without taking into account the activity of the "heroes" and the upcoming negotiations with the leader of Kyoto.

— Amazing, — Fafnir's cry was heard from the sealed core.

— What are you talking about?

— You didn't feel anything?

— Something happened? — Hearing the dragon's sincere surprise, Azazel looked through the recordings from the various instruments and barriers installed in his laboratory. — The devices only recorded a short-term flash of dragon energy and nothing more, but this is to be expected when you are around.

— So it just seemed that way to me.

— Okay, — the leader of the Grigori felt that he was not being told the whole story, but decided to put the matter aside for later. — Your payment for the next month is already ready. Asia will give it to you at our next meeting.

— Oh-oh-oh! I can't wait to add to my collection.* (Who knows, shame on the Great Ones)

***

In a separate space, in a large building on the outskirts of this isolated city, a crowd of people had gathered. At the improvised coliseum, another festival was taking place, where the experimental subjects of local scientists were fighting. Such battles take place monthly to identify the most deadly specimen of the monsters being bred.

"What is this? — she froze in place, feeling an unusual, previously unknown feeling. — To beg someone for help?"

Unlike the frozen monster, his opponents felt nothing and decided to take advantage of the opportunity that had arisen. One of them stuck his sharp tail into the side of the frozen enemy, and the second closed his fangs on his front paw.

— Graaaaaaarr! — the strongest and most tenacious experiment of scientists did not appreciate such a prank.

"Bow down to someone? Nonsense! — Ignoring the pain, she fiercely grabbed the exposed neck of the monster. The familiar crunch was heard and the blood of the already dead beast got into her throat. —I have always managed on my own, without anyone's help, and I will continue to manage. I do not intend to obey who knows who! Only the one who can defeat me in a fair fight is worthy of commanding me!"

Only two remained standing in the arena full of corpses. A chimera similar to the extinct manticores, and a flexible, panther—like figure with blue scales.

The crowd roared, celebrating the victory of the previous champion. The only miraculously surviving example of an attempt to cross an ice beast with dragon blood. No matter how many times they tried to repeat the experiment after this, they failed to get a positive result.

The resulting sample turned out to be too aggressive and unique, so it was decided to conduct similar comparisons with more successful specimens, and the one who manages to kill the dragon chimera will become a priority project for mass production.

— Looks like she managed to defeat everyone this time too. Damn! How much longer?!

— Don't get angry, Eric, — the scientist hastened to calm his colleague and friend. — The manticore model managed to seriously injure her, so we will focus on improving our monster.

— Okay.