High School DxD: Lustful Ascension

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Qingqiu looked at Rias, then at the piece on the table, bewildered. What happened? Did Rias mistake a regular piece for a devil piece?

Rias blinked her gem-like red eyes, equally perplexed. She picked up the piece, thoroughly inspecting it twice. No mistake—it was a Rook devil piece. It had clearly begun merging with Qingqiu, initiating the transformation. Why did it suddenly fail at the end?

Rias had witnessed failed transformations before, but Qingqiu's case was entirely different. If the piece had been insufficient for the conversion, requiring higher dosage, the magic circle would've persisted, signaling the need for intervention. There was a backup plan for that scenario.

Qingqiu's transformation attempt had completely rejected the devil pieces, leaving Rias perplexed. She had never seen or heard of such a situation before.

Qingqiu suspected that Rias had somehow acquired counterfeit products, while Rias was convinced the issue lay with Qingqiu.

They stared at each other, caught in a silent standoff.

"Sip~" Koneko, licking her popsicle, suggested, "President, maybe try different pieces?"

"Hmm..." Rias considered the idea, deciding to give it another shot.

The rejected pieces were still usable; their magic hadn't diminished. In fact, they seemed to be of higher quality now, glistening with a metallic sheen.

To rule out insufficient dosage, Rias opted to use eight Pawn pieces this time.

With a hum, the black-red magic circle glowed once more.

Moments later, the eight pieces clattered onto the table, leaving Rias exasperated.

After some contemplation, she put away the Pawn pieces and retrieved a single mutant piece.

Qingqiu now realized something was amiss. A single counterfeit piece was one thing, but eight Pawn pieces couldn't all be fake.

He gritted his teeth and opened up once more as Rias held the inky-black mutant piece.

As the magic circle's glow persisted longer than before, Qingqiu felt his power and magic rise, only for the sensation to gradually fade.

Clang—

The piece dropped onto the table, and Rias's expression remained calm. It was the expected outcome.

Having reached this point, she decided to use all her remaining pieces. If successful, Qingqiu would owe her a lifetime of work. With fifteen servant slots, removing the three already used, Qingqiu would occupy twelve, meaning he'd do the work of twelve servants.

Rias's intense gaze made Qingqiu shiver involuntarily. Bowing to her determination, he complied once more.

A magic circle far larger than before enveloped Qingqiu. Rias's red hair fluttered, magic at full force, as twelve pieces flew toward Qingqiu's chest.

...

Clang—x12

The pieces scattered across the table, leaving Rias disillusioned. She had seen many things, but this was unprecedented. Not only could none of them integrate, but they were all rejected in the end.

Looking at the pieces, Rias felt a pang of betrayal, as if she had willingly offered Qingqiu the chance to cuckold her.

Silently collecting the pieces, she sensed Qingqiu's essence within them, deepening her unease. This was all an illusion, she told herself. It'll pass soon enough. She hoped the pieces wouldn't truly take on Qingqiu's shape.

Qingqiu rubbed his chest, having been kicked by Himejima Akeno and subjected to the devil pieces' ins and outs. Though the latter had no tangible sensation, watching them enter and exit his chest made him instinctively check for injuries.

Nothing. Not a mark, not even the faint red footprint from Himejima Akeno remained.

Far from feeling empowered, Qingqiu felt drained. Little Qingqiu, once proudly standing, now hung dejected.

Clearly, the transformation into a servant hadn't failed; it simply wasn't possible.

"President, I'm heading out."

Before Himejima Akeno returned, Qingqiu decided to make his exit. With the transformation failed and Himejima Akeno essentially given for nothing, sticking around risked another kick. As appealing as long, black-stockinged legs were, they packed a punch.

Rias, staring at the pieces in her hand, waved him off. She didn't want to see or talk to Qingqiu right now. The more she looked at her devil pieces, the more uneasy she felt. They seemed... tainted.

Qingqiu, oblivious to the changes in the devil pieces, assumed the transformation had failed, leaving Rias in a foul mood. Leaving the clubroom, he thought about the reasons for the failure. The transformation should have gone smoothly. He was just an ordinary person, albeit with a unique soul. Devil pieces could transform dragons and youkai—why couldn't they handle him?

After ten seconds of pondering, he gave up. If it was incomprehensible, there was no point in dwelling on it. It was Rias's problem to solve, not his. His focus shifted to Sona Sitri, hoping she hadn't heard the news yet.

He needed to act before Rias discussed the failure with Sona. Changing direction, he headed straight for the student council.

...

"Shinra-senpai, are you free?"

Shinra Tsubaki looked up, serious. "What's up?"

Qingqiu flashed a goofy grin, nodding obediently. After a moment's hesitation, Shinra Tsubaki rose, leading him to a private room, under the watchful and curious eyes of the student council.

Inside, Shinra Tsubaki smirked coldly. "Uesugi-kun, what brings you here?"

Qingqiu was momentarily confused, unsure how he'd offended the vice president.

"Shinra-senpai, why call me Uesugi again? We agreed on first names," he said, sidling up to her, aiming for a kiss.

Shinra Tsubaki turned away, denying him but not pushing him back. "Heh, I wouldn't dare call you by name. What if Akeno misunderstands?"

Her tone was teasing, laced with jealousy.

Qingqiu quickly grasped the situation. Since resolving the rumors, he hadn't visited Shinra Tsubaki once. Not only that, he spent his days at the Occult Research Club. Sona Sitri regretted that Qingqiu chose Rias, but Shinra Tsubaki was different. Having just shared their first kiss, she found Qingqiu running off with someone else—how could she not be upset?

Qingqiu grimaced, realizing his rookie mistake in philandering. Training had distracted him from the ripe opportunity with Shinra Tsubaki.

"Shinra-senpai, I had no choice," Qingqiu explained, mixing truth with fiction. "I went to the Occult Research Club for training. Aside from Akeno-senpai, I only met with Koneko to be beaten up."

He emphasized the harsh training, omitting the perks.

[•———•——•———•]

𝙥𝗮𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣(.)𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

✨ • 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟲𝟬+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.