1 Chapter 1: The End and New Beginning
To be honest, I always thought I was an open-minded person who could accept things and move forward. I wasn't exactly the most outdoorsy person, nor was I an extrovert. I was just your average 27 year old salaryman who likes to watch anime, read novels, and play video games as a hobby. I was the kind of guy who kept to himself and only talked when I needed to. I didn't exactly like to get into others' trouble and put myself in the crossfire.
But it's funny now because that's exactly what got me killed.
Yup, it's exactly as you heard. I died.
It was a Friday afternoon. I somehow miraculously finished work early, by 8pm. I usually take a bus home, so I stood at the bus stop waiting for the bus to arrive. That was when I saw something that made me panic. I saw a kid who looked like a middle schooler wearing headphones crossing the road, and he didn't seem to notice the truck that was coming right at him. Being the so-called "good man" I was, I called out to the kid, but when I realized he didn't hear me, my body instinctively took action by itself. Without me realizing it myself, I had somehow run over and pushed the kid to the side while I got hit by the truck.
*Bang*
The force of the truck hitting me crushed my bones and threw me like a rag doll. I instantly died. Or at least that's what I thought.
When I came to consciousness, I found myself floating in some kind of dark void, and the screen suddenly popped up.
It is exactly as most would think—some kind of system screen.
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[You have awoken - Tristan Beatrice- You have been chosen to be reincarnated in a different world with abilities of your choice.]
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The only thing I could do in response to this message was remain stunned. I was absolutely confused and completely absentminded. I mean, I had just died, so I don't think anyone would blame me for that.
As I was silent with my mind in turmoil, the screen disappeared and another popped up.
[Please think [Menu] in your mind to open up your customization menu]
'Hmm…M-Menu?'
Now that I think about it, it was exactly like some fanfiction I've read. So does this mean I'll be reborn in a fictional world now?
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[Name: None]
[Gender:None]
[Race:None]
[Background: None]
[Time of Birth: None]
(Hint: Enter the Basic Information about yourself.)
[Sacred Gear/Bloodline/Other:?] (Hint: Special traits that only you have.)
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Next to this tab was a model of me, like when you build your character in games. I looked like your average, everyday salaryman, with black hair and eyes and an extremely tired-looking face.
I looked back at the menu tab, and that's when it struck me. Why the heck is there a Sacred Gear tab ?!
Oh damn I'm going to be reborn in High School DxD. I had only seen the first three seasons of the anime until the Kyoto arc. After that, most of the knowledge I know just comes from wiki pages and tons of fanfiction. I don't even know if some of the things I know are right since most could just be fanon. But I guess it is still better than having no knowledge.
Now then, I guess I should fill out the menu. Selecting the name I entered as my real name
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[Name: Tristan Beatrice]
[Gender: Male]
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As for my gender, I shall stick with being male. While I've seen some protagonists choose a different gender, I'm definitely not doing that. Because that would be extremely weird for me as a person who lived as a straight guy for 30 years.
Next, I clicked on the race, and a list of options popped up. Looking at the amount of information, I was a bit overwhelmed for a second.
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[Species List]:
[Human]: Almost all Humans are recognized as being the weakest among all the races around the world in various regards, such as physical abilities and magical abilities. Even though they are weak, they are still a race with infinite potential. They have no innate weakness as a race. (Includes Sacred Gear).
[Devil]: Devils are beings that originated from the Underworld, created by the Original Lucifer. They are typically born much stronger and more magically capable than most humans. Those born into noble families also tend to have a bloodline power, which is an innate power. Even with all the power, they are weak against holy and other cleansing powers (Includes a Devil Bloodline).
[Fallen]: Fallen Angels are Angels that have fallen from the grace of God, due to having "impure thoughts" that divert them from the teachings of God in the Bible. Despite having fallen from heaven, they still have the ability to use Holy Power.(Includes a Fallen Angel Bloodline).
[Angel]: Originating from Heaven, the Angels are powerful beings who serve the Biblical God and have the powers to inflict pain upon Devils/demons and, by extension, the Fallen Angels, due to their light-based powers. They tend to be weak to curses and corrupting powers. If they succumbed to their temptations, they would fall. (Includes an Angel Bloodline Trait).
[Youkai]: Youkai have enhanced physical abilities compared to those of normal humans, more so depending on their particular species. Each of the species has its own unique abilities that set it apart from other types of Youkai. But one thing common about their race is that most Youkai are able to manipulate Youjutsu, granting them a wider range of different abilities outside of their inherent ones. Some of them also have the ability to use natural energy called Senjutsu. Youkai in general are vulnerable to holy and cleansing-based abilities, just like the devils. (Includes ability to choose the Youkai species and bloodline trait).
[Vampire]: Vampires are residents of darkness who have existed since ancient times. Vampires have superhuman physical abilities, such as strength and endurance. In addition, they have the ability to breed and control bats and insects, turning into a flock of bats, and transforming their body parts, such as their arms, into them as well. Like devils, they are weak against holy and cleaning abilities. (Includes a choice of two advanced Vampire abilities to gain).
[Half-Blood (Human X Any Other Race)]: A crossbreed between a human and another race. They usually tend to inherit the abilities of the other race along with its weaknesses, but there is also a chance to obtain a Sacred Gear from their human side. (Sacred Gear and Bloodline Randomized).
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Looking at this list, I slowly read it over a couple times. These were some important choices, so I had to take some time to think about them.
Personally, if I were to think about it logically, I would probably choose to become either a Devil or a Fallen. But my heart wants me to choose Human again.
After a moment of thinking about some things, I decided that I would choose Human. Some may think that this is a completely idiotic choice, but I say, BEGONE HATERS!
I've lived as a human for so long, and I am pretty attached to it. Although humans are weak in that world, perhaps I can choose an ability that can let me overcome that. Another reason would be that I personally think that humanity in the DxD universe is stupidly pathetic because all they can do is imitate devil magic and rely on Sacred Gears or even other gods for help. But it is exactly because they are pathetic that I want to choose them. I think it would be interesting to try and implement other magic systems from other anime and novels into the DxD universe and play around with them.
So this is my reason. It is mostly just out of pure curiosity and a bit of attachment.
[Race: Human]
As I selected my race, another window popped up asking me for my background. Unlike the race option, there weren't any options, which probably meant I would just enter my background on it.
[Background: An orphan who is raised in an orphanage. The father and mother of the child were both magicians. They were attacked by a group of devils, and it is unknown whether they are alive or not.]
It is a pretty cliche backstory, but I think it works for me. There is a bit of mystery to the backstory, which might make my life a bit more interesting, and if I really wanted it, maybe it might even be my key to entering the main plot later on.
So now came the very important part, which was my power. I immediately clicked on the ability tab and saw three options.
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[Sacred Gear]
[Hero Descendent]
[Other Ability]
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Right off the bat, I knew I wasn't going to pick the Hero Descendent option. If this was the Nasuverse or some other anime, I would pick this, but in the DxD universe, being a hero's descendent is practically useless in my opinion. So I was stuck between a sacred gear or some other ability.
After thinking about it for some time, I decided to see what it meant by "Other Ability". I clicked on the option, and another screen opened up.
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[Choose another ability: ?] (Hint: You can choose other abilities humans have in DxD or from other universes.)
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Seeing the hint, I was a bit hyped. I had watched tons of anime, and I had so many abilities in my mind. So I just had to choose the best option that would help me in this world. There was one ability that was absolutely overpowered and probably one of my favorites.
'Complete Vector Manipulation'
*Ding* *Ding*
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[Error! Error! Ability too strong and to be implemented to the user. Please pick another ability]
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Huh, why not? If I had that ability, I would literally be unstoppable in this world. Well, I just have to pick another one, I guess.
'Complete Mystic Eyes of Death Perception'
*Ding*
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[Ability: Mystic Eyes of Death Perception (Shiki & Tohno)]
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Yup, this is my second favorite ability. I wanted the Complete version which includes both Ryougi and Tohno's eyes since they are slightly different from each other. I mainly asked for these Mystic Eyes because it wasn't a power that was too overpowered because it had its own set of strengths and weaknesses. If I could fully master this power, then it is certainly an ability that would let me contend with the strongest beings in that world.
The last thing I needed to choose was my age. I think I would like to be roughly born around 17 years before the plot starts, which should make me around the same age as Issei if I remembered correctly. But I still have to confirm something before I pick it.
'Hey system, when would I be born in relation to when the plot would start'
[It is your choice of when you want to be born]
Looking at the system's answer, I wrote down "17 years before the main story starts."
'I see… So could you implement it so that I awaken my memories and abilities at around 6'
[...Yes. It is acceptable.]
"All right, thanks; now open the [Menu]."
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[Name: Tristan Beatrice]
[Gender: Male]
[Race: Human]
[Background: Orphan] [+]
[Ability: Mystic Eyes of Death Perception]
[Time of Birth: 17 years before plot ]
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I looked back at my options and rechecked all of them before deciding that I was done.
*Ding*
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[User has completed filling out the [Menu]...Now beginning transportation to DxD Universe]
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As the system prompts, all my senses fade, and I feel something pulling me. After what seemed like hours and hours, I completely fell unconscious.
…
"Urrggh"
With a groan, I woke up with my body feeling sore all over. I slowly opened my eyelids, trying to adjust to the sunlight peeking through the window's curtains. I fully opened my eyes and started to look around. What I discovered was a room full of beds with many children sleeping on them.
It was just your typical orphanage like the ones I had seen before in my previous life. Many kids were sharing a bed and happily slept together in this small room.
After a moment of being awake, my head started to tingle. All of a sudden, a surge of memories entered my mind. They were 7 years' worth of this kid's memories and everything he knew. After receiving the memories, I felt much more enlightened, and my feelings of unease were completely gone.
I looked at the others sleeping and decided to lie back down and rest until some people started waking up. As I lay on the bed, I thought that it would be better to spend my time trying to organize my mind and started to think about what I would do from now on.
