DxD: Celeste 5

DxD: Celeste 5

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Commissioned by Althero and Chaosbrain

Wordcount: 2000

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“How do you feel?”

“A lot stronger than I should be.” Hyoudou Issei did his usual thing, which was scratch his cheek and smile worriedly. It was really refreshing to see, but the fact that he was younger than he should’ve been reminded me that I was far from home. Curse my awesome perceptiveness. “It’s amazing that I’ve changed this much in just a few weeks, Celeste-san.”

“The wonders of genetic engineering to avoid extinction.” I looked over his measurements and anatomy readings after he got scanned by my automatic clinic. Increased oxygen in the bloodstream, the beginnings of neuron growth, vastly increased disease resistance, and lower rates of lactic acid buildup. Bone and muscle density increased, as well. Increased strength and resistance to damage. “Congratulations, you’re now working with the same body as everyone else back in my world. You’re going to be getting a growth spurt slowly, too. And, before you ask, yes… your wang’s gonna stay proportional to ya, so don’t about walking around with something too small for ya.”

Hyoudou flushed deeply at my words, while I laughed and put the information screen away. Haptic holograms that could just appear anytime I wanted were still too expensive, since most of the synthetic materials needed to produce them needed to be made in massive factories. It felt really low-tech to have to use solid-state devices, but there was nothing I could do about it besides upgrade them as much as I could to get somewhere close to where I wanted them to be.

Anyway, I broke the awkward silence between Hyoudou and I before things got weird.

It probably already was for him, but he needed to get used to weirder things.

“Anyway, you’ve got a clean bill of health, and you’re stronger, better, and faster after just a few weeks. It’s about time we started training with your Sacred Gear, so extend your hand toward me.” Hyoudou Issei nodded and extended his hand towards me. I activated a few of the rings I had on my hand, workarounds to my lack of smithy, but good enough until Azazel got me everything that I needed back with the Grigori. “Now, remember what I taught you. Feel the power welling inside you and visualize it going into your hand. Don’t overthink it. It’s a part of you that’s always there. It’s a muscle that you just need to flex.”

The words I was reciting was the culmination of decades of research with Sacred Gears. Over here everything I was saying was a few decades ahead of anything they knew, since there was no organization going out of their way to study Sacred Gears. Heck, since I was dead here, the Sacred Gear system could’ve gone completely out of control and become utterly fucked—

“Ah, here!”

Shit.

I hate being right about terrible things.

…

Azazel poked Hyoudou while I nursed a headache and a coffee. Many things in this current dimension were better than in the Arcologies in terms of foodstuffs, but the coffee there was just as good as what the snobs preferred here, albeit with a lack of variety. Val would probably enjoy the variety, but I liked my coffee with milk and sugar so I just liked the fact that it didn’t taste terrible.

“You know the fact that Sacred Gears aren’t supposed to evolve or mutate makes a lot of sense. It even makes more sense that other powers can’t be shunted into it.” The Longinus that Issei had was, quite frankly, just a skeleton barely capable of containing Ddraig. Back in my dimension, I’d managed to fix up the Sacred Gear system before I had to reincarnate. But that wasn’t the case here. “You said that this kid’s Sacred Gear’s practically unfinished?”

“Yep. If he used its full form now, he’ll hybridize and go insane rapidly. That’s only supposed to happen if you and whatever’s inside decide to break it together so that they can become something newer, more powerful, and better.” Valerie and Albion came to mind, as well as my dimension’s Ise and Ddraig. After years of working together, or just hitting it off and being outstanding to one another for a few months, the two pairs practically become one and become more than the sum of their parts. That wasn’t the case for Hyoudou now, as he lay concerned on a hospital bed with multiple magics hovering him, as well as the leader of the Grigori. “Hyoudou-kun here practically risks going insane just trying to overcome his limits and training, let alone actually using it in a life-or-death battle. That’s without considering the fact that you can just slip in all sorts of powers in there to fill up the gaps.”

The version of Boosted Gear I was looking at now was mostly a prison that channeled Ddraig’s power into certain functions. It was missing practically all fail-safes and had innumerable gaps in security. From my brief review of its inner workings, I could tell that all sorts of powers could be added into it under the correct circumstances by actual beginners. I could shove a whole Peerage set in there, if I made myself a King piece, and he’d get a stupid amount of power… if it didn’t blow up his entire body when he tried using it all with a regular, human body.

Azazel nodded for a few seconds, before coming to a decisive statement on the situation.

“So, we’re going to fill this baby up with enough firepower to really make a Longinus or what?”

I looked Azazel with a glance that made it clear that I was questioning his intelligence.

“Of course, we are!”

“Yeah, dumb question. I don’t know why I asked.”

I finished my coffee and walked over the Hyoudou who was looking more and more nervous. I was conversing with Azazel in Latin, so he didn’t know what either of was were saying, so when I reached him, he looked to me… and got even more scared as I cracked my knuckled and called over a drone to give me some tools.

“Ah-ha-ha… Celeste-san, what’s happening?”

I nodded at Azazel to get ready for some jury-rigging of one of my creations as God, so he took off his suit jacket and took a lab coat offered to him by one of my drones. He had his own tools in my half-built workshop in the Mediterranean, but he learned quickly and was using my the last iteration of my tools. It was leagues ahead of what he had, so even though he wanted the newest thing that I made with my last set, he made do.

The Issei Hyoudou of this universe got nervous and asked his question again when I strapped my goggles on.

I decided it was time to answer his question.

“The Sacred Gear you have has a lot of empty space left behind because my previous self here didn’t finish it. We’re going to fix it so it doesn’t kill you, and make it stronger.” Hyoudou breathed a sigh of relief at my words. His trust in me was blatant and it was easy to see why he was Li’s best friend. I should’ve really spent more time with that guy back home… well, he was busy making babies and raising them all, so it wasn’t much of an issue. “Oh, at the very worst, this’ll put you in a coma for a day, but you’ll wake up perfectly fine and unlikely to explode or turn into a mutant afterward, so just sit tight.”

Issei took a moment to parse that information, blinking several times, before speaking.

“WHAT!?”

At his raised voice and yell, Azazel took the opportunity to knock him out with a simple gesture and spell. Hyoudou then flopped onto the table upon which he lay, because Azazel was a smart boy and read my missives to him about improving this human into something better.

My son looked at me and gave me a nod to begin and so I did.

It was good to work with someone who learned quickly, paid attention, and had talent in spades.

Hm.

Am I technically self-fellating my previous self-saying all that?

It feels kinda gross to think about, so I guess I am.

Gross.

Well, that horrible self-image can at least be suppressed by a significant amount of labor.

Time to spend a few hours to a day fixing up a combination of a soul-prison and weapon of mass destruction while it was clued to the fragile soul of a mere mortal!

Yeah, this was going to be a chore and a challenge, but after this Issei was going to be okay… so it’ll be worth it.

…

Issei glared at me with a mouth covered in marina sauce and with eyes filled with incredible delight as he experienced the wonders of regional Italian cuisine.

He wasn’t angry about the soul-surgery and repairs to ensure his future.

He was angry that I didn’t let him go to the beaches filled with hot, foreign European women in skimpy bikinis out to seduce old, wealthy fat tourists for luxury goods.

It was perfectly reasonable anger, because I went and enjoyed myself, blew a few young women’s minds, and relieved myself of several needs before I went back to a highschool filled with hot Devils.

I was waiting for my second, very large and quite-rare steak, so I decided to speak to my only friend in this world that wasn’t related to me.

“Issei… you would’ve ruined my game, because I would’ve had to babysit you. I just couldn’t bring you along.” I told him the complete and concrete truth of the matter. I was very aware of my incredible and exotic looks, because I am a tall, gorgeous, and toned woman from South America. Even the most cutthroat of the seductresses prowling the beaches would take an hour to explore new frontiers with me some hotpants and white shirt over a gold bikini… but with a slobbering Japanese teen beside me at least 20 years older? They’d probably call the police to get rid of some stupid competition. “They would’ve thought I’m some wealthy heiress lugging around her underage boytoy.”

My words were completely true, earnest, and bereft of any malice.

Naturally, because Hyoudou Issei was Hyoudou Issei, he understood this… and felt the righteous rage of a teenage boy spurred by the truth. But instead of wallowing in his weakness, he looked to present for something to do about the future and made a decision.

“Celeste-san… please teach me your ways of getting girls!” He followed his instincts and matched my gaze with determination. He gripped his fork tightly and with a lips stained by red-sauce, he asked of me to help him, guide him, and see him on the correct path. “If you help me, I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth!”

He pumped his fist when I readily gave him a nod… and then a sensation filled me.

It was a familiar one, but one I hadn’t felt since I left my home dimension.

The power of faith granted to me by a human.

Oh… oh man.

My first real believer in this world believed in me because he wanted to know how I got girls.

Azazel is going to laugh his ass off and Michael is going to die.