In DxD Starting with Sign-Ing in as the Red Dragon

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"I think it's worth a try, but not now."

"Rather than testing the mettle of a Hell Maou, what I'm more curious about is… how did you manage to change Saber's mindset to what it is now?"

Gilgamesh, the Golden King, knew full well that it was Akira who had influenced Saber to say what she had just said.

"Infusing your demonic ideals into the noble King of Knights has diminished her value as a collectible."

"Leviathan, don't you think what you've done… is a terrible waste?"

Gilgamesh was clearly displeased with Akira's manipulation of Saber's thoughts. In his eyes, Saber was already his prospective collectible, and only he had the right to alter her mindset.

Hearing Gilgamesh's words, even the usually composed Saber grew angry.

"Archer! I am not some object! I am a living person! It is my freedom to accept or reject any ideas I choose!"

Gilgamesh shook his head and walked into the courtyard.

"So, Saber, you chose to accept the demon's ideals and change your original beliefs?"

"Saber, this version of you… is quite ugly in my eyes."

Whoosh!

Golden ripples shimmered as weapons materialized, embedding themselves into the lawn and tearing up chunks of grass. Gilgamesh flipped his wine cup, letting the divine wine spill onto the ground.

"Saber, don't you think that being tempted by a demon makes you like these ants, drawn to the spilled wine?"

"This version of you has lost the qualification to be my collectible."

"Archer! Who said I wanted to be your collectible?!" Saber retorted with disdain.

Gilgamesh was, as always, confident and utterly insufferable.

Akira, too, smiled as he swirled his glass of red wine.

"Gilgamesh, you just said that Saber, who listens to others' advice, has been tempted by a demon?"

"Does what I say have anything to do with me being a demon?"

"Of course it does. Demons have always been creatures that deceive others with sweet words. Anyone who makes a contract with a demon is destined to fall into the abyss."

Gilgamesh only tolerated Akira's presence because he was a Maou. Any ordinary demon daring to attend a king's banquet would have been obliterated on the spot.

As he drank, Akira calmly replied:

"Gilgamesh, you're right. Anyone who makes a contract with a demon is destined to fall into the abyss."

"But, conversely, it's precisely because demons have the power to grant wishes that people are willing to walk into that abyss."

"The advice I gave Saber has nothing to do with me being a demon."

"Even if I weren't a demon, as long as my words made sense, she would listen."

"Even if I weren't a demon, as long as I had the power to fulfill her wishes, she would still make a deal with me."

"Judging solely based on identity, while ignoring the facts—Gilgamesh, don't you think that makes you… rather shallow?"

"Hahahaha~"

Gilgamesh laughed heartily, having witnessed Akira's silver tongue in action.

"See, Saber? This is what I warned you about—the sweet words of a demon."

"Is this how you were swayed, changing your beliefs?"

"Saber, I am deeply disappointed in you."

Gilgamesh shook his head, his expression one of regret.

As Gilgamesh had said, demons were extremely dangerous beings. Merely conversing with one could lead to temptation. Making a deal with a demon would plunge one into an unfathomable abyss.

However…

Saber didn't care.

Because not only she, but this entire world was on the brink of falling into that abyss. In such a situation, the only one willing to pull her—and this world—back was Akira. Even if… the world's crisis was caused by Akira's actions in the first place.

Seeing Gilgamesh speak like this, Akira couldn't help but laugh.

"Haha~ How amusing."

"Gilgamesh, do you really think that listening to others' advice before acting is something shameful?"

"Of course! In my era, everything was decided by me alone! Even something as trivial as a cow giving birth was handled by me personally!"

"It was precisely because of me that Babylon prospered! Every one of my subjects lived fulfilling lives, their spirits rich with hope for the future!"

"You take pride in micromanaging everything?" Akira sneered.

"Gilgamesh, the reason you could do that was because…"

"The Babylon you ruled… was no bigger than the palm of my hand!"

Akira's words were shocking, but after a moment of thought, both Saber and Alexander the Great nodded in agreement. Indeed, in terms of territory, Gilgamesh's Babylon wasn't particularly large.

Akira continued his verbal assault.

"The so-called 'Oldest King of Humanity'?"

"More like the Oldest Village Chief of Humanity!"

"If your territory were larger, you would have had to delegate power to others!"

"A petty ruler of a tiny kingdom like yours dares to claim absolute authority?"

"If you had the territory of Zhu Yuanzhang, do you think you'd still have time to worry about which cow gave birth?!"

Akira's words made Gilgamesh's veins bulge. The great "Oldest King of Humanity" had just been reduced to the "Oldest Village Chief of Humanity"! And the worst part was… Babylon really wasn't that big.

"For a ruler, listening to others' advice is not a flaw!"

"Entrusting the nation to capable individuals is not a sign of incompetence!"

"A ruler only needs the wisdom to recognize talent!"

"A wise ruler can place the right people in the right positions! Even if they make a mistake, they can admit it and correct it in time!"

"Don't you think that Saber, as she is now, is a ruler with such wisdom?"

"Wisdom? A king deceived and corrupted by a demon has no wisdom!" Gilgamesh shook his head.

"Saber… I've lost interest in you."

"A tainted vase like you is no longer worthy of my collection."

Gilgamesh was genuinely disappointed. The noble King of Knights had willingly fallen, choosing to side with a demon.

As Gilgamesh drank, his Master, Kirei Kotomine, was suffering.

Kirei dodged fireballs that came flying at him, each one grazing his body and perfectly predicting his movements. It was clear that his attacker was toying with him.

Normally, he would have called Gilgamesh for help, but he knew the Golden King was currently drinking with others. Disturbing Gilgamesh during his wine time would have severe consequences. So, unless his life was in immediate danger, Kirei wouldn't summon him.

"The attacker must have chosen this moment precisely because of that."

"But they don't seem intent on killing me."

Kirei was frustrated. He couldn't call Gilgamesh, nor could he ignore the threat. He was stuck.

"Assassin! Buy me some time!"

Kirei resorted to his usual tactic, sending out Assassins to delay the enemy while he made his escape.

Whoosh!

However, the moment the Assassins appeared, they were instantly vaporized by high-purity fireballs.

"Huh?"

Kirei realized something was wrong. This time, he summoned multiple Assassins at once.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Again, the Assassins were instantly annihilated by a barrage of fireballs.

"So… their target is the Assassins?"

This only deepened Kirei's confusion. By all accounts, he and Gilgamesh were the greater threats. Why would the enemy focus on the Assassins?

What Kirei would never know was that Akira's reason for targeting the Assassins was simple—he wanted to prevent them from being killed by Alexander the Great. Due to the "Great Demon King of the Holy Grail War" check-in, Akira needed to eliminate all Servants. Since the Assassins were originally defeated by Rider in the story, Akira decided to take them out early to avoid any plot corrections.

"What a pain!"

Kirei was at his wit's end. He weighed the cost of losing a group of Assassins against the risk of angering Gilgamesh.

Meanwhile, the kings' banquet was drawing to a close. Compared to the original timeline, Saber had performed much better. While it wasn't enough to convince Gilgamesh and Alexander, it was enough to earn their respect.

"There have been countless rulers in history. Who said there's only one way to rule?"

"If someone governs differently from you, but does it well, you have to acknowledge it!"

"The wine is good, but it will eventually run out."

Alexander's voice was calm. Both he and Gilgamesh knew that after this banquet, the Holy Grail War would come to an end.

Because…

A new era was about to begin!

"Saber, Archer, it's time to consider the future of this world!"

Alexander laughed boldly. Having now obtained a physical body, his next step was to embark on his dream of conquering the world! And to do that, he would have to deal with the two individuals before him.

"You don't need to worry about that," Akira said, setting down his wine glass.

"Because this world… will become my collection."

Having gathered enough energy, Akira only needed to claim a few more individuals before he could take this world with him.

"Becoming a demon's collection, huh?" Alexander shook his head.

"Then I cannot stand idly by."

"As Heroic Spirits, as heroes of human history, we cannot allow this world to fall into the hands of a demon!"

"As kings, we cannot submit to the might of a Maou!"

Alexander's words were tantamount to a declaration of war!

"Oh? Is that so?"

"Then… show me your resolve!"

Akira smiled faintly and stomped his foot. With Akira as the center, dimensional energy rapidly expanded, transporting everyone to the outer walls of the world before they could react.

"This is… outside the world," Alexander said, his expression grave.

"That's right, outside the world," Gilgamesh nodded.

"Oh, I almost forgot to mention."

"The reason the world's destruction has accelerated is because I initiated a dimensional storm," Gilgamesh said proudly.

"Hero King, why would you do that?" Alexander asked, his tone serious.

"Why? To filter humanity, of course!" Gilgamesh replied as if it were obvious.

"Modern humans are mediocre, lazy, and I can't find a single spark of brilliance in them!"

"And… there are simply too many of them!"

"The subjects I need are those who can withstand the invasion of dimensional space, fight against the minions of outer gods, and emerge victorious!"

Alexander fell silent. He had to admit, compared to his own desire for conquest, Gilgamesh was on another level of madness.

Seeing Alexander's silence, Akira spoke up.

"Alexander, you just said that as Heroic Spirits, you cannot allow this world to fall into the hands of a demon, right?"

"Fine, I'll give you a chance."

"I won't ask you to stop the world's destruction."

"But at the very least, can you stop the invasion from outside?"

"If you can hold back the expanding dimensional rifts on your own, I'll allow you to become a king in my world!"

Hearing Akira's words, Alexander drew his sword.

"Leviathan! I am already a king! I don't need a demon's approval!"

"But as you said… if I lack the power to protect my nation, I have no right to conquer others!"

"If I lack the power to protect this world, I have no right to conquer it!"

"I will face your challenge alongside my soldiers!"

"Very well, I respect your choice," Akira smiled. "Agumon, you can open the battlefield now."

[Understood, Akira!]

Crack!

As Agumon activated the battlefield, a massive corridor appeared before Alexander. It was hundreds of kilometers wide—and its length stretched beyond sight.

[Ionioi Hetairoi!]

Alexander summoned his army, the companions of his conquests, and charged into the endless dimensional sea.

Watching Alexander fight with all his might, Akira smirked mischievously.

In a way, the dimensional sea was still a sea, right?

Perhaps this was how Alexander's dream would be fulfilled.

Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 135 on my patreon, go check it out and remember that if we reach the goal of 50 power stones I will publish the next chapter.