The Maniac of DxD (Highschool dxd insert/ semi-crack): Chapter 36

Yasaka, the Kyuubi sighed heavily as she sat down tiredly in front of the two humans, one of whom watched her body with a lustful expression for a split second before terror replaced it.

Despite the circumstances, Yasaka could not help but feel amused at that look.

A month or two ago, when these two had first arrived at Kyoto in accordance with the deal that Maniac Ren made with the Gods, Issei Hyoudou was nothing more than a certified pervert that nearly all of the female population of Kyoto despised.

Yasaka herself felt a mix of amusement and irritation as the boy would not stop staring at her breasts shamelessly, much to the rage of her followers.

However, something changed.

The Kyuubi did not know if it was Manic Ren or something else, but over time, Hyoudou’s perverseness was slowly replaced with caution, and then, outright fear of the female form as days went by.

A shame, really, since that perverted nature had meant that Yasaka had spent a considerable amount of resources in trying to find a few loyal yokai that could tie the current Red Dragon Emperor to Kyoto, only to end up wasting all that effort after this new development.

Yasaka felt a small smile form on her face as she saw Maniac Ren subtly jab Hyoudou and bring him back to reality from whatever nightmare had consumed his mind.

The Kyuubi felt a little envious of the master-student duo, just a little bit.

There was no doubt that Issie Hyoudou had a lot of potential and would be someone that people would do anything to get into their camp, simply because he was born with a Longinus-Class Sacred Gear.

However, just like there will be people who would pay any price to get him, there will also be people who will try to threaten him or seduce him to their side through various nefarious ways.

Fortunately for the human boy, his master was already taking care of such things without the boy knowing about it.

When Maniac Ren publicly proclaimed Issei Hyoudou as his student on his livestream, he created a safety net around the boy using his name as a deterrent. A deterrent that most of the supernatural community does not wish to test, given the tendencies of Maniac Ren to go full scorched-earth when threatened in any way.

Then, he trained Hyoudou in the arts of Senjutsu and Touki, ensuring that, for the short term, nobody below the High-Class mark could threaten his life. This made sure that Hyoudou would be able to delay any attacker long enough for Ren to arrive and take care of the problem. He also did something to completely curb the perverted nature of the boy, making sure that the classic honeypot traps would not work against the boy.

And then, Maniac Ren made the deal with the Shinto Gods to provide personal protection towards Hyoudou’s family through the use of various Oni and Youkai from both factions, securing all ends and creating an impregnable fortress around Issei Hyoudou to protect the boy.

Truly, Yasaka felt both envy towards the boy, for having someone so thoughtful and resourceful as his master, and pity, for having to deal with the insanity of Maniac Ren.

A strange mix that she could not avoid every time she saw this duo.

“How long are you going to stare at us like that? Yasaka? Oh! Are you actually interested in us that way? My, how far you have fallen.”

Maniac Ren’s teasing voice brought the Kyuubi out of her thoughts as she lightly glared at the insane human.

“Then again, if you are really interested in me like that, I don’t mind indulging a little bit.”

Yasaka gave an annoyed huff and continued lightly glaring at the lustful stare of the man, knowing that all of it was an act.

Truth be told, she knew from the very beginning that Maniac Ren had no real interest in her body, or that of the other females or males in the city. It was as if that part of him had either not developed at all or was damaged in some way during his life.

As the ruler of Kyoto and wielder of its Lay lines, it was child’s play for her to get a feel of his mind without alerting him of her probing.

It was not that he was incapable of being lustful or was not interested in such carnal pleasures. It was just that he was too apathetic to let those feelings get to him in any way.

That was why she never took his attempts to flirt with her seriously. She also never told her subordinates and advisors about his mental state, allowing them to assume that he was serious and direct their anger at the Maniac.

Her own form of petty revenge.

However, now was not the time for their usual games as they had gathered for serious business.

“I would appreciate it if you took this seriously, Ren-san. I just lost some of my loyal guards to an attack from an unknown party, and you were there at the scene with your apprentice.”

‘Which makes you a suspect’ were the unsaid words that everyone in the room had in their minds.

Yasaka knew that these doubts were absurd, especially since Maniac Ren always had proof of his whereabouts most of the time, something that was proven right when he had shown the livestream he had been conducting when the slaughter had occurred.

But her advisors and followers were rarely rational when they were emotionally compromised, just like she was.

She had lost a dear friend in that attack last night and she would be damned if she did not avenge him.

Maniac Ren simply grinned at her words as Issie Hyoudou shifted uncomfortably at her glare.

“You and I both know who attacked your people, Yasaka. Now, the question is, will you continue with this useless meeting and pointless discussions, or will you finally take action?”

“……It is not that simple, Ren-san.”

“It is that simple, Yasaka of Kyoto. The only reason it doesn’t appear simple to you is because you are a coward.”

“HOW DARE YOU-“

The leader of the Raiju clan stood up from his seat and shouted at Ren’s insulting words, only for a pulse of power from Maniac Ren, followed by his maniacal grin, making the Youkai pause.

“You want a fight? Dog? I am game! It’s been a while since I’ve fought someone in the Ultimate-Class, and I’m itching to gauge myself after my training these days.”

The leader of the Raiju, who was only a peak High-Class in power, a fact that everyone knew, including Maniac Ren, went red in the face in both embarrassment and anger but could do nothing but sit down, knowing that the human had indirectly called him weak and called out his show boating by directly challenging him to a fight.

Ren turned back from the youkai and stared at Yasaka, who sighed heavily.

“….What do you suggest? Ren-san?”

“Simple. We know exactly who attacked your guards. Now, the question is, where are they hiding? What were they looking for in the Vaults? And most importantly, how many of your people have sold you out for their own gain? Because we both know it's nearly impossible for anyone to get past all the barriers across the palace without inside help.”

Yasaka ignored the uproar that followed his words, followed by the accusations and denials shouted by her subordinates. Instead, she focused on the grinning human.

“You were able to get past all those barriers easily, so what makes you think someone else couldn’t do that?”

“Unless the Old Satan faction has somehow managed to find an illusionist capable of creating solid illusions, can use Senjutsu and Touki in tandem to hide themselves, and are also strong enough to take on a group of Guards at the peak of High-Class in a straight fight, are blessed with immunity in the lands of Youkai by the Shinto Gods, and also have a tool made for them by a Titan, I highly doubt they can replicate what I did.”

“….I see.”

Yasaka felt tired as she leaned back into her throne, letting her mind wander into theories and memories, looking for anything that could point her towards any solid proof of what Maniac Ren had claimed.

She desperately hoped to prove the human wrong and say that none of her people would betray their own like this. However, the unfortunate reality was that she could not find such proof in her memories, forcing her to acknowledge the truth in his words.

With no other choice left, and knowing exactly what the human was waiting for, Yasaka of Kyoto, the ruler of the Youkai, sat up straight in her throne and pulsed her power, making the arguing subordinates shut up and listen to her following words.

“Maniac Ren. I wish to hire your services in tracking down the attackers, gathering evidence for the traitors, if there are any, and providing them to me.”

“A search and destroy job along with an investigation on the side? That will cost you, Yasaka of Kyoto. Even more so than my regular rates since this is hostile territory.”

“What is your price?”

The grin that the human directed towards her made a chill go down the youkai leader’s spine, and his words made her feel suffocated in anger and desperation.

“I want you to teach me everything you know about Senjutsu. I also want you to give me access to the Leylines temporarily for my training. And finally, I want the Kusanagi.”

Once again, her court exploded into noise as Yasaka fell back into her throne.

As expected, it was not easy to deal with the Maniac.

Unfortunately, she no longer had a choice in whether or not to agree to his words.