Start in DxD as Motohama: Leveling Up in Another World-Chapter 26: Is it wrong to have two cute yokai catgirls as pets? (I)

Chapter 26 - Is it wrong to have two cute yokai catgirls as pets? (I)

A figure was swiftly jumping across the rooftops. Behind them, several silhouettes resembling a flock of eerie birds moved rapidly through the air. Each of these creatures had three eyes and was roughly the size of a baby chair.

"Graah!"

One of the birds let out a piercing screech before launching an attack with its feathers.

Noticing this, the figure leaped to the side before continuing to run.

The other birds followed suit, creating a rain of sharp feathers.

"Damn it..."

The figure muttered while dodging the deadly projectiles.

Looking closer, one could see that it was a young girl. Her long, jet-black hair flowed wildly in all directions as she moved.

Perched on her head, a small creature resembling a black cat clung tightly.

"Leave it to me, Onee-chan!"

The cat's high-pitched voice rang out just before the temperature suddenly spiked.

The tiny feline on her head unleashed a torrent of flames from its mouth, resembling a miniature flamethrower. The fire burned in hues of crimson, yellow, and purple.

Most of the incoming feathers were incinerated by the blazing attack.

"Hold on tight."

The black-haired girl shouted, unsheathing the katana at her waist. At that moment, a pair of cat ears appeared atop her head.

"Oh, poisonous yet beautiful flower of life, for those who are but a fleeting dream in time..."

Murmuring softly, the girl turned toward the bird-like creatures. Then, with a swift jump, she lunged at them. Swinging her sword, she sliced through several of the monstrous birds nearby.

"Guha!"

"Bloom wildly, and amidst the chaos of your flowering, let the petals scatter freely upon the wind!"*

(*Yeah, gore poetry lol.)

She swung her katana once more, cutting down more and more creatures, a grin forming on her face.

"Argh!"

The birds screeched in agony as they were slashed apart. Some retreated, preparing to attack from a distance by launching their feathers, but their assault was once again repelled by the little black cat's flames.

After taking down most of the creatures, the girl was about to continue her escape when she suddenly felt a presence.

Reacting quickly, she moved aside just as a powerful gust of wind sliced past her. However, she wasn't fast enough—her clothes were partially shredded, and a small cut appeared on her cheek.

She paid no attention to her injuries; her focus was entirely on the new creature that had just appeared.

Its appearance was vaguely humanoid, but only if one ignored its crimson skin, black wings, and the horns protruding from its head. Surrounding it was yet another flock of those monstrous birds.

"Guh... Ruthra. So it was you behind all this. I should've known."

The girl muttered, tightening her grip on her sword.

"You little brat. I'll admit, you're pretty good at running away. Too bad you've reached the end of the road."

The creature sneered wickedly.

Not far from where they stood, several other similar stories were playing out...

"Come on, don't make me wait—just give up. And bring that little brat on your head too. I'm sure our King, your 'master,' would enjoy tormenting you both."

"Sorry, but I'm not that easy. That man is not my master. I never swore loyalty to him. If you want to take me back, you'll have to kill me."

She responded with a serious expression, her gaze locked onto the demon's.

"Oh, I'd love to do that, but our master has a special fixation with people like you. I suppose I'll have to settle for knocking you out."

The demon conjured several magic circles, which glowed before releasing a barrage of wind blades aimed directly at the girl.

She dodged as best she could while closing the distance between them. She knew there was no chance to escape anymore—her only option was to fight.

When she was just inches away, she swung her katana to strike, but a powerful gust from Ruthra's wings deflected her attack.

Thrown off balance mid-air, she failed to recover in time. Clutching the little black cat to her chest, she raised her katana defensively just as several razor-sharp gusts of wind slashed through her body.

"Guha!"

Deep cuts and wounds appeared all over her, blood spilling from them.

The girl's body crashed onto the ground, her grip still firm on her sword and the tiny black feline.

"Onee-chan!? Are you okay?! Onee-chan!"

The little black cat cried out desperately in her arms.

They had been on the run for days, barely getting a chance to rest due to the relentless pursuit of the demonic birds. The one in the worst condition was the girl with the katana, who had been fighting nonstop to protect them both.

"I-I'm fine. You don't have to worry."

Summoning every ounce of her strength, the young girl forced herself to stand again despite the wounds covering her body.

Ruthra stood before them, pointing at them with a glowing magic circle.

"This is the end of your journey. It's time to return."

"I won't let you hurt my Onee-chan!"

The small black cat squirmed in the girl's arms as its body began to glow.

"No... don't do it."

Ruthra had no intention of waiting to see what the little cat was planning. Just as he was about to unleash his spell to ensure they had no chance of escape, he suddenly sensed something approaching him at high speed.

××××× ××××× ×××××

A figure raced across the rooftops at an incredible speed, making it nearly impossible to make out any details. Leaping nimbly from one roof to another, they moved with confidence.

Only someone just as fast—or faster—could recognize him.

This was none other than Motohama Shinji.

He had stayed out too late and missed the last train home, so he had simply decided to run back instead.

A small smile adorned his face as he lost himself in thought.

"Even though I wanted to see how Issei developed on his own, in the end, things are unfolding at the same pace as the original work, huh..."

Motohama had hoped that his intervention would cause some kind of change in the story. You know, all that butterfly effect crap and whatnot. But fate seemed to be following its course, and things hadn't changed much.

His expression darkened as a new thought crept into his mind.

"Does this mean that things won't change no matter what I do?"

To be honest, he wanted to alter the whole storyline where Issei got stronger by touching boobs and exposing his girls' bodies to his enemies.

As much as he enjoyed the fan service that came with it, those tactics were completely inefficient in battle. No sane opponent would just stand around and wait for their rival to grope someone's chest to power up and defeat them. They'd have to be brain-dead to allow something like that.

"Hmm... Maybe, to bring about real change, I need to alter the very origin of things?"

It was just a theory. Motohama had always been a curious person, fascinated by both science and the supernatural in his previous life. You could say he had a certain obsession with the occult.

"Well, maybe I'm not too far off. The Issei from the original work stopped thinking about his friends the moment he entered the supernatural world. But now, look at him—he's actually asking for advice."

It might have been a small change, something seemingly insignificant. But Shinji was certain that this was the first step toward transforming Issei as a person.

Shinji was only a few blocks away from his house when his ability, {Universal Sense}, picked up a nearby surge of magical energy.

"Uh? Is there a fight happening around here?"

Shinji was filled with curiosity about what was happening, so he cautiously approached the scene.

That was when he noticed the young swordswoman lying on the ground, being protected by a small black kitten. In front of them, a demon seemed intent on harming them.

By instinct, Shinji used [Appraisal].

[Ruthra]

Race: Demon (Two-Winged) / Reincarnated

Occupation: Rook

Level: 210

Magic: 4,000

Attack: 5,000

Defense: 7,000

Agility: 4,500

Intelligence: 3,500

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Luck: 1,900

Weaknesses: Heart, head, wings

Shinji couldn't help but be reminded of the time he saved that otherworldly girl. However, this wasn't the time to get lost in thought—if he didn't act fast, the girl could die.

He had no idea who the real enemy was in this situation, so he decided to go with the classic "hit first, ask questions later" approach.

Summoning the [Absolute Spear], Shinji quickly hurled it.

Sensing the attack, Ruthra tried to dodge, but the spear tracked his movement. It was too late to react when—

—He lost an arm.

"AGH!"

Seeing an opportunity, Shinji pushed off with all his strength, putting his full weight into his legs as he lunged forward. He summoned the [Absolute Sword], charging straight at the demon.

"Who the hell are you, and why are you getting involved, human?!"

Ruthra staggered back, narrowly avoiding Shinji's strike. He tensed when he saw the spear return to Shinji's hand while the sword disappeared.

Shinji scanned the area and was surprised to see that the young girl was nowhere to be found. Instead, a white cat lay unconscious on the ground, embraced by a trembling black kitten that stared at him in fear.

"Wait... are they yokai?"

He spoke in confusion, but his attention quickly shifted back to Ruthra, who was preparing another magical attack.

"You bastard! How dare you ignore me?!"

Ruthra roared in fury as he launched another spell.

Shinji scooped up both cats and tucked them inside his clothes before dodging the attack. Since he wasn't wearing his armor, his body was completely unprotected.

"Hey, listen. I don't want to fight unnecessarily. If you explain what's going on here—"

"As if I'd tell someone like you!"

Ruthra yelled, sending more wind blades hurtling toward him.

Shinji sighed. It was clear that reasoning was out of the question, so he braced himself.

This was his third time fighting an enemy with ranged attacks, and this time, he was at a disadvantage without his armor.

Dodging the oncoming attack, Shinji countered by launching the [Absolute Spear] at Ruthra.

Ruthra attempted to alter its trajectory with wind magic but failed. Realizing this, he commanded some of his demonic birds to shield him. However, before he could react, a sharp pain shot through his leg—something had pierced it.

He had no time to dwell on the injury as he sensed more incoming attacks. Twisting his body, he began evading Shinji's invisible strikes.

Shinji wasn't too surprised by Ruthra's resilience. Despite losing an arm, the demon continued to fight. After all, he was a [Rook], and those pieces were known for their high defense.

Seeing Shinji closing the distance, Ruthra gritted his teeth.

"You're not getting off easy, damn you!"

He shouted, finally unleashing the spell he had been preparing. A massive tornado formed between them, and the demonic birds at his side surged forward, attacking Shinji.

Summoning the [Shapeless Bow], Shinji leaped backward while firing arrows at the birds. Then, as the bow disappeared from his hands, the returning spear landed firmly in his grasp.

Watching the approaching tornado, Shinji put away the [Absolute Spear] and summoned the [Scythe of Death]. Without hesitation, he sprinted straight toward the storm, swinging the scythe in a wide arc. The powerful slash tore the tornado in half, though the razor-sharp winds still managed to cut into his skin.

Ruthra stared, utterly stunned.

But Shinji didn't stop there. Exploiting his superior speed, he dashed toward Ruthra, who frantically fired multiple wind blades at him. With a single sweeping motion of his scythe, Shinji sliced through all the attacks as if they were nothing.

In mere seconds, he was standing right in front of Ruthra.

"You basta—"

Fwoosh!

Splash!

With one clean swing of the [Scythe of Death], a deep gash split across the demon's chest.

His furious, disbelieving eyes locked onto Shinji's calm expression as the last traces of life faded from his body.