There are many differences from the previous life here, and there are also many issues regarding the factions.
First of all, Indra holds the status of the Heavenly Emperor, but he is not the ruler of Chinese mythology; he is only nominally affiliated.
Although the concept of the Ancient Heavenly Court exists, it has already been destroyed.
Later, the one who occupied the status of the Heavenly Court was Indra.
What exists in the Chinese region is not a unified Heavenly Court force, but rather various scattered Immortal Realms.
Most Immortals hide in their respective mountains to cultivate, ignoring the outside world.
Although nominally subordinate to Indra, they actually maintain a considerable distance.
The reason Rias appeared here is because not long ago, a 'big shot' appeared here.
He awakened the Sacred Gear · Spear of Twilight when in danger; he is a descendant of Cao Cao from the Three Kingdoms and the most active human in the original High School DxD story.
At the same time, Cao Cao is also one of the candidates for the strongest human in this world.
Well... although this 'big shot' was completely misled by Indra.
Despite being Cao Cao's descendant, he inherited neither the essence of a grand hero nor the domineering aura of a king; instead, he is more like a terrorist.
In the later stages, because his philosophy as a human wavered, he used the Eye of Medusa and ended up being crushed by Issei Hyoudou.
Later, he crawled back from the deepest part of the Underworld, with a changed conviction and became Indra's vanguard.
In the later stages, he gives off a 'not a bad guy' vibe.
Without a doubt, this is Indra's fault.
In terms of potential, this descendant of Cao Cao has more advantages than his ancestor.
The Spear of Twilight is the Sacred Gear that assassinated Jesus; it is a high-tier Sacred Gear, with power even greater than the Boosted Gear and the white dragon emperor's Light Wings.
In terms of temperament, Cao Cao, who has always taken pride in his identity as a 'human' and held onto this conviction in a world where gods and demons coexist while humans are weak and surrounded by fools, is not lacking in this regard either.
The only shitty thing is that Indra himself is a veteran terrorist.
Before the original plot even began, the high-ranking officials of the three factions—Angels, Fallen Angels, and Devils—felt they couldn't afford more losses and didn't want to wage war anymore.
Even because the God of the Bible had died, the leaders of the three factions understood that the Biblical Pantheon was now a prime target, so they had to unite.
But that was only the thinking of the high-ranking officials of the three factions.
They needed to control their respective races and consider their own people's interests.
There is no doubt that many existing Pantheons cannot withstand war; once war breaks out, it could likely lead to their extinction.
But the problem is, these thoughts are only held by the high-ranking officials.
Ordinary members of the races only focus on themselves; hatred for other races is not something easily set aside.
Especially on the side of Heaven, they still have the Church to consider.
Once a peace treaty is signed, most of the Church's combatants, who have grudges against non-human species like Devils and Vampires, would be expected to just let go of that hatred?
Furthermore, wouldn't the very purpose of the Church's existence be significantly diminished?
Each of the three factions has its own problems, so it's quite normal for them to be hostile toward one another.
Indra, however, was dissatisfied with the current situation and wanted to provoke a war to break the stagnant period of development.
He wouldn't care even if a few Pantheons were wiped out.
But he himself couldn't easily take action, as that would make him a target.
So Indra nurtured Cao Cao and pushed him to the forefront to destabilize the relations between different Pantheons.
Without a doubt, Indra intended to raise Cao Cao as a terrorist from the start, which is why Cao Cao eventually became confused about his own convictions and his identity as a human, leading to his defeat and being abandoned by the Divine Will within the Holy Spear.
If he could be given a good environment to grow, he would likely be even more outstanding than in the original work.
Innate quality and acquired education—both are indispensable.
Coincidentally, when Rias realized this was the world of High School DxD, she had the idea of replacing Indra.
If he could be properly nurtured, it would likely be a good choice.
Thinking of this, Rias looked at the descendant of Cao Cao not far away.
At this time, Cao Cao was still a handsome young boy.
Standing by the roadside, Cao Cao rested his chin on his hand, looking as if he were deep in thought.
"Young man~"
Rias walked over slowly, causing Cao Cao's eyes to widen.
The moment he saw Rias, the weapon that had mysteriously appeared in his body began to tremble, as if emitting a powerful signal.
And that dazzling red hair color was something he was seeing for the first time.
No, even if the weapon hadn't reacted, he would never have taken this girl for an ordinary person, much less a common young lady from a normal family.
The mysterious aura surrounding her and her eyes like starlight made him feel a chill.
For the first time, an unspeakable terror rose within his heart.
"You are..."
Cao Cao stood there blankly, not reacting at all.
Abnormal, completely abnormal.
If he encountered such a person normally, he would definitely be on guard.
But—
Before this girl of the same age, he couldn't even summon a shred of defensive will.
"My name is Rias, and I am a Devil."
Rias said, "And you are the descendant of Cao Cao, as well as the host of a Sacred Gear."
"Sacred Gear?"
Cao Cao asked in confusion, "Is it that spear?"
"It is said that if its power is pushed to the limit, it can even pierce the bodies of gods and demons."
Rias smiled, "It is also the Holy Spear that pierced Jesus in the Bible, named—"
"The Spear of Twilight."
"Killing gods and demons..."
"So, such a thing actually exists in this world."
The boy sighed, then showed a sneering expression and said:
"How... ridiculous."
At this moment, the boy might have his own name, but it's likely that name will soon be abandoned.
If he truly has conviction, then perhaps it is inevitable.
Every owner of a Sacred Gear has an unfortunate story.
Cao Cao was no exception.
His behavior really didn't seem like that of a child.
Whether it was his appearance just now as he pondered life, or his current expression and words, they all revealed his current state of mind.
Cao Cao awakened the Sacred Gear Spear of Twilight when he encountered danger; afterward, his parents used Cao Cao's Holy Spear to make money, which led to him being targeted during this period.
And a while ago—
After facing danger, he struggled with all his might to survive, but... his parents had already squandered all that money and committed suicide.
If pushed to the limit, it can even pierce the bodies of gods and demons—
Very good, very tempting.
But because of it, his parents died.
And he encountered many dangers because of it.
Can the weapon be blamed?
No, the only thing to blame is the greed of the human heart.
Compared to him, his parents were too greedy and too foolish.
So they died.
"These so-called gods and demons... are they strong?"
Cao Cao asked.
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