'Phew, I managed to dispel their strange looks at me.'
Sanguinius felt relieved after clearing up a possible misunderstanding with Dohnaseek and the other fallen angels.
Even though he had become a member of the group chat, it only increased his possibilities and potential.
'I shouldn't confuse potential with actual strength... otherwise I'll end up like a young master in a cultivation story.'
This thought made him more determined.
Thus, the rest of Azazel's speech ended quickly.
"For now, we'll be moving to the underworld."
Thanks to his subsequent remarks, there was almost no resistance from the mass of fallen angels.
They all had the flame of vengeance lit in their hearts thanks to Azazel, but also a gleam of impatience in their eyes.
Thanks to their new leader, they've become aware of their new freedom, and each of them is determined to keep it.
'Their grief toward their father has transformed into a complex mixture of hatred and resolve, born from the burning desire to protect their newly acquired freedom.'
Unconsciously, Sanguinius nodded in admiration toward Azazel.
Not only had he managed to boost the morale of the fallen ones, but he had offered them an outlet for their negative emotions, and shown them a new path beyond blindly serving their father... living for themselves.
— Bam!
A magical teleportation circle appeared at Azazel's feet before slowly growing until it finally covered the stormy sky.
A golden light swallowed each person present in the air before they found themselves in an extremely inhospitable place at first glance.
"This is more... infernal than I thought," he said as he landed on the ground, not caring about the other fallen ones who were stunned by their environment.
"Where are you going?" The voice of little Mittelt resonated right behind him.
"To rest, of course. Do you think they'll set up our temporary base with just a snap of their fingers?"
Even though this world contains magic, Sanguinius deduced that it would be slightly difficult for the fallen ones to quickly set up a temporary base.
The reason isn't a lack of equipment or knowledge, but rather the dangerous fauna of the underworld.
Currently, the underworld is in its most primitive form compared to what it will become in the canonical story.
'Lucifer hasn't created many devils yet, and they don't have as much influence in the underworld as they will in the future.'
Thus, the biblical territory of the underworld is extremely vast and still empty, populated by demonic creatures born from the miasma floating in the air.
"C... can I follow you?"
The sudden question caught him off guard for a moment before he nodded.
"She seems to trust me more than Azazel."
This perspective improved his mood, but he still frowned slightly as he observed Dohnaseek and the others heading toward a larger group of fallen angels.
"Too bad, he chose to stay with Kokabiel."
Sanguinius simply sighed, disappointed by this narrow vision of the world, before continuing his journey on foot through the jungle of the underworld.
He wasn't walking for pleasure, but he didn't want to attract the attention of other fallen ones for the moment.
He had already decided to temporarily join the Grigori until the end of the Flood, and to take maximum advantage of their resources before his future defection.
"For now, I'm going to look for a quiet place to better understand the group chat."
It didn't take long for the duo to come across a cave.
"Stay slightly behind. I'll check if there's a demonic beast or not."
— Light
A sphere of light began to float above Sanguinius's hand as he ventured into the cave.
Although he had left Mittelt slightly back, out of caution.
This place was probably safe since he couldn't feel any magical energy emanating from the cave.
He simply wanted to observe for himself to avoid a stupid situation like falling into an ambush due to lowered guard.
"OK, it's good." His words drew a sigh of relief from the small blonde loli. An act that didn't go unnoticed by his eyes.
"I'm sure she wasn't this... reserved at the beginning of the canon."
He couldn't help but compare the future version of Mittelt, under Raynare, with the one standing beside him.
If one resembled an arrogant little girl, overflowing with confidence, this one more closely resembled a calm and discreet young girl.
"I should avoid relying on her loli appearance. If she's an angel, then she surely has centuries, and her fallen status indicates a bodycount of at least one."
In summary, Sanguinius decided to chase away the little sister image that Mittelt gave him and started preparing the cave.
"I'm going to improve this place."
Magic...
It's a supernatural power used by almost all races in the DxD universe, but in various forms or restrictions called magical systems.
Each pantheon has its own magical system, but the devil race undoubtedly has the simplest path.
"I really envy those damn bats... but I'll have to rely on Heaven's magical system."
Fallen angels no longer have the grace of the Biblical God, and the absence of their halo is proof — but they still have access to certain privileges, like sacred power or the magical system created by God for his children.
In theory, all magic is similar to that of future humans.
They are based on solid logic and precise calculations to produce a phenomenon that follows a pattern of the type "if I do this, then that happens."
"The element that differentiates magical systems from one another is precisely their understanding of the world and their way of perceiving it."
Take the example of a Chinese person living in China in the Middle Ages and an Arab in the same period: these two individuals probably possess solid mathematical knowledge...
Yet they have a different approach to mathematics or use distinct symbols to achieve a similar goal — like proving that 1 + 1 = 2
"To make it even simpler, it's like computer coding with different languages, but with equivalent potential for final achievement."
Sanguinius concluded that if pantheons and other creatures use manual coding, then demons use a shortcut that automates the task: demonic energy.
It's like a programmer facing an AI.
Everything depends on the level of the programmer and the AI user to get the best result.
This understanding of magic gave Sanguinius a head start over ordinary fallen angels, who had never really favored magic over their sacred energy.
"Elemental magic: ground transmutation."
Using the meager magical knowledge still present in his memory, Sanguinius modified the appearance of the cave to give it the look of a small bunker.
"Wow, you're so good at magic!"
"Hahaha, it's not much. And you'll have to learn to do the same, sooner or later."
After savoring the compliments of a pretty girl, Sanguinius headed to an isolated room, his sphere of light floating by his side.
"You can take a room nearby. We'll leave when the presence of the others stops moving... or if they move too far away."
After his departure, a strange silence filled the atmosphere around Mittelt.
'Can I really reach such a level?'
Mittelt involuntarily observed the cold, now smooth floor, as well as the simple but precise architecture of the former cave.
If it had only concerned a small area, she wouldn't have worried about being able to achieve it someday... but this...
"He literally modified the whole cave casually... and he doesn't even seem tired."
Unconsciously, Mittelt began to admire the other part of the duo even more.
....
"I really could do that?!"
Sanguinius had been looking at his hands for a few minutes after separating from Mittelt.
"Although everything is theoretically correct in my head, I doubted I could execute elemental magic of such magnitude."
The most surprising thing is that his mana reserve had hardly decreased.
He estimated that he had consumed only 4 to 5% of his energy, which was negligible given the size of the cave.
"It's just a shame that my former self didn't possess more knowledge about Heaven's magical system."
This created a situation resembling that of an experienced blacksmith deprived of a good part of his tools.
"No matter. I'm here for the group chat."