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"Shut up, Jibril!"Hearing that, Riku's face twitched slightly. He snapped his fingers and flicked Jibril on the forehead with a bit of annoyance.
Seriously, why was she saying that kind of crap in the middle of something important?
"Riku, do you really want to build a harem that spans all the races?"Schwi stared hard at Riku, speaking slowly.
"...Why are you saying that too, Schwi?! Do I really seem like that kind of guy?"Riku held his forehead with a sigh, totally done.
Come on, he was pure and innocent! Did he look like someone so perverted?
"Ehehe~ But Master, you've already got the tiny Beastman princess, the Ex-Machina girl Schwi, me from the Flugel, and even a genius Elf girl working as your maid~"Jibril chuckled while rubbing her forehead, straight-up exposing Riku's "track record."
"...!"Riku's mouth twitched. He couldn't argue with that… The more he tried to explain, the worse it sounded!
Their conversation left the surrounding Dragonia totally confused. Even the Smart Dragon was curiously eyeing Riku—this human clearly wasn't simple.
"Riku, don't tell me you're really planning to…"Juyue looked spooked, flapping back a little as if to escape.
"Pfft, like I'd ever make a move on you!"Riku snapped back, exasperated.
"What do you mean 'on me'?! I'm a total babe among the Dragonia, you know!"Juyue instantly flipped, roaring in frustration.
"..."Riku was speechless.What was even happening anymore?
Sure, you might be a hottie among Dragonia, but to me you're not. No matter how awesome I am, there's just no way I could get it up for a dragon that can't even turn into a human…
"Alright, alright, knock it off,"Smart Dragon finally stepped in to mediate."Riku, I think your idea makes sense."
Then he turned to Juyue."Juyue, making a contract with Riku to act as a bridge between the two races is really important. You need to understand how crucial this is."
"…Got it."Juyue nodded. It wasn't like she didn't want to do it—she had just lost her temper a bit earlier.
Right after, Riku took out a contract card and made the pact with Juyue.Immediately, a mini version of Juyue's figure appeared on the card, forming a special bond between them.
Smart Dragon was surprised to realize that his own connection with Juyue had been completely severed. He stared at Riku with renewed interest—clearly, this mysterious human had more secrets than he let on.
"Collapse Time, acquired."Riku grinned with satisfaction and nodded.
Dragonia were dimensional beings—he wasn't—so he normally couldn't use abilities like that. But the contract card seemed ridiculously OP and had modified "Collapse Time" so he could use it.Still, there was a catch: he could only use it once per day.
That didn't bother Riku. After all, no matter how broken the contract card was, it couldn't just rewrite his nature to become a full-on dimensional lifeform like the Dragonia. Having some limits was actually a good thing.
"…Weird, my power's increasing?"Juyue noticed the change in her body and looked at Riku in surprise.
"Well, it's a special contract," Riku said with a smirk. "You'll grow stronger as I do."
"Huh? Now that you mention it, Master, after your last power boost, I started recovering faster too. I'll probably be back at peak strength in just an hour."Jibril chimed in, clearly amazed.
"———!"Hearing this, all the Dragonia around them were shocked and jealous.
They'd already seen Riku's potential. If they could become one of his followers, their status and power would skyrocket!
Of course, that all depended on one thing—Riku had to defeat Artosh and become the One True God.If he failed… everyone in the alliance was screwed.
"Fascinating contract,"Smart Dragon muttered in admiration.
"Oh yeah, Reginleif, I've got a favor to ask."Riku tucked the card away and turned to Smart Dragon with a sincere expression.
Collapse Time was great and all, but with only one use per day, it might not even be usable in a fight against the God of War.Even when he'd opened all Eight Gates and went full speed against Smart Dragon, the guy had only barely managed to use the ability once under extreme pressure.
Sure, Collapse Time was pretty busted against normal Dragonia, but at the top level, he might not even get the chance to use it.And let's be real—even at full Eight Gates, he probably still couldn't beat the God of War.
So for now, strengthening himself in every possible way was still priority number one… and those Diamond-level treasure chests?He had to get them.
"Oh? What's the favor?"Smart Dragon asked, intrigued.
"I need you to take me to a specific location in the dimensional space."Riku gave a small, expectant grin.
"Alright."Smart Dragon blinked in surprise but nodded.
Suddenly, Jibril and Schwi seemed to recall something about Riku's past actions and chimed in at once:
"Master, I'm coming too!"
"Riku, I want to stay by your side."
"Uh… sure."Riku scratched his nose and nodded.
Not like they could see the Diamond chests anyway, so it didn't matter.
And so, one human, one Dragonia, one Ex-Machina, and one Flugel followed Riku into the dimensional space.
The dimensional space was completely white and disorienting—like a blank canvas that could make anyone dizzy.
But Riku knew exactly where he wanted to go.Riding on Smart Dragon's back, he headed straight for the Diamond chest's location.
In front of them stood a dazzling, radiant chest glowing with all kinds of magical light.Riku's eyes gleamed with excitement.
Finally, under the curious gazes of the others, Riku stepped forward and placed his hand on the chest.
Click—
With a crisp sound, the Diamond-level treasure chest opened.A blinding light—far stronger than anything before—burst out.Then, a glowing orb slowly revealed what was inside.
Ding! Congratulations, Master! You've opened a Diamond-grade Treasure Chest and obtained the Longinus: Boosted Gear (The Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet)!
Boosted Gear: From High School DxD, one of the Thirteen Longinus. Contains the Red Dragon Emperor Ddraig, one of the Two Heavenly Dragons.
Effect: Every 10 seconds in the human world, the wielder's power doubles. Though temporary, it allows one to exceed the power of Demon Lords and Gods. At the peak, it can even slay deities—though this is limited by the host's body. If the user can't handle the power, they'll explode from within.
Secondary Ability: Boosted Gear Gift—allows you to transfer your multiplied power to another person or weapon.
Other abilities: Please explore them yourself.
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