"You over there, human—I have a question. The red one… did you kill him?"
As soon as Albion said that, Vali couldn't stay silent.
"Albion, are you saying… the Red Dragon Emperor of this generation is dead?"
"No… it's not just that. The red one's presence has vanished from this world. Which means, the soul inside the Sacred Gear—Ddraig—might've been killed by that human."
Though Albion said this calmly, there was a trace of curiosity and awe in his tone.
Not just Albion—Vali and the others also turned to look at Ren.
If the Red Dragon Emperor was truly wiped out, that was no small matter.
After all, a Sacred Gear host like that had immense potential. Any faction would've valued them as a powerful future asset.
Azazel especially understood this, since he had personally cultivated Vali.
Of course, Vali couldn't be compared to just anyone—he was special.
He inherited the original Lucifer's bloodline, was both human and devil, and hosted the White Dragon Emperor's Divine Dividing.
This generation's White Dragon Emperor might be the strongest one in history… or so Azazel believed.
"I didn't kill the Red Dragon Emperor. Ddraig isn't dead either… Maybe one day he'll break free from the Sacred Gear and fly up to you, alive and kicking."
"That's ridiculous… are you saying—you helped Ddraig escape the Sacred Gear!?"
Albion lost his composure.
Not just him—Azazel and the others showed subtle changes in their expressions.
They didn't doubt Ren's words. Someone with his power had no reason to lie.
Which meant… maybe someday, the Red Dragon Emperor Ddraig really would break free from the Sacred Gear and reappear.
"If you don't believe me, want to give it a try?"
Ren grinned with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"You—"
Albion wanted to argue, but Ren cut him off.
"Now that I think about it, I don't need your opinion. You and Vali both belong to me now. I don't need to explain anything to a prisoner."
Albion: "..."
Then why stir up my curiosity just to shut me down?
He realized this human was truly wicked—he'd bait your interest, then leave you hanging.
Ren didn't bother saying more to Albion. He turned to Azazel and asked with interest:
"So, Governor Azazel… what do you plan to trade for Vali and the Divine Dividing? If you don't have anything I'm interested in, I'm not letting either of them go."
The original Lucifer's bloodline and the White Dragon's Emperor…
Aren't those valuable?
The Red Dragon Gauntlet for a pet, the White Dragon Wings for a meal—how perfect.
And the Lucifer bloodline? Easily worth a few rounds of lottery pulls. Who could say no to that?
In that instant, Azazel's face darkened with trouble.
If it were only Vali, he might find a way to buy him back. But the White Dragon Emperor…
Even his entire stash of artificial Sacred Gears couldn't match that value.
And even if he offered them, they'd be useless to this human.
Didn't Ren already remove the Booster Gear?
Sighing deeply, Azazel felt utterly drained and kicked the decision back to Ren.
"I don't know what you want, Ren, so I figured I'd just ask—what do you want in exchange for letting Vali and the Divine Dividing go?"
"The Divine Dividing are impossible. You should know that. Even if you gave me all your artificial Sacred Gears, it wouldn't be enough."
Ren was indeed tempted by Azazel's inventory. The Divine Dividing of the White Dragon Emperor were rare and high-quality Sacred Gear, but Azazel had sheer quantity on his side.
Ren didn't know exactly how many artificial Sacred Gears Azazel had, but he was certain it was a lot.
He didn't know how many draws one Sacred Gear could equal, but Azazel could keep making them, right? It'd be great to just keep milking Azazel like a sheep...
That was clearly a better deal than trading away the Divine Dividing—a full-fledged Longinus.
But... with Vali as a bargaining chip, why trade away the Divine Dividing for nothing?
The Divine Dividing were worth two prizes. Trading them outright would be such a loss.
"So, I can only return Vali to you. How's that sound?"
"Vali..."
Azazel understood. He glanced at Vali, wanting to respect his opinion.
Though it was a shame he couldn't retrieve the Divine Dividing, he was the one making the request here.
Vali's face darkened, and he fell into silence.
But Albion spoke first.
"Vali, don't forget—you still have your own goals to accomplish..."
As someone who'd been with Vali for a long time, he knew him well.
It was better for him to speak up first in this situation.
"Also, I'm curious about what this man said... that red one might someday break free from the Sacred Gear and show off. If that's true, maybe I could do the same."
"There's a chance. And wait—did you seriously believe that?"
Ren's expression turned strange.
"So what if I believe it? What if I don't? I'm already in your hands."
Albion didn't seem to care, showing a calm and free attitude.
That made sense. The stronger dragons in this world were the purer ones. Such beings accepted reality easily. Take Ophis, for example—so long as her goals could be met, she didn't mind being used.
After being trapped in Sacred Gears, the Two Heavenly Dragons seemed unchanged. Once they entrusted their powers to their hosts, they just resumed their pre-death battles—no difference at all.
For dragons like that, losing a fight and becoming someone's prisoner, even dying afterward—what did it matter?
"I admire your attitude," Ren couldn't help but say.
"So... you want the Divine Dividing. What about Vali?"
"You can exchange him with your artificial Sacred Gears... not too many. Just half. Oh, and if you give me the blueprint for creating them, I'll lower the amount."
Azazel: "..."
He had so many choice words, but he didn't know if he should say them.
This guy was really treating him like a sheep to be endlessly sheared...