"Issei-kun, there's actually something important I wanted to talk to you about tonight."
Tenra's words, delivered over a sip of fragrant black tea, made Yubelluna and the other girls perk up. Each of them wore the same subtle, knowing smile.
"Something important? Like what?"
Issei scratched his head, utterly lost.
Was Tenra finally going to introduce him to these beautiful girls? Up to now, he only knew the names of the two maid-sans and the Iru and Neru sisters. He was dying to learn more—what was the name of that voluptuous onee-san, or the cosplay cat-eared twins, or the stoic girl with the half-mask? And the rest…
His heart skipped with anticipation. After all this suspense, was Tenra finally going to do him a solid and make introductions?
But the next moment, disappointment crashed down.
"Issei-kun, do you know what this is?"
Tenra lifted a hand. A flash of light, and a golden ring shimmered at his fingertip.
"Just a magic trick."
Issei's lips curled in a pout. He couldn't hide his irritation.
Seriously? In this day and age, conjuring a golden ring? He'd seen better at the local mall.
The girls giggled. Tenra just shook his head, and even Gasper shot Issei a look of pure disdain.
"This is a Sacred Gear—a power granted to humans by the legendary God of the Bible."
Tenra sighed. "Forget it. Explaining won't help. Better to let you experience it for yourself."
He bent his finger. The golden ring split into four and shot out like bullets.
Issei had no idea what was happening. The next thing he knew, he was suspended in midair—four golden rings, half sunk into thin air, half clamped tight around his wrists and ankles.
"What the hell—let me go! Let me down!"
He struggled on instinct, but without his Sacred Gear awakened, he was helpless against the golden restraints.
"It's useless, Issei-kun. Save your strength. This is [Laozi's Golden Bracelet]. Even the Great Sage Equal to Heaven couldn't break free once caught."
Tenra strolled up, voice almost gentle.
But that smile, so calm a moment ago, now sent chills down Issei's spine. At last, he realized—something was very, very wrong.
"Wh-what are you trying to do?"
Panic spiked in his voice. Danger radiated from every inch of the room.
Talk of Sacred Gears, golden bracelets—none of it mattered. What mattered was: what did Tenra want from him?
"Issei-kun, you have a Sacred Gear inside you. And I need that power."
Tenra's tone dropped its pretense. "So, Issei-kun—would you mind handing yours over?"
"What Sacred Gear? I don't know what you're talking about!"
"Let me go! Let me go, dammit!"
That gut-wrenching sense of danger grew stronger. Issei thrashed, desperate to break the rings.
"Some things are better left unexplained, Issei-kun."
"Taking a Sacred Gear hurts a bit. Try to bear with it."
Tenra's patience ended. He activated [Sacred Gear Plunder], and—before Issei's horrified eyes—his hand plunged straight into Issei's chest.
"AAAAAAHHH! AAAAHHH!"
Agony. Pure, tearing agony. It felt like someone was crushing his heart in a fist. Issei's face contorted in pain.
Tenra's eyes flashed with excitement as his hand closed around the Sacred Gear inside Issei. He remembered the first time he'd tried to snatch the [Boosted Gear]—he'd nearly died from the backlash. That wouldn't happen again.
Slowly, carefully, Tenra began to extract the Sacred Gear. Issei's screams grew louder, more frantic, more grating.
Maru, frowning, cast a silencing spell—cutting off Issei's voice. Only his bloodshot eyes and bulging veins spoke of his agony now.
Minutes crawled by. The Sacred Gear was nearly out when, suddenly, everything changed.
"Ah…"
A surge of wild, violent energy burst from Issei, blasting Gasper and Yubelluna's group across the room. Even Tenra, standing closest, staggered back, blood trickling from his lips.
"Tch. Damn it!"
Tenra cursed, face dark. He hadn't expected the [Boosted Gear] to fight back—to actually shield its host from being stolen.
"Tosca!"
"Yes, Tenra-sama!"
At his shout, Tosca responded instantly. She activated her Sacred Gear, [Blade Blacksmith], erecting a barrier that enveloped both Tenra and Issei.
The wild energy was finally contained. The girls, shaken, picked themselves up, still reeling from the force.
Issei hadn't even awakened his Sacred Gear, yet the unleashed power—barely a fraction of its true might—was terrifying.
This was the power of a Longinus.
Gasper and the others watched anxiously, eyes fixed on the barrier.
The silencing spell had been shattered in the blast. The entire barrier was a storm of violent energy—and Issei's screams, loud enough to ring in their ears.
"AAAAAAHHH! AAAAHHH!"
The energy pouring from Issei grew even wilder. Tosca's barrier trembled, on the verge of collapse. Tenra's eyes glinted coldly—his resolve sharpened to a blade's edge.
He would have the [Boosted Gear], no matter what. Not even God would stop him now.
"AAAAAAHHHH!"
Tenra's own aura erupted. He roared, pouring everything into the struggle.
One side fighting to keep, the other fighting to take. With a thunderous crack, the world fell away.
No more Issei. No more Gasper, no more Yubelluna, no more girls. Before Tenra's eyes—
A colossal red dragon, wreathed in fire.
Noble. Beautiful. Majestic. Terrifying. Its gaze swept the heavens, a being of legend.
The Red Dragon Emperor—Ddraig.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
The story isn't over...
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