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Chapter 5 - "The Pink-Haired Knockout."

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Mecha-dragons could be thought of as a different breed of Gundam.

Divine Armament Dragon – Bahamut.

The name came from the legendary beast "Bahamut" in Arabian mythology.

In the world of Divine Armament Dragons, Bahamut once created history: one pilot, one mecha-dragon, and in a single night it crushed over a thousand Imperial mecha-dragon users. The Empire fell soon after.

The terrifying thing about Divine Armament Dragons was their unique "divine techniques."

Bahamut's technique was Gluttony.

For the first five seconds, it compressed energy down to a fraction of its full force. Then, in the next five seconds, it unleashed everything at once—an explosive boost in combat power.

Kind of like that "One-Slash Asura" and "One-Slash Rakshasa" from another world.

"Strong? Definitely. Cool? Hell yeah. But for me, it feels a bit… extra."

Max rubbed his chin, thinking.

From what he knew, in pure combat performance, a Divine Armament Dragon wasn't weaker than a King's Authority user—maybe even stronger.

But that only applied against a single Authority user.

He carried all seven Authorities in himself.

Once they fully merged, his power would skyrocket.

At that point, the mecha-dragon might not even be needed.

Still, Max wasn't about to complain.

It hadn't cost him much to get Bahamut anyway.

Even if he didn't need to use it, it was better to have than not.

And most importantly—it could summon an actual mecha (^-^)V.

Raw power comes and goes.

But style? Style lasts forever.

If he wasn't still keeping his rationality in check, Max would've summoned Bahamut right then and there just to show it off.

He wondered, though—would a Divine Armament Dragon's power actually work against ghosts or other supernatural beings?

Maybe. Maybe not.

Sure, people called them relics of ancient high-tech, but honestly they looked a lot like magitech creations.

That alone gave them a kind of mystical attribute.

So maybe, just maybe, they could hurt things like spirits.

But he wouldn't know until he tested it.

Half an hour later, Max was back at his place.

One hand scrolled through his phone, the other tore into the bread he'd bought earlier for lunch.

Truth was, he didn't even need to eat anymore.

Thanks to the Authority of Silver, with its "Immutable" trait—untouched, unchanging, never eroded—he was basically immortal.

Ageless, sleepless, tireless.

The kind of thing countless people dreamed of, he already had. Effortlessly.

So he'd been thinking about what exactly he wanted out of this second life.

In the end, he set three goals.

First: Unlock as many entries in his Omniversal Compendium as possible.

The more entries lit up, the more abilities he gained, and the stronger he became.

And considering how crazy strong some people in this crossover world could get—hell, some could blow up stars with ease—he was still a bit underpowered.

Second: Meet the heroines.

This was the crossover multiverse, full of characters from countless worlds. Especially heroines.

There was no way he wasn't going to at least interact with them.

Even before the Compendium appeared, during the two and a half years since his transmigration, he'd been preparing for that.

Meeting people. Building some connections.

Third: Enjoy life.

Since he was already here, he might as well.

His cheat system had arrived; time to relax and enjoy his second youth.

Live free.

Do what he wanted. Ignore what he didn't.

Time slipped by like wind through fingers.

Before he knew it, night had fallen.

Feeling a little bored, Max decided to head out again—for some ghost hunting.

Or as he called it, "fishing with bait."

Tonight, he wanted to play the role of ghost-slaying machine.

Black hoodie. White wired earphones. His "three-piece kit." Then out the door.

It was a dark, windy night.

He had a hunch—tonight would be fruitful.

Stepping outside, he circulated his qi, deliberately cranking up his life energy output.

Perfect bait.

And to make sure, he headed for the lonelier, dimly lit streets.

Because really, if something was going to lurk, it was always in those dark, deserted corners.

Sure enough, nighttime was prime time for monsters.

Ghosts included.

Within an hour of wandering, he'd already attracted five of them.

More than during the day.

But instead of dealing with them, he ignored the ghosts trailing behind him and kept walking down the quiet streets.

By nine o'clock, under the heavy blanket of night, Max had wandered all the way to the outskirts—an abandoned, empty stretch of land.

Behind him, ghosts swarmed in droves.

Unfortunately, they were all just weaklings.

A little disappointing.

Turning, he looked back at the writhing crowd of spirits.

Didn't even bother saying a word.

He simply raised his hand—

And fire flared into existence.

One by one, the flames sharpened into arrows, each locked onto a target.

They shot forward, tearing the night apart.

Three seconds later—nothing remained.

The ghosts were reduced to ash, scattered in the glow.

A notification from the Compendium flashed in his mind.

Thirty-five new entries lit up.

All just energy types.

He claimed them instantly.

His spiritual energy reserves ticked up a bit more.

Glancing around and seeing nothing else of note, Max sighed and turned back.

Guess that "big haul" feeling earlier had just been an illusion.

But just as he thought that—

Walking out of the deserted zone, he ran straight into her.

A girl.

Her long, silky pink hair fell all the way to her waist.

Her features were sharp and delicate, her beauty striking. Her eyes were narrow at the corners, sparkling like polished emeralds.

Around her neck hung a silver cross necklace, with a bead at the center that looked disturbingly like crystallized blood.

She wore a black long-sleeved top with a pleated skirt.

A proud chest, long straight legs—her figure was flawless, her looks dazzling.

An absolute knockout.

The Compendium chimed again.

No doubt about it—she was someone worth unlocking an entry for.

At that moment, the pink-haired beauty's eyes landed on Max, glinting faintly with curiosity.

Seeing her, Max made up his mind.

He stepped forward, stopping two meters away, and greeted her.

"Hey."

"…Hi."

Her emerald eyes flickered, and then she gave him a sweet smile.

Her gaze swept over him, lingering.

Something about him was pulling at her.

An odd, irresistible impulse stirred in her chest.

Her eyes drifted to his neck.

A blush spread across her pale cheeks.

A hungry gleam flickered in her eyes.

And her feet, almost against her will, carried her closer to him.

"What's wrong with you?"

Noticing her strange behavior, Max frowned.

Why did it feel like she wanted to… bite him?

His brain raced, flipping through everything he could remember about a pink-haired girl like her.

"Ah—no, no, it's nothing."

Startled by his words, the girl suddenly snapped out of it.

Her face turned crimson as she quickly averted her gaze, stepping back a pace.

Inside, she was both flustered and confused.

Why? Why had she, for the first time in her life, felt an uncontrollable urge to drink the blood of a human she'd just met?

"Glad it's nothing."

Max didn't press, choosing instead to shift the topic.

"I'm Max You are?"

"…I'm Moka Akashiya."

Her cheeks still faintly red, the pink-haired girl whispered her name, unable to meet his eyes for long.

"....."

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