Under the expectant gazes of three beautiful girls, Ryuichi calmed his breathing and focused his mind, attempting once again to summon the sword and shield that had appeared to him before.
A faint resonance stirred deep within his consciousness.In the next heartbeat, his awareness was drawn elsewhere—into a boundless, lightless void.
Though he could still sense his physical body somewhere distant, everything before his eyes was swallowed by darkness.
That mysterious calling grew clearer, pulling at his soul. Searching for its source, Ryuichi finally caught sight of a single, distant point of white light.
He willed himself toward it. The tiny light seemed to respond to his thought, drifting closer, growing larger, brighter.
And then—
As the light expanded, Ryuichi's heart tightened in shock.Beyond that brilliance, half-veiled in darkness, a massive shape began to emerge.
It was an enormous black city, towering and majestic.Its colossal walls looked as though they had been forged from pure iron—solemn and unyielding, rising a hundred meters high and stretching beyond the horizon.The entire fortress radiated ancient might.
Carved into the dark metal were countless reliefs of beasts and arcane sigils, each one etched with power and mystery.Atop the ramparts stood rows of soldiers clad in black armor, unmoving, silent—like statues that had been standing there for centuries.
"What… is this place?" Ryuichi whispered.
Despite its grandeur, the city felt lifeless.An empty, eternal silence hung over it, as if time itself had stopped.
Then his eyes were drawn to the center of the colossal wall—to the massive gate and the statue towering above it.
It was a figure of a man mounted upon a warhorse.Yet the rider's face was blank—featureless, without eyes or mouth.Even so, the image radiated authority. The horse reared high, its mane frozen in motion, capturing the moment of glory.
In the rider's right hand was a silver sword; in his left, a silver shield—the same set that had once appeared before Ryuichi.
In this city of black and gold, the silver of that sword and shield shone with a divine brilliance.
The white light he had seen earlier… had been emanating from them all along.
Ryuichi's consciousness drifted closer to the statue.The moment he gazed upon the sword and shield, the vision before him began to blur.
And suddenly—He saw it.
A vast battlefield, the thunder of hooves, the roar of soldiers.A man wielding the silver sword and shield led his army into battle, his command unstoppable.Victory banners soared high into the sky, soldiers cheered his name, and those he had freed knelt in devotion before him.
But over countless campaigns, that king—the Benevolent King—grew weary and wounded.At last, betrayed and struck down, he fell upon his shield. His blood dyed its silver surface crimson; the sacred sword in his hand shattered in two.
That day, the heavens themselves wept.Black winds howled, blood-red rain fell from the clouds, as though even the gods mourned his death.
Yet in that blood, the sword and shield awakened anew—reborn with a mysterious, unearthly power.
The Sword and Shield of the Benevolent King.
The name surfaced in Ryuichi's mind, like a whisper from a gentle goddess echoing beside his ear.It was once the weapon of a true ruler—a king not only of men, but of compassion itself.
When his awareness cleared again, Ryuichi's eyes snapped open.
Before him floated a radiant pair of silver-white weapons: the sword and shield he had seen in that vision.
"Oh my~ what a powerful aura," Akeno Himejima murmured, smiling softly. "There's a deep, sealed strength within that Sacred Gear."
Ryuichi reached out slowly.His fingers closed around the sword's hilt. With a faint sound, the blade slid free from its sheath—one built directly into the back of the silver shield.The shield, as if alive, began to orbit gently around him, shimmering with light.
"Hehe, a sword and shield, huh?" Rias Gremory said with an amused smile. "It really does suit you—you look just like a knight."
Ryuichi, however, could feel something more.
He sensed that this power wasn't limited to just the sword and shield.The black city from his vision… it felt like something he could call forth as well.
He was about to try—when Rias's calm voice stopped him.
"Careful, Ryuichi. Sacred Gears aren't so easily mastered.You'll need to grow stronger before you can safely draw out their full power. Forcing it could hurt you badly."
Her words jolted him back to reason.Right—summoning that enormous city would be far beyond his current limits.Messing around with it recklessly… he could end up destroying himself.
After a few more cautious attempts, Ryuichi grew familiar with how to summon and dismiss the sword and shield.Satisfied, he exhaled.
Rias smiled approvingly. "Good. You're getting the hang of it. Now then, that's enough for today. The rest of your time's yours to use freely."She stretched slightly and added, "I'll be heading to shower. Last night was… rather exhausting, you know."
"Thank you for your help," Ryuichi said, bowing his head in gratitude.
As he glanced around, his eyes met Koneko Toujou's—the petite white-haired girl who had been quietly munching snacks the entire time.Cakes, bread, sweets… she hadn't stopped once since he'd entered the room.
Her calm, focused way of eating was… unexpectedly adorable.
He gave her a small nod, which she silently returned, and then left the Occult Research Club's room, heading back toward his classroom.
The moment he stepped inside, the atmosphere exploded.
His classmates swarmed around him, firing off question after question—everyone dying to know how he, of all people, had managed to join Rias Gremory's mysterious club.
Ryuichi could only sigh inwardly.If only they knew the truth—that the club was full of actual devils—they'd stop wondering why they couldn't get in.
Outwardly, though, he smiled and offered an easy explanation:"President Rias just thought I was a good fit for the club, so she invited me."
That only made things worse.
"What?! Why only you?!""Even Akeno-senpai talks to you now!""And Koneko-chan too?!"
A chorus of jealous groans filled the room."Unfair! So unfair!"
Ryuichi kept his polite smile, though inwardly he found the whole thing tedious.
Ah, youth… so dramatic over such trivial things.
If only they knew that Rias and I literally shared the same bed last night, he thought with a wry twist of his lips. Would they still think I've got it easy?
Not long after, Rias, Akeno, and Koneko entered the classroom as well.They greeted Ryuichi warmly, which immediately reignited the storm of jealousy among the male students.
All Ryuichi could do was sigh silently to himself.There was no winning this.
Later, during a lull in class, Rias leaned toward him, amusement dancing in her crimson eyes."Well, it looks like you're quite famous now."
"Heh… it's not the kind of fame I'd want," Ryuichi muttered back.
"Oh my, popularity isn't so bad," Akeno teased, resting her chin in her hand as she sat beside him. "It might even help you blend in more."
Ryuichi shook his head. His voice was calm, distant."Blend in? What's the point? In a world full of ugly ducklings, even a swan is treated like a crime."
The three girls blinked at his words, momentarily at a loss for what to say.
Indeed, Ryuichi's personality was… unique.Mysterious, self-contained—and perhaps, a little lonely.