The Seraphic System
Chapter: 74
Disclaimer: I don't own High School Dxd or any other universe used in this story.
Pa/ t reon details below the chapter if you're interested in seeing some content in advance.
(The Sacred Gear System)
I sat on the throne of Heaven, my fingers idly tapping against the armrest as I navigated through the incredibly powerful system.
Over the past few days, I'd been learning more about the system, but the system was massive in its features and I found that many of them had been offline.
I didn't want to touch what I didn't understand yet, so I've been cautious in my approach. I moved through various menus, seeing the flow of faith, the list of angels, and other complex features.
Some parts I understood immediately, while others were a mess that would take time to understand.
Then, something caught my attention.
The Sacred Gear System.
A grin formed on my lips as I went into it.
Finally,
I had been meaning to look into it since taking the meeting, and now I finally had found it.
The interface shifted, and rows upon rows of information appeared before me. Names, races, and the current users of every Sacred Gear in existence.
The list was massive.
I guess names did hold importance.
My focus became solely on the screen in front of me. I scrolled through it slowly, taking in everything slowly. I could see a list of active sacred gears being used. Most of them were lesser Sacred Gears.
Flame Shake, Icicle Origin, Lightning Penetrate, Falling Star. Lightning Horn. Twice Critical.
I hadn't seen many of the Sacred Gears being displayed before or even heard about them.
Curiously, I clicked on the sacred gear emblem.
[Lightning horn.]
Ability - Grants the ability to generate and manipulate lightning.
Contains - Lesser Thunder Dragon, Lesser Thunder Dragon (Soul)
This was interesting.
It was a lesser Sacred Gear and yet, I couldn't say its ability was lesser. I had come to learn just how much Manipulation skills were highly sought after.
The fact God made constructs and allowed their user to wield them was an insane feat and made my respect for him grow. How someone like that died remained a mystery and served as a reminder that Gabriel's words back when we first met were something to remember.
I looked over the other Sacred Gears.
Twice critical I knew of and unsurprisingly contained a lesser Red Dragon along with its soul. A common occurrence, I realised. As I went through them I noticed many of them had Dragons fuelling them.
An image of a large dragon spreading ruin came into my mind and provided me with some insight. Shown to me by what I presumed was the divine shard, which had a habit of occasionally answering my questions. Mostly with horrific memories.
Had God really just gone around and made every enemy of Heaven into a Sacred Gear?
"…"
I needed to continue my training in the sealing arts.
No wonder other Gods didn't impede on Heaven knowing that, they all thought he was still alive.
Fierce Tiger
Enhances the user's physical strength and agility.
I wouldn't mind just taking all these.
The effects were simple but powerful. It's no wonder the Devils considered them important. Each Sacred Gear alone could be considered a key ability in someone's arsenal.
I narrowed my focus to the wielders themselves, and that's when I noticed something was off.
Errors.
Not one or two. Dozens. Hundreds. The Sacred Gear System wasn't functioning properly. Sacred Gears were meant to be exclusively given to humans, yet the list in front of me told a different story.
My jaw tightened as I sorted through the names, filtering out non-humans.
A realisation came to me.
There were more non-humans with Sacred Gears than actual humans.
My brows furrowed.
The system god had literally created for humans to give them a chance to fight back was helping non-human races more than humans.
I leaned forward, eyes scanning the list.
The one name I saw the most. Devils, a ridiculous number of them, but also other races. Fallen, Yokai, and even a few dragon hybrids. All possessed what was meant to be used by humanity, its greatest weapon against the supernatural.
I noticed some of them were hybrids, half-human. While others were blinking with a strange light. My thoughts trailed to what little of canon I knew and most importantly, the sacred gear extractor.
Did this mean they had been stolen? Suddenly I felt a lot less sympathetic to the various supernatural creatures that possessed a Sacred Gear. I wasn't naive enough to believe that only Azazel had found a way to remove Sacred Gears.
I exhaled, rubbing my temple.
It wasn't that I was against non-humans having Sacred Gears, but I felt like Heaven was being stolen from massively here.
Hybrids could have been born with them due to the errors in the Sacred Gears System, but I didn't believe it had degraded so far that even pure supernatural races could receive them. Not this many anyway. Perhaps a few of them slipped through….
This shouldn't have been possible. Had the system been compromised? Or had it simply been left to deteriorate after God's death? It was clear no one had maintained it in centuries.
That much was obvious.
My first instinct was to remove them and recall all Sacred Gears. Heaven and the Church could use them well. The sheer boost in power they would provide us would be massive and very much needed.
Gabriel had told me about how most Sacred Gear users were greedily swept up by any Faction that found them, besides a few. Who would instead kill them?
Having them at full force? Heaven's power would go up by multiple multitudes. The Sacred Gear system belonged to Heaven at the end of the day, and if non-allied Factions were stealing them for their use, using what wasn't theirs, then reclaiming it was the natural course of action.
But it wasn't that simple.
If I removed them all at once, it would be a massive move made by Heaven and would no doubt send ripples through the entire supernatural world.
Heaven had been dormant for so long that its influence was barely acknowledged anymore. Other Factions and Pantheons outside of the Three didn't impede, due to the fact they would be attacked by Devils, Fallen and Angels but also because they thought God was alive.
The two other Factions didn't share in that illusion. Instead, they used it to their advantage to keep bigger fish at bay.
The moment I started taking back what belonged to us, the entire supernatural world would take notice.
It could lead to war from one or both of the other two Factions, then investigations would be launched from the outside which could lead to the secret of God's death being revealed.
While we would be stronger, I wasn't sure if we would be strong enough to handle that. The Devils were still powerful. While Sacred Gears made up for a percentage of their strength. Uriel estimated it wasn't even touching 10%.
Stealing members of other Factions and the Evil Piece system had seen to that.
Perhaps I was overthinking it, but I needed to be smart about this. I kept scrolling, and then a familiar name popped up.
Issei Hyoudou.
He had been turned into a Devil already, a shame.
The Red Dragon Emperor.
I stared at the name, considering my next move.
He would be a good first target, he should be relatively new as a Devil. A Longinus was a major power booster. A Sacred Gear can ascend to the God level. He would be a good start, along with a few other lesser Sacred Gears.
I'd start with the Devils.
They didn't know I was back, or it was better to say that they didn't know someone who could control the Heavenly System was back. They didn't know Heaven had regained control over the system.
The last time the Sacred Gear system was properly managed was before the Four Great Satans had even been born.
But they knew something was happening. The recent shifts in Heaven's behaviour weren't invisible. The church was buzzing and that reflected Heaven.
This would be a good probe. My slight animosity may seem unneeded towards the Devils, but Gabriel had given me an account of their behaviour. They were better than the Old Satan Faction, but over the years, they had countlessly stolen from Heaven and gotten away with it due to the pressure they put on Heaven with the power disparity. Then when Heaven made any sort of mistake they lashed out and demanded over-compensation.
It wasn't the behaviour of someone who saw Heaven as their equal, even though they abused the Sacred Gear system. Which belonged to Heaven.
I sighed, letting the gathering anger fade. I couldn't afford to make decisions based on that. I opened the system commands, searching for a way to manually revoke Sacred Gears from non-humans.
It took longer than I expected.
The function was buried deep as if they were added as an afterthought, likely untouched since its creation.
I carefully selected a handful of Devils.
Issei Hyoudou was among them, along with a few others who stood out. It was worrying just the sheer amount of Devils that possessed Sacred gears. It eclipsed any other race.
Finding the command to recall them was a pain in the ass, but I found it.
The command was confirmed and a pulse of light power erupted from the system, lines spread through the screen and attached to the highlighted names.
Holy power filled the room, making it denser than it already was.
My choices:
Issei Hyoudou, who possessed the Longinus Boosted Gear.
He was perhaps the most important Devil in this entire list.
Mirugetsu Hades, A Devil with the Night Reflection Sacred Gear.
Gandomel Koga, A stray devil who possesses Deadly Poison Fang.
There were a few others who weren't worth mentioning.
I leaned back, watching the process with a strangely odd feeling. It took a few minutes before the Sacred Gears showed themselves back in the cycle.
Still, a problem remained.
As soon as these Sacred Gears were back in the cycle, they would inevitably be redistributed. Even if the chances were slim, they could very well end up in the hands of another Devil or non-human.
I wasn't about to waste my time pulling them back just to let them slip through again.
I scrolled through the Sacred Gear System,
There had to be a way to hold onto them, to keep them from being reincarnated into another vessel.
And then, there it was.
Status Override – Sacred Gear Assignment.
The system was designed to select new hosts based on compatibility and potential. But there was another option hidden beneath it.
Manual Hold – Pending Reassignment.
That would do.
I selected it, marking each of the recalled Sacred Gears.
Immediately, the system locked them in place, preventing them from re-entering circulation.
Good.
With that done, I left the throne room.
-Scene Break-
It had been a few days since I reclaimed the Boosted Gear.
I kept an eye out for any visible reaction from the Devils, that was to say I had Metatron look for any action from the Devil Faction since he was the head of intelligence gathering.
Nothing had come.
No retaliation, no investigation, not even a whisper of concern. Either they hadn't realized what had happened, or Metatron hadn't been able to gather any intel.
The case with Issei was probably being kept under wraps. Whether they knew he had lost the Boosted gear or not was unknown.
Everything was developing smoothly.
Asia, Medusa, and Grizella had taken well to learning under Metatron.
Medusa, especially, had been an eager student, soaking up knowledge far beyond what I expected. Asia was more hesitant but had gained a mean fighting spirit and was making progress, While Grizella had learnt quickly.
My Seraphs had been hard at work, moving according to my orders. Heaven was starting to calm down as all my Angels awaiting any word from me.
Raphael had mostly secluded herself in my sub-dimension, delving deep into research, while Michael and Uriel had taken on tasks of their own.
An announcement was going to be made. The entirety of Heaven needed to hear from me. To see me.
I couldn't say I wasn't nervous.
Despite everything I had done, literal Gods I had fought against. This was incredibly anxious-inducing. But it had to be done.
I forced the thought away for now and turned my attention back to what was in front of me. I wasn't going to waste time brooding over something inevitable. There were things that could be done right now.
Currently, I was standing within my sub-dimension.
I scrolled through my inventory until I found them.
The Two Assassins.
Mr. Six and Mr. One.
In an instant, two figures materialized before me, kneeling on the cold floor of my sub-dimension. I woke them up.
They looked at me, and I could see the moment they realized where they were. Who I was.
I let the silence stretch for a moment, letting them process.
Then I spoke.
"As you've both probably guessed, your organisation has been destroyed," I said, letting a moment of silence pass. "You are free of the mind magic that was removing your emotions. Due to this fact, I won't be killing you."
"You can leave," I said simply. "I'll allow you to walk out of here and try to survive in the supernatural world on your own. Or" I met their gazes. "you can serve under me. You can choose to be something more than what you were before."
The Assassin known as Mr, Six's fists clenched at his sides. While Mr, One sighed slowly.
It took a moment, but finally, Mr. One spoke. "And if we choose to leave?"
I shrugged. "Then you go free. No pursuit, no punishment. But the world outside won't be kind. You're former Assassins. Strays. Without a master or a faction, you'll be hunted. Sacred Gear users who survive alone are rare."
They knew it was true.
Mr, Six stood up. "And if we serve?"
"You'll have a place here," I said. "You'll have a backing, a place to stay. A chance to do some good if that's what you're looking for. However, that could be said with all Factions. The truth is, I have no reason to lie. Besides Heaven's reputation, you know what you'll get with me. That can be said for other Factions. Then again, I can't say I have much experience with them."
That made them pause. Their gazes flickered to each other, something unspoken passing between them.
The hesitation wasn't unexpected. They had spent their lives taking orders and being used as weapons. The idea of willingly serving another might have felt like walking back into old chains.
"In that case, we will serve my Lord."
Both of them kneeled.
I nodded to Metatron who was nearby. Jeanne was also standing a little distance away.
"Then Metatron here will get you situated, you will be living within this sub-dimension," I said, mostly to Metatron who could hear me even from a distance away.
Metatron introduced himself and took them away.
I could see him evaluating both of them, which was good. Their loyalty wasn't confirmed. That was why I had told him to keep an eye on them.
With that settled. I entered my house for some time to think. A permanent portal had been set up between Heaven and my Sub-dimension.
That matter settled, and I turned my focus elsewhere.
Raphael had mentioned a problem. One that seemed quite important considering the potential attack incoming.
Heaven was severely lacking in healers.
That wasn't to say we didn't have any, but according to Raphael and Gabriel.
We lacked anywhere near the numbers we used to have and beyond that, most of the Angel healers were stationed at the few outposts in the human world.
At some point, Medusa walked in, while I sat there thinking.
She paused as she noticed me staring off into space.
"Kai?" She asked.
"Oh, hey Medusa," I replied.
"Should I be calling you my Lord now?" She asked with amusement.
I smiled. "If you want. How is your training under Metatron going?"
"Good." She smiled tiredly. "It's exhausting though, he's mainly focusing on teamwork and combat since we aren't able to learn the 'Ninja Arts.'"
"Yeah, Metatron is in control of the intelligence-gathering branch. I haven't had a chance to actually speak to any of the Angels under him." I replied thoughtfully.
I should probably get around to that. The past few days have just been so busy.
"So what were you thinking about," Medusa asked, sitting down in front of me.
"There's a bit of a problem in Heaven. Especially considering this potential attack I was told about. We don't have enough healers. Raphael brought it up, and I need solutions." I replied.
She tilted her head, thinking. "That... is a big issue," she admitted. "Heaven hasn't been attacked properly, as you said, if the person thinks he can and with the backing of the Khaos Brigade. There could be a serious battle. If there aren't enough healers, it could become a serious weakness in the long run."
I nodded. "Exactly."
"Do you have any ideas on how you plan to fix this?" Medusa questioned.
I shook my head. "Not yet."
She tapped a finger against her chin before her eyes suddenly lit up. "The Golden Fleece."
I raised an eyebrow. "The one from Greek mythology?"
She nodded. "Yes. It's said to hold powerful healing properties. If we could acquire it, we could potentially use it to bolster Heaven's healing abilities."
"I don't exactly think theft from another Pantheon would be a good idea right now of all times," I said, before pausing. "Then again, I don't have to tell them."
"Not just that, you could get Raphael to conduct research on it and attempt to recreate it," Medusa replied.
I thought about it. I leaned back, considering. "And where exactly is it?"
"Last I heard, it was kept near the possession of a minor Greek god. It should be somewhere within the Bimurda triangle, in the sea of monsters," she said. "It wouldn't be an easy acquisition, but it's possible."
"Getting involved with the Greek Pantheon could be problematic. But if it's as useful as you say, it might be worth the risk."
"I'll probably steal it without anyone noticing," I replied with some thought.
My mask of concealment was overpowered.
She smiled slightly. "That's wise."
Of course, I knew the general whereabouts of the Golden Fleece.
It was perhaps one of the last things I knew from the original timeline of the Percy Jackson universe that could be applicable. The timeline was thoroughly messed up.
Polyphemus' Island.
Unfortunately, I only knew the name of the island it was on. Nothing more. I would have to ask someone to transport me there.
I found Gabriel in one of Heaven's grand halls. She turned when she sensed me, offering a small smile.
"Kaiel," she greeted.
"Gabriel, I need your help," I said. "I need to get to Polyphemus' Island in the Sea of Monsters."
Her expression shifted to curiosity. "Why?"
"The Golden Fleece, a powerful artefact that has a potent healing power. Raphael says we don't have enough healers. If the fleece is as powerful as the stories say, it could be a huge help."
Gabriel hesitated for a moment before nodding. "I can take you there, but I want to go with you. I know you will probably want to go alone-"
"Sure, you can come." I accepted it easily.
I was going into a place literally called 'The Sea Of Monsters.' I didn't mind having a powerful God-class Angel coming with me on what would be a short expedition.
She looked surprised.
"O-oh ok." Her confusion quickly turned into joy.
With a pulse of holy energy, a strong golden circle formed under us. We emerged outside the Sea of Monsters, the sky dark and turbulent above the endless waves.
Instantly, we both were forced to hover in the sky, my angelic aura forming and becoming a beacon as two large wings formed behind me.
Instead of focusing on the area around us, she focused on me, her eyes glazing over slightly as she stared at me. I sent her a confused glance before looking around.
By the time I looked back to her, she had snapped out of it.
Gabriel frowned, her gaze focused ahead. "There's a barrier around the Sea of Monsters. So I couldn't just teleport in."
I looked at the swirling mist ahead. This wasn't going to be simple.
"Can you get through?" I asked.
"Of course, my Heavenly Domain would allow for that. It'll just take a bit more power. But I don't see much use when we can just fly." She suggested.
I pulled my mask of concealment from my storage and placed it over my face. Instantly, my aura vanished, hidden from any who might be watching.
Gabriel did the same in her own way, suppressing her presence to avoid drawing attention.
With a nod, we flew forward, moving above the churning sea. I bended the light around me to suppress the sheer light I was giving off.
The waves crashed violently under us, and rose to an impressive height. It was no wonder so many normal humans had disappeared here.
Neither of us paid them much mind as we soared over the mist-covered waters, scanning for Polyphemus' Island.
The Sea of Monsters was massive, and searching blindly would take too long.
Gabriel flew slightly ahead.
After some time, she slowed, glancing in my direction.
"There's a cluster of islands up ahead," she said. "One of them has multiple life signatures. One is strong, but not quite on my level."
I considered it. If anyone in this place had information, it would be someone strong enough to stake a claim here.
"Let's check it out," I said after a second of consideration.
We descended, landing on a beach with smooth sand and lush greenery.
The air was thick with a strange, floral scent, and the sky above the island was oddly clear, unlike the rest of the Sea of Monsters. It didn't look as… uninviting.
The moment our feet touched the ground, a group of women emerged from within the trees. They were beautiful, dressed in flowing garments that looked purely made to accentuate their figures. Something I noted.
Their eyes locked onto Gabriel first, admiration and something deeper… was that excitement? their eyes roamed Gabriel admittedly curvy body greedily and I was slightly taken a back.
"Welcome, travelers," one of them said, voice dripping with sweetness. "You must be weary. Please, allow us to offer you hospitality."
Her voice held anticipation and want, as if she just been told it was her birthday.
Gabriel's eyes narrowed, her expression cold. She clearly recognized the tone, but she said nothing, merely observing them with detached disinterest.
Before I could speak, another presence emerged from the trees.
A strikingly beautiful woman with long, dark hair interwoven with gold threads and green eyes. She dons a silky black dress adorned with shifting animal silhouettes walked through.
She smirked, her eyes staring solely at Gabriel. A wild excitement and lust bloomed in her eyes, as she burned the sight of Gabriel into her eyes.
I came to a realisation, as an appraisal showed who the woman was.
Circe.
"Oh my," she purred, eyes locking onto Gabriel with clear delight. "Now, this is a surprise. I don't get visitors of such… breathtaking quality. In fact, I don't think I've seen any of your sheer quality enter my island."
She licked her lips.
Gabriel didn't react, as if she didn't hear anything.
Circe's smirk twitched, shifting into something less amused.
Then her gaze moved to me, and whatever interest she'd held vanished instantly. Her expression darkened.
"A man," she said, her voice flat with disgust. "Of course."
"Hello." I greeted, ignoring her remark. She wasn't worth the effort. "I don't suppose you would be open to giving me directions?"
"Directions you say?" Her eyes turned to Gabriel. "I could be convinced."
I sighed.
Being civilised was so complicated.
"Perfect, would you happen to know where Polyphemus' Island is?" I asked.
She scoffed, turning back to Gabriel.
"You know, you should keep better company. How about you ditch this man and come serve… under me." She offered. "Such a beautiful flowery should be directed to use her talents for better things… than a man."
"…"
I kept myself calm. I didn't want to show Gabriel that side of me.
"Do you know where the island is?" Gabriel simply questioned in response.
"Yes." She scowled. "I'll tell you, but how about you show me your sincerity and get on those pretty little knees of yours to use that perfect mouth to serve me."
There was a moment of silence.
"Don't worry." She sighed softly. "It'll be fun. I can sense that sinfully curvy body of yours hasn't been properly used. I can't say I've ever met someone so beautiful. That perfect waist, those thighs and most of all those massive breasts. Those perfect pink lips, I can't wait-"
My fist was implanted firmly into her stomach, and I watched as she bent over from the force.
I sighed.
She took a couple steps back, eyes widened in surprise and pain. I made sure to keep a hold of her so she wasn't blown back from the bite, a small shockwave knocked the two women close to us off their feet.
"How-"
I punched her throat, hard…
She let out a strangled gasp as she was blown back.
A powerful golden light erupted from her as the air began to bow to her presence. Divinity filled the area with its presence. The Goddess sent me an enraged look.
Circe hadn't wasted any time in activating her divine form.
The other two women were forced to look away.
Divinity gathered as she didn't waste any time in forming an attack.
"Restrain her." I ordered.
I was still stronger than the minor Goddess but it would be easier for Gabriel.
The enraged Goddess' attack was cut short, as she was slammed into the ground by Gabriel with a contemptuous ease. The ground exploded from the force and Gabriel stood over here, her eyes colder than I had even seen them.
"De-power, Goddess." She said, her voice completely calm.
Circe looked shocked as she attempted to struggle, before hesitantly powering down.
Having a bunch of overprotective Angels did come with its many benefits.
It was a smart move regardless of the situation, if we killed her in her divine form she would die permanently.
"What do you want," she grouched, her face still placed against the soft ground.
The two women looked back from their places on the ground. Both of us had purposefully not used any sort of light or holy power, so our identities would remain a mystery.
I was glad Gabriel had caught on.
"Where is the island?" I asked, my voice relaxed.
Circe's lips pressed into a thin line. "I won't tell you."
I crouched beside her, a soft smile on my face. "You know, ive heard tale of what a certain Goddess does to men who enter her island. Perhaps the world would be better off without this tiny little island." I let my hand hover over her head, my fingertips brushing her hair.
Her expression shifted, a flicker of real fear behind her defiance. "You wouldn't dare."
"I don't think you understand your position." I leaned closer. "Refuse, and this island is gone. Along with its people."
She swallowed. "You're bluffing."
I raised an eyebrow. "Am I?"
Gabriel stepped forward. "Tell us the location, and we'll leave. There's no need for this to go further."
Circe's jaw clenched. She glanced between us, weighing her options. "The island is west of the Cyclades. Hidden a thick wall of mist. You'll find it if you follow the sunset."
I rose to my feet. "See? That wasn't so hard."
Gabriel didn't release her until Circe was fully de-powered.
She stepped back only when I nodded.
"Never stare at him that way again. Or we will have serious problems." Gabriel added in a whisper I could breath pick up.
I paused. "Knock her out."
The order was met with a single second of silence before the Goddess was sent to the land of unconsciousness.
I was tempted to put her in my inventory but a missing Goddess would draw unwanted attention. As of now, we were just intruders who had proven to be stronger than her.
"Shall we?"
She nodded, and a moment later, we quickly ascended into the skies.
That had been an annoying encounter, I had honestly forgotten about her. It shouldn't be too much of a problem.
It didn't take long with directions.
The island was shrouded in mist, but it wasn't hard to pierce through that. Not at our level of power.
The mist faded away, revealing a picturesque island with lush greenery and gentle slopes.
The landscape was deceptively peaceful compared to the area outside, with a light breeze rustling through the trees. The only sound was the distant bleating of sheep. Even as massive waves crashed against its shores.
Gabriel and I moved forward, our steps light as we navigated the uneven terrain.
A hiss broke the silence as my snake familiar slithered out from my sleeve. It darted forward, its white scales shined in the light.
Before either of us could react, it lunged at one of the sheep, its jaws unhinging to reveal sharp, needle-like teeth. With a sickening crunch, it devoured the creature in one swift bite.
I blinked. "Galadriel must have been hungry."
Gabriel raised an eyebrow but didn't comment.
Instead, she turned her attention to the centerpiece of the island.
A lone tree with a shimmering Golden Fleece draped over its branches. The fabric seemed to glow with an inner light, casting a faint warm glow.
"No point wasting time." I stepped forward, keeping my senses alert for any hidden dangers.
My familiar continued to hunt the sheep.
I reached out, my fingers brushing against the fleece. The warmth that radiated from it was tangible, a soft power seeped into my skin.
I pulled it free from the branch, the fabric lighter than it looked.
It was definitely special, I wonder if I could make something like this.
"Let's go."
I wrapped the fleece around my arms.
With a shared glance, Gabriel and I ascended back into the sky, leaving the island behind.
Once we exited the barrier around the Sea Of Monsters, Gabriel without any further thought teleported us back to Heaven.
Upon our arrival, I went straight to Raphael, finding her in my sub-dimension.
Raphael's expression brightening when she saw us. "Father."
"I've got something for you." I held out the Golden Fleece. "This can heal anything. You said we had a lack of healers. I thought you might want to study it."
Raphael's eyes widened, her hands reaching out hesitantly before she took it, cradling it like a newborn. "This... this is incredible! Thank you!"
She immediately began examining it, her lips moving in a quiet chant as she activated her powers. "I need to test this right away."
With that, she hurried off.
One less problem to worry that.
-{Rias Gremory}-
Rias paced around her room in concern, her face slightly pale as many thoughts raced through her mind.
Her newest pawn still hadn't woken up, and the rating game had been pushed up. While she genuinely cared about Issei. She couldn't help but curse her luck.
She knew Riser was up to something, that bullshit about him staying held up in his room for the last year after an incident had been a trick. Issei had a Longinus Sacred Gear.
How he had learnt about it she really didn't know, but Issei had been the key to escaping her future as a sex slave.
Riser hadn't kept it a secret how he intended to treat her.
Rias wanted to scream, she had been so close.
The door to her room entered at that moment, and her elder brother stepped inside. She looked up at him hopefully, but the serious look on his normally cheerful face made her heart sink.
"Rias, would you please follow me." He asked gently.
Rias followed her brother without hesitation, her heart pounding in her chest.
Sirzechs was rarely this serious, and that alone filled her with dread.
Issei had been unconscious for two entire days, and they had retreated back to the underworld. Mostly due to the words of her elder brother.
This was a potential attack from someone and thus taken very seriously. Especially due to her position as the heiress of the Gremory. However temporary that was.
He led her through the halls of the Gremory estate, past guards who stood at attention as they walked by.
She barely registered them, her mind racing with worst-case scenarios.
They soon arrived at a secured room, and as the doors opened,
Rias saw Ajuka Beelzebub standing in the center, studying a glowing magical diagram suspended in the air. His expression was unreadable, but the moment his eyes landed on her, they shined with something that made her uneasy.
"Rias," Ajuka greeted, nodding once before turning to Sirzechs. "Shall I explain?"
"Please," Sirzechs said, his tone grim. "She needs to know."
Ajuka waved a hand, the floating diagram shifting into a projection. It displayed Issei lying unconscious on a bed.
"Two days ago, Hyoudou Issei suffered a severe collapse, an attack directly targeting his soul," Ajuka began. "We've been analyzing him since, and I've confirmed something… troubling."
"What do you mean?" Rias demanded, her stomach twisting.
Ajuka met her eyes evenly, uncaring of her outburst. "The Boosted Gear is gone."
Rias felt her breath hitch, her vision swimming. "What?"
"I suppose a more accurate way to put this would be that It has been stolen," Ajuka said without any hesitation. "Issei's Sacred Gear is no longer present within him. His body remains intact, but his connection to the Boosted Gear has been severed. This was no accident or natural occurrence."
Silence filled the room as the words sank in.
"That's impossible," she whispered. "Sacred Gears are part of the soul… removing one would kill the wielder, right?"
Ajuka inclined his head slightly. "Under normal circumstances, yes. But this was a strangely clean attack. Whoever did this knew exactly what they were doing."
Sirzechs spoke next, his face solemn as he could sense her thoughts. "Rias, is there anything you haven't told us? Anything about Issei that seemed unusual before this happened?"
She shook her head violently. "No! Nothing! He was just… normal."
"You recruited him recently, did anything strange happen before that?" Sirzechs asked.
"No, we approached him and made a deal to recruit him. There were some Fallen Angels moving close to our territory a while back but all movement from them has stopped." She replied.
Ajuka studied her for a long moment before nodding. "Then we have a major problem. If someone possesses the Boosted Gear and manages to extract it without killing the host, we are dealing with an unknown force. Someone has stolen a Longinus Sacred Gear from us.
"From the Gremory Family, this is a major loss." His eyes narrowed. "Whoever has done this needs to either return it and or something of equal value."
A hint of anger entered his tone, but it was crushed down by a savage coldness Rias only glimpsed for a moment before his face reverted. She wondered if it was her imagination but didn't dwell on it.
Her eyes began to fill up.
"My rating game against Riser is in a few days. I have no chance without issei." She muttered, her eyes met her elder brothers. "Please, can't you delay it?"
Sirzech sighed. "I'm sorry Rias, I've done all that I can. Father won't budge, and my image will be ruined."
"So will your younger Sister." She retorted, turning around and leaving.
She went back to her room, sitting down with a defeated look.
Rias looked up after a moment, and in that single moment of desperation did an action that would have her laughed at by the underworld. One many humans performed when put in a situation of pure desperation.
She prayed.
It was an action she had never even considered before, something that went against everything she believed in. But at this moment, she felt utterly alone.
Her brother refused to help her, and though she understood his position, she couldn't help but feel abandoned. Her father dismissed her pleas, unwilling to acknowledge the kind of man Riser truly was.
Her mother stood by in silence, offering no support.
No one else seemed to care.
-{Kai}-
I perked up.
Well, isn't that interesting.
-END-
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