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Things had unfolded too quickly, leaving everyone thoroughly overwhelmed.
Initially, two Holy Sword wielders from the Vatican had traveled halfway across the globe to Tokyo, claiming three stolen Holy Swords had been taken by fallen angels.
Then, an actual fallen angel appeared—and not just any grunt—but Kokabiel, a ten-winged cadre who'd survived the legendary Great War, a bloodthirsty veteran intent on restarting the ancient conflict.
And just as quickly, the warmongering veteran was mercilessly flattened. Suddenly, yet another character emerged: someone who called himself "Vali, the White Dragon Emperor."
And now—
"B-Bokue-san's hand is talking?!"
Asia finally snapped out of her daze, staring wide-eyed at the glowing green mark on Bokue's hand.
Unlike Xenovia and Irina, Asia had already shifted her faith after the Raynare incident, so the news about God's demise hadn't rattled her quite as severely. She was far more concerned about what exactly was going on with Bokue right now.
Vali's crystalline wings shimmered again, the voice reverberating clearly:
"What's going on, Ddraig? Are you still half-asleep?"
"Uhh... that voice... Oh, it's you, Albion. Long time no see. What happened?" Ddraig replied from Bokue's glowing hand, confusion evident in his voice.
"You're really out of it, aren't you?" Albion remarked, sounding puzzled. "Did you forget already? Our hosts were supposed to have their destined showdown. My current wielder has already completely mastered Balance Breaker—even the Juggernaut Drive. But from the looks of things, your host hasn't even achieved basic awakening yet, has he?"
"NANI?! Impossible!"
As soon as Albion finished speaking, the green glow on Bokue's hand flickered rapidly, its voice laced heavily with shock and disbelief—like a student who'd spent years preparing for the entrance exams, only to realize he'd overslept and missed every test on exam day.
"Is this...a conversation between Sacred Gears?" Rias murmured, understanding dawning upon her.
"Sacred Gears?" Akeno tilted her head slightly, glancing curiously at Asia beside her, equally perplexed. "You mean like Asia-chan's?"
"No, not exactly," Rias shook her head. "Among Sacred Gears, there are rankings—some at the very top are called Longinus-class Sacred Gears, possessing their own distinct consciousness."
"Longinus-class? Then Bokue-san's is...?"
"Based on the opponent calling himself 'The White Dragon Emperor,' and addressing Bokue's mark as 'Ddraig,' the Sacred Gear Bokue holds should be the legendary Boosted Gear—one of the most powerful Longinus: 'The Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet.'"
The Boosted Gear: forged from the soul of the legendary Heavenly Dragon—Red Dragon Emperor Ddraig—who once rampaged through the Great War, wrecking havoc among all three factions.
Although his body had long since perished, his soul remained sealed within this Sacred Gear, continuously reincarnating from one host to another, perpetuating his eternal rivalry with the White Dragon Emperor.
Put simply, they had switched from street brawlers to Pokémon trainers: once fighting face-to-face, now forced to watch their hosts do battle in their stead, turning their grudge into a proxy war.
But that begs the question—if Bokue had possessed such an immensely powerful Longinus all along, why had he never used it...?
Even as Rias puzzled over this, Ddraig, clearly unable to accept what he was hearing, continued to flicker furiously.
❁❁❁❁
"Hey, Albion! Are you serious?! Your host already learned Juggernaut Drive?!"
Albion calmly replied through his wings, glowing softly: "That's exactly right. That's why I'm genuinely curious: Ddraig, what in the world happened with you this time? To still not even have basic awakening—this has literally never happened before."
"Tch—wait wait, just give me a second to recall clearly..."
Silence followed for about twenty seconds, and suddenly, a brilliant burst of green flashed from Bokue's hand.
"Ah! Now I remember!"
"Remember what?" Albion asked curiously.
"I-I-I just remembered! The last time I woke up was ten years ago—but I barely managed to say two sentences before getting sealed back into sleep!"
"Hah?"
This time it was Albion who faltered.
What did Ddraig mean he'd only managed two sentences before being resealed into sleep? Had his previous host been immediately killed upon awakening?
But if that was a decade ago… Bokue clearly wasn't just a ten-year-old child.
Therefore, according to this scenario, Ddraig had indeed awakened once ten years ago, only to be forcibly returned to slumber almost instantly—and the host hadn't changed in the meantime.
In other words, the legendary Heavenly Dragon, the fearsome Red Dragon Emperor, had long ago awakened within this very host—but was then suppressed and forced back into dormancy.
Using no angelic, devilish, nor godly power—just relying on sheer human willpower alone to suppress a Longinus consciousness… Are you kidding me?
If Albion still had a corporeal body, he'd probably be scratching his head in disbelief right about now.
❁❁❁❁
Meanwhile, Bokue yawned loudly, clearly losing interest.
"If your little reunion is about done, then it's about time to wrap things up..."
"Ah, hold on, hold on~ Could you leave him to me?"
Before he could finish speaking, another figure descended from above, landing smoothly beside the White Dragon Emperor.
Black feathered wings, a sleek tailored suit, the ordinary face of a middle-aged uncle, and—most distinctly—a striking lock of dyed blonde hair in the front.
Vali turned his head, mildly surprised: "Azazel, I thought you said it wasn't convenient for you to show up personally? Why are you suddenly here?"
Azazel spread his hands apologetically, a smile tugging at his lips. "Well, you were gone so long I got worried something might've happened, so I thought I'd check things out myself."
"And besides," Azazel continued with a grin, "Didn't the Red Dragon Emperor say he wanted to meet me personally?"
"No," Bokue calmly lifted his hand, revealing the bright green light glowing on the back. "I am myself. This here is the Red Dragon Emperor—and it's not that we wanted to meet you specifically. But if you're going to ask something from me, you should at least show up personally."
"Haha, that's basically the same thing, right?" Azazel chuckled, clearly amused, before clearing his throat. "Alright, let me introduce myself first. I'm Azazel, governor-general of the fallen angels. That guy in your hands used to be one of my subordinates. Unfortunately, due to some troublesome issues, he caused all sorts of trouble. For that, you have my sincere apologies. So, if you don't mind, I'd really appreciate if you left him to me to handle. That shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"Oh..." Bokue nodded thoughtfully, before promptly shaking his head:
"NO!"
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