Senjutsu activated, Roy stabilized Rukia's soul structure, mending the wound bit by bit.
He retrieved a small vial from his storage space.
[Phoenix Tears], looted from Riser's Queen a month ago during a Rating Game.
The Underworld's rarest healing item, it could fully restore someone in moments, priceless.
Uncorking the vial, Roy fed Rukia the tears, casting soul-repair magic.
Senjutsu, magic, Phoenix Tears.
The trifecta swiftly healed Rukia's soul, waking her.
"Roy, what'd you do?" Rukia clutched her head, shaken. "Felt like my soul got stabbed and torn open."
"Your instincts are sharp."
"?"
What's that mean?
Rukia froze, meeting Roy's gaze.
Seconds later, she took a deep breath. "Just to be sure, how'd you extract the Hogyoku?"
"Easiest way to get something from a safe is to cut it open."
"You trying to kill me?!"
"Relax, no side effects."
"That's not the point! Even if you had no other way, at least warn me!" Rukia fumed.
Knowing you're getting stabbed versus a surprise gutting—totally different.
Her soul torn without warning, Rukia still felt phantom pain.
"Don't be mad. I tried distracting you beforehand," Roy said.
"Did you? Felt like you did nothing."
"You're right. I didn't come up with anything."
"…"
What am I supposed to say?
Facing Roy's unshaken demeanor, Rukia's energy and arguments fizzled, her expression bitter.
She'd asked him to extract the Hogyoku.
No matter how miffed, she could only grumble, not press.
But Roy, as if struck by conscience, raised a finger. "How about this: I'll awaken your potential as an apology."
"Eh! For real?" Rukia's attention snapped to him.
After Roy's nod, her mood flipped. "Aw, Roy, why didn't you say so?"
"Just a misunderstanding. I was groggy, talking nonsense. Don't mind me."
"No need to grovel," Xenovia, spectating, quipped.
"You don't get it!" Rukia shot back, defiant.
She vividly recalled Roy awakening Ichigo Kurosaki.
Orihime's boost was less dramatic but still noticeable.
This chance might be her only shot.
Restoring the Kuchiki Clan's glory—her duty!
"Roy, let's do it!"
"Hold on, prepping."
Roy opened his entry vault, browsing while asking, "Rukia, what's your plan for the Hogyoku?"
"Yours. It'll only bring me trouble."
"Then I won't hold back."
Roy's fingers paused, shifting from White to Blue entries.
[Ice Element Affinity (Blue): Moderately boosts ice element affinity and resistance, accelerates ice skill learning.]
Solid choice.
[Entry granted successfully. View target panel?]
[Rukia Kuchiki]
[Race: Shinigami]
[Strength: Level 3]
[Entries: Kido Mastery (Blue), Ice Element Affinity (Blue), Sode no Shirayuki (Purple), Transcendent Soul (Purple)]
[Kido Mastery (Blue): Greatly accelerates Kido training.]
[Sode no Shirayuki (Purple): Soul-bound Zanpakuto with Shikai and Bankai forms, deep development unlocks varied uses.]
[Transcendent Soul (Purple): Soul evolved by Hogyoku influence, moderately boosts spiritual pressure, training speed +300.]
"Whoa~ Power's surging!" Rukia grinned, feeling her spiritual pressure swell.
After a few breaths, her aura stabilized, pressure up by 50%.
Her bond with her Zanpakuto deepened.
Faintly, she heard Sode no Shirayuki calling her.
Bankai?
A once-unthinkable term popped into her mind.
Unlike most Zanpakuto, Sode no Shirayuki's spirit preferred solitude.
For it to call her, Bankai was the only explanation.
Electrified, Rukia drew her blade, sitting cross-legged. "Roy, I'm meeting Sode no Shirayuki."
"We'll talk Hogyoku and Aizen later."
"Cool."
Roy nodded, setting an isolation barrier around her to block interruptions.
He turned to Xenovia, still munching on the drama. "Wanna awaken too?"
"If it makes me stronger, hell yeah."
Xenovia unbuttoned her shirt, revealing her… assets. "Let's go! I know the deal—power costs a price, right?"
"I'm game if it's you!"
"…"
What deal?
Facing the offered "basketballs," Roy didn't decline.
While "dribbling," he clarified, "Xenovia, I awaken friends and allies for free."
"Huh?"
"Didn't Rias tell you? Everyone but you and Gasper's been awakened."
"Uh, nope."
Xenovia scratched her head, clueless.
Before becoming a devil, she was either training or on Church missions.
Never living normally, she slacked off post-fall, chatting with Rias about daily fluff.
Roy's powers? She never asked, knowing the gap.
If Rukia hadn't brought it up, she wouldn't know Roy could boost strength.
Free boosts for allies? News to her.
"Cough—whatever, small stuff!" Xenovia, realizing her loss, didn't flinch, doubling down. "Roy, I want strong kids! When can I borrow your genes?"
"Come to my room tonight."
Free delivery? Don't mind if I do.
Setting a time, Roy opened Xenovia's status panel.
Leaving her to adapt to her new power, he found a quiet corner in the training area, pulling out the Hogyoku.
Swallowing it, he refined it instantly.
[Foreign power detected. Convert to Red Entry?]
[Conversion successful. Acquired Red Entry: Hogyoku.]
[Hogyoku (Red): Greatly enhances host immortality, fulfills host or target wishes under specific conditions.]
Not bad, though the quality's low.
Roy figured the Hogyoku should be Gold-tier.
But as a half-finished product, he accepted it.
Equipping the Hogyoku entry, a blue-black orb materialized in his body—the swallowed gem.
Now fully activated, it radiated unique energy waves.
Roy channeled the energy, tapping his potential.
His physique and soul strength surged, growing automatically.
"Nice."
Roy smirked, pleased.
The Hogyoku fulfilled wishes under conditions.
Paired with his Endless Potential, it was another auto-strength booster.
Add [Auto-Training 9.0] and his entry-granted minions, and Roy's power would skyrocket even if he did nothing.
At this rate, he'd break through again in a month.
Motivated, he kicked off training.
100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, 10km run to cap it.
In the empty basement, Roy, under hundredfold weights, sweated it out.
---
Time flew, morning passed.
Mid-20th training round, a familiar aura entered his senses.
Roy paused, surprised, eyeing the figure entering the basement. "What're you doing here?"
"Why can't I be here?" Serafall huffed, one hand on her hip, the other clutching a fresh wand. "Roy, yesterday I was careless!"
"Today's different. I'll show you Magical Girl Levi's true power!"
"Magical Girl Levi?"
"Short for Magical Girl Leviathan, duh! You didn't know?"
"Nope."
Roy shrugged, resuming his workout.
"Don't ignore me! Fight me!" Serafall pouted, poking him fiercely.
"Quit it. No time to play."
"I'm not playing!"
She waved, a frost tide engulfing the area.
But seeing Roy unfazed, still training, she pouted, canceling the attack.
Can't actually fight.
Roy was a jerk yesterday, but he's Sona's boyfriend.
Hurting him via sneak attack? Sona'd nag her.
Still, eating the loss pissed her off, so she poked harder.
Poke! Poke! Poke!
"…You a masochist? Didn't get enough yesterday, so you're back for more?" Roy stopped, exasperated.
Her pokes didn't disrupt him, but they felt like flirting.
They stoked his battle lust—in every sense.
"Who's a masochist? Don't talk nonsense!" Serafall snapped back. "I'm here on business. A troublesome guy wants to meet you."
"Troublesome guy?"
"Michael."
"Big shot," Roy perked up. "What's up? Why's he want me?"
"Dunno, didn't ask."
"He just asked me to pass a message. Wants to meet before the Three Factions Summit."
"When and where?"
"This afternoon, Kuoh's abandoned church."
"Got it."
Roy nodded, summoning a teleportation array to whisk them to Kuoh's outskirts.
"Since we've got time, let's settle our business first."
"Eh? Don't get crazy!" Serafall, just provoking, panicked at the familiar scenery. "I just wanted a spar, nothing else!"
"No worries. I've got ideas."
Roy vanished, starting round five of speed-running the Demon Lord girl.
---
Meanwhile.
In the next town, Vali pushed open a bar's door, sitting at the counter.
"You're late," a voice said.
"Azazel's watching close. He's onto something," Vali shrugged, glancing at Arthur. "What's Cao Cao's deal? He hasn't noticed you jumped ship?"
"He's busy wooing the Crimson Princess. No time for me."
"Crimson Princess… Heard she was born with Demon Lord-tier mana. True?"
"False," Arthur adjusted his glasses. "I've met her. Her potential's even greater."
"Sounds promising," Vali's lips curled, a spark of battle lust.
Reading him, Arthur added, "Don't get hopes up. She's still growing."
"By devil standards, she's Top-Class Devil level."
"Top-Class… Guess no expectations for now," Vali's enthusiasm faded.
He craved battle, not bullying the weak.
The Crimson Princess, unready, was less interesting than his fated rival.
"Arthur, you said your sister's got private contact with the Red Dragon Emperor?"
"Yup. They've got a magic contract. Decent relationship."
"Give this to her. Have her pass it to him," Vali tossed a letter.
Arthur caught it, frowning. "What's in it?"
"Intel on the Old Demon Faction teaming with someone in Soul Society."
"Soul Society? How's that connected?"
"Dunno. Heard it from Shalba."
"Alright, I trust it."
Arthur didn't question further.
Shalba Beelzebub, a Beelzebub descendant and Old Demon Faction leader, had been courting Vali for his bloodline.
Likely, Shalba shared the intel to win him over.
"But why pass this to the Red Dragon Emperor? What's in it for you?" Arthur asked.
"It'll reveal his true nature," Vali said, downing his drink.
---
Two hours later, Kuoh's west side.
Fresh from battle, Roy arrived at the abandoned church.
Pushing open the door, a familiar scene greeted him.
Unlike prior visits, the interior was renovated.
Cleaner, tidier, with new decorations.
In a corner, a white-robed youth with a halo hung a mural.
Noticing Roy, he paused, approaching. "Greetings, Red Dragon Emperor Roy."
Six pairs of golden wings unfurled, radiating holy light as he extended a hand. "I'm Michael, Heaven's overseer."
---
If you want to read more than 20 chapters early feel free to visit pa tre on . com /Archus