Issei listened in silence, still with his mouth full of pastry. Rias had summarized the story of his attack, of Yuma-chan, and of the fallen angels in a solemn tone—though the effect was ruined every time Koneko bit into another muffin.
Despite the strange atmosphere, Issei eventually came to believe what they were telling him was true: he had been killed,reincarnated as a devil, and now he possessed a Sacred Gear, though he still had no idea how to use it.
When she finished with Issei, Rias turned to Daniel.
"Well, now let's move on to you. Your case is even more unusual: mutations, strange energies… For now, we only have hypotheses. If you know something, it would be good to share it."
Daniel nodded, deep in thought. What should he tell them? Obviously, he couldn't mention anything about the system. So… how did he use the cards? Where did the monsters come from? Where did the gray energy originate? Daniel had no idea. Wasn't the system the one doing everything? He was just as confused as they were.
"Well… what I do is simple. It's like my card game, but real. I use a duel disk, place the cards, and from there monsters or effects appear. And there are some rules. As for the gray energy, I have no clue," Daniel replied, shrugging his shoulders.
Everyone stared at him in silence, not really understanding.
"A… game?" Issei repeated incredulously. "And what's a duel disk?"
Issei was, without a doubt, the most lost person in that room. He understood nothing—gray energies? Cards?
"Could you show us how it works?" Akeno asked, her curiosity evident.
Daniel agreed. As the saying went, a picture was worth a thousand words. He focused the gray energy on his left arm, and little by little, the duel disk began to materialize.
> [Combat module activating.
Linked deck: Ancient Gear]
A screen appeared before his eyes. This is new, he thought as he decided what to summon. However, considering the size of the Ancient Gear, he grew concerned: wouldn't they destroy the room?
Akeno and the others watched in puzzlement. Wasn't he going to summon anything? Rias, however, studied the strange device on his arm with interest.
"A Sacred Gear? It doesn't feel similar… did it mutate as well?" she murmured, intrigued.
Daniel made up his mind: why not change decks? Was it possible? He consulted the system.
> [Note: Deck exchange is limited to once per day]
Relieved, he selected the Madolche deck and prepared the cards. He stepped aside and positioned himself in a clear area of the room. The gray energy stirred, and before everyone's astonished eyes, an elegant owl dressed in a suit with a pancake on its head emerged from the mist.
Madolche Hootcake (ATK/1500 DEF/1100)
Koneko was the first to approach, recognizing the bird. Akeno and Rias soon followed.
The small owl looked around with its wide eyes. Seeing so many people nearby, it tilted its head doubtfully, then struck a greeting pose while holding the pancake with its wing.
"Ara, it's quite intelligent, isn't it?" Akeno exclaimed, stroking some of its feathers.
"It looks… cute."
Akeno and Koneko seemed charmed by the bird's appearance. Rias, on the other hand, was astonished. Life? Did he manage to create life? Or summon it from somewhere else? The creature appeared to have consciousness, something unusual for a Sacred Gear.
Did the Sacred Gear also mutate his wings? she wondered, casting a glance at Daniel. Then, like Koneko and Akeno, she began petting the owl.
Issei and Kiba were the last to come closer. Kiba merely observed, intrigued. Could such a small creature defeat a stray devil? He remembered seeing a robot shattered that day.
"Is it the same as the robot from before?"
Daniel, slightly confused, took a moment to understand.
"Robot? Ah, the Ancient Gear Soldier. Yes, it's similar. As I explained, I can use everything that's in my cards."
Kiba nodded; it seemed like quite a versatile ability.
Issei stepped closer to the owl. After watching it for a few seconds, he reached for the pancake on its head.
"Why does it have a pancake?" he asked as he picked it up.
In that instant, the owl's expression changed. Before Daniel could warn him, Issei was struck by one of its wings, sending him flying until he slammed into the wall.
The girls immediately pulled their hands back. The blow hadn't been a joke—they had only seen a blur, and then poor Issei was sent soaring.
Daniel hurried over, worried. An Ancient Gear Soldier with 1300 attack points had managed to defeat a spider-like monster nearly two meters tall; Hootcake had 1500… Daniel hoped Issei was still in one piece. He didn't want to kill anyone in his first meeting.
After checking him and confirming that he was relatively unharmed, Daniel let out a sigh of relief.
"Can you also use spells?" Rias asked after speaking with Koneko, who was more familiar with the rules of the game.
"Yes, everything. Though for now, I can only use a few cards."
Rias nodded.
"Now, let's see your wings."
Daniel nodded back. He deactivated the duel disk, and the Madolche Hootcake vanished into a cloud of gray mist.