The next morning, the piercing sunlight shone through the fabric of the tent, forcing Sawada Tsunayoshi's eyes open.
"…It's here."
The first thing he saw was the gift box that had once been outlined in red—it had now turned green.
He reached out and tapped it with a finger.
The box, once nothing but a flat projection, became solid before his eyes. Slowly, it began to open.
"Shua!"
A brilliant light burst forth, so dazzling he had to shut his eyes.
When the glow finally faded, he reopened them to find words hovering above the box.
[Monster Creation]
The phrase stunned him into silence.
"Wait… isn't that from DxD?"
"Monster Creation… one of the ultimate Sacred Gears?"
He had, of course, seen High School DxD. All four seasons, without missing a single one. Yes, it was notoriously lewd—but beyond the lewdness, it was undeniably thrilling.
Issei Hyoudou's way of building a harem was nothing like the protagonist from School Days. His harem was carved out with blood, sweat, and life-or-death struggles.
And among all Sacred Gears, the name "Monster Creation" was famous.
Unlike the others, it allowed the wielder to create powerful beasts out of sheer imagination. The more vivid the imagination, the more versatile and overwhelming the beast. Truly, a cheat among cheats.
"All I ever wanted was to awaken the Death Flame… and you give me something this outrageous?"
A grin tugged uncontrollably at his lips.
"Doesn't this mean I can create all kinds of monsters, tailor-made for any situation?"
His mind instantly leapt to the image of the Sky Lion, Natsu.
As he shaped the vision in his mind, something flickered before him. A mass of substance emerged from the air, coalescing into the form of a small lion.
"Rawr~"
A soft, childish roar echoed in front of him.
A golden lion cub appeared, a ring of orange-red flame burning around its neck. For a moment, Tsunayoshi froze. Then, with delight, he scooped it into his arms.
"I actually did it!?"
He hadn't awakened the Death Flame. He had no Weapon Box, no rings to open it. Which meant the "Sky Lion" before him was born entirely from Monster Creation.
"Rawr~"
The cub didn't resist. But its vacant eyes revealed its nature—it had no will of its own, like a puppet without independent thought.
"No extra intelligence, huh? Not like Box Weapons. Then… what about its abilities?"
As he pondered, the cub turned its head toward the tent wall and opened its mouth.
"Uu~ Rawr!!"
Flames burst out. The blaze washed over the fabric of the tent, scorching it gray in an instant.
His eyes lit up with joy.
"The Death Flame… it can actually use it?"
"Maybe it's because I didn't include intelligence in my imagination, so the beast came out like this."
Monster Creation relied purely on imagination. Whatever the wielder pictured was what the beast could do. If it lacked abilities, it was because the user hadn't imagined them in.
"Then if I add it in…"
He reshaped the Sky Lion in his mind, adding detail, instincts, intelligence.
But the cub in his arms remained the same—still vacant, still thoughtless.
"So once it's created, I can't change it after the fact?"
Examining the cub carefully, he realized his adjustments had no effect. If he wanted a new design, he'd need to create a new beast entirely.
"Or maybe… it's not impossible, but I'm just not skilled enough yet."
Both seemed possible. Either way, he would need more experience before testing further.
Looking down at the cub, he could feel a subtle connection—a bond of control.
"Disappear."
At his thought, the cub dissolved into ashes, fading back into the void.
Absolute control over what he created. He wasn't surprised. After all, what was born from Monster Creation would vanish at his command.
On one hand, perhaps it was better this way. No will, no rebellion. On the other hand… if they had intelligence, wouldn't they be far more useful as companions?
And if he could recreate them endlessly from his imagination, then even death wouldn't erase them completely. With memory and thought, they could become undying intelligent creations.
He filed the thought away for now. More testing was needed.
After all, the true essence of [Monster Creation] wasn't the "monster"—it was the "creation."
The monster was only the vessel. The real key was the ability to weave power itself into form through imagination.
Even after just one use, he understood this much.
The real value of this Sacred Gear lay not in the beasts themselves, but in the abilities they carried.
As long as his imagination was strong enough, he could create anything.
That was the true meaning of Monster Creation—an alternate form of "wish made real," with monsters as the medium.
(End of Chapter)
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