Red light enveloped Issei's left arm. The Sacred Gear, which had previously appeared as a metal gauntlet, now shone sharply like embers, blood-red and pulsing in sync with his heartbeat. The dragon's aura felt alive—seeping into the air, forming a spiritual pressure that even heated the surrounding mental space.
Issei stared at it seriously.
"This Boosted Gear belongs to me… and to you. It belongs to no one else—not Heaven, not the old system. You, Ddraig… you're the one who truly holds control over this Sacred Gear."
Ddraig's emerald eyes glowed. His voice echoed, full of honor and the weight of thousands of years of history.
"I… Ddraig, the Red Dragon. From this moment… I sever the Sacred Gear's bond with Heaven. As of now, this Boosted Gear belongs only to me and the Host named Hyoudou Issei."
Then…
An unseen voice echoed throughout the realm of consciousness. Not human, not dragon—but system. Celestial mechanism. The axis of fate that had always governed the Sacred Gear, now… cracked.
[Sacred Gear: Heaven Link = Terminated]
[Artifact Status: Undefined]
[Override Permission: Host (Hyoudou Issei)]
[Initiating: Dragon Core Protocol…]
[Skill Tree: Null]
[WARNING: Unauthorized evolution path]
Classification changed: [???] → [EX-Class Artifact]
Balance Breaker: Not Detected
Light burst from the Boosted Gear. The gauntlet extended to the elbow, fusing with Issei's arm as if becoming part of him. The green jewel on the back of the hand glowed sharply, emitting a red aura like a dragon's breath.
Ddraig's aura trembled as well. His voice sounded more alive, denser. No longer restrained by the system's shackles.
"At last… I'm free from that fucking system. No longer bound. This… is my true form. And I can speak more freely without fearing activation of Heaven's system."
Issei raised his arm, staring at the red gauntlet now pulsating with life.
"Ddraig. Change Boost settings—to 2x per second, but only for 10 seconds. After that, return cooldown to normal: 2x every 10 seconds."
Silence for a moment. Ddraig looked stunned.
"YOU'RE CRAZY! Your body will explode! You think a human body can endure a 1024x power increase in just 10 seconds?! Even a full dragon body would be torn apart by that level of magical load!"
Issei remained calm, his voice flat but steady.
"That's why I limited it to 10 seconds. Once it hits the 11th second, I'll release all the energy. Detonate it all. I know the risks. But… I can't rely on a system that's slow and bureaucratic."
"...Don't blame me if you die quickly," grumbled Ddraig.
"I don't want to die that soon. But I know I will… if I don't start now. This is only the beginning."
Ddraig snorted, then raised his head. In the sky of consciousness, a red dragon symbol glowed and the system echoed once more:
[Boost Mode: Accelerated – Limit Protocol Custom: 2x/sec | Duration: 10 sec | Cooldown: 10 sec]
Ddraig spoke again, now calmer.
"Now… we're no longer detected by any Sacred Gear system. The only ones who might sense your presence… are races with sharp spiritual senses like Youkai and Nekomata. They… can discern unusual auras."
Issei smiled slightly, then clenched his left hand.
"Good. Then I'll start training as a sorcerer. Because when they look for the Boosted Gear… all they'll see is an ordinary human."
Ddraig chuckled lowly, a sharp sound from a dragon's throat echoing like thunder.
"And when the time comes… they'll realize. Boosted Gear won't awaken with Balance Breaker. But with a red dragon trying to awaken fully."
Issei closed his eyes.
"I know… our time is limited. But for now… we hide. And prepare."
Other Side – Heaven Core, Divine Power Monitoring Chamber
In the heavenly sky, in a dome room filled with crystals and divine energy panels, an alarm suddenly blared.
The entire space changed color—from soft blue to blazing red.
Michael, leader of the Angels, stood in the center of the room. His white robe billowed, his face tense. Light from the system panels reflected on his usually calm face.
Several high-ranking angels immediately stood from their seats.
"My Lord, one of the Sacred Gears… Boosted Gear—has disappeared from the radar!"
Michael stared at the main screen, where rows of warnings flashed red:
Initializing scan…
Target: [Host: ???]
Searching…
Sacred Gear Detected: ❌ [ERROR: Gear ID NOT FOUND]
Artifact Classification: Boosted Gear – [Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet]
Status: DISCONNECTED from Heaven Artifact Core
Attempting re-link…
[FAILED]
[FAILED]
[FAILED]
SYSTEM MESSAGE:
"The artifact you are attempting to access no longer exists within the bounds of celestial permissions."
Alert! Sacred Gear [Boosted Gear] has entered Autonomous Mode.
System Authority: NULL
Divine Seal: INVALID
Registry Binding: LOST
NOTE:
- Artifact has severed ALL Heaven System dependencies
- Cannot apply cooldown restrictions
- Cannot monitor or regulate output multiplier
- Cannot trigger Balance Breaker status
- Cannot enforce system limits
Classified as: [EXISTENTIAL ANOMALY]
User Aura Signature: ✖ Undetectable
Soul Binding Protocol: ❌ Bypassed
Compliance Rank: NONE
Final Message Log:
[Ddraig: "No chains. No limits. This vessel is now truly mine."]
Michael stood silently. His fingers clenched his robe's sleeve. His eyes narrowed with unease.
"This… must not happen…"
Some angels tried to silence the system alarm. But the sirens kept wailing. Because of one undeniable fact:
God of the Bible was gone. And all Sacred Gears could only be monitored… not controlled.
A few seconds later, soft footsteps echoed.
Gabriel, one of the highest seraphim, stepped in surrounded by gentle light. Her face filled with confusion, yet remained calm.
"What happened, Michael?"
Michael pointed to the panel that was beginning to dim.
"Boosted Gear… is severed. No longer under Heaven's system surveillance. Even… the system can't identify its wielder."
Gabriel looked at the screen, then slowly said,
"This… means that Sacred Gear is free. And bound to nothing."
For the first time in hundreds of years… Heaven no longer knew who held the power of the red dragon.
And that… made them afraid.