"This is the Sky Lion. The ring of flame around its neck isn't for show—it's a special type of fire. It works as both the fuel that boosts its mobility and its primary means of attack."
Tsuna spoke clearly, making no attempt to hide his creature's abilities.
"This attack is actually tied to the flame's most essential property—Harmony. Aside from its propulsion force, the flame's greatest trait is its ability to neutralize energy. It takes any incoming power and harmonizes it, turning dangerous energy harmless. It can even do the same to people or materials, making them undergo harmless Harmony."
"Harmless Harmony...?" Tiona tilted her head. "What does that mean?"
"Put simply," Tsuna explained, "it alters the nature of hard or solid materials—kind of like cementing their essence. That process is what you'd call Petrification."
"P-Petrification…!? Wait, petrification!?"
Tiona's eyes widened as she looked down at the tiny, adorable lion. It was hard to believe that something so cute could possess such a terrifying ability.
Petrification wasn't some common magic—it was rare, extremely rare. Only the highest-tier monsters ever possessed it, and even then, it was considered one of the deadliest powers imaginable. Once hit, there was no cure. Death was the only outcome.
Tiona recalled the rumors about the unknown Floor Boss, Balor. Supposedly, just meeting its gaze cursed you with a blinding light—an attack so powerful it could turn anyone to stone. People called it the "Death Gaze."
That kind of ability... it was absurdly dangerous. Even Bete's eyes hardened at the thought.
It didn't matter how strong you were; petrification was a power that crushed you through sheer mechanics. Bete doubted his body could resist such a curse. Unless he landed a kill shot instantly, there'd be no real way to fight back. Losing a limb would probably be the best possible outcome.
But the real danger wasn't the lion—it was the boy who created it.
For the first time, Bete looked at Tsuna seriously. As the one who'd made such a monster, the kid suddenly made sense. Now Bete understood why Finn had said that, given the right intel, this newcomer could develop an ability that directly countered Ais.
It wasn't arrogance—it was fact. The ability was insane. Overpowered didn't even begin to cover it.
At this rate, Bete thought grimly, it wasn't impossible that someday this kid could fight the entire Familia by himself.
Only one thought crossed his mind now:
Where the hell did Loki dig up a monster like this?
"You're way too crazy, you know that?" Tiona said, shaking her head in disbelief. "You actually made a cute little lion with something that terrifying inside it?"
After her initial shock faded, she glanced back at the Sky Lion. For the first time, she thought the name truly fit—it was cute, regal, and absolutely deserving of its title.
"But a power like petrification must eat through your magic fast, right?"
"Nope."
"…Huh?!" Tiona blinked. "You're saying it doesn't use any magic?"
"That's right," Tsuna replied simply. "My ability lets me create multi-ability monsters purely through imagination. There's no mention of needing to spend any energy. What I pay is mental effort—the imagination to build their structure—not any form of power."
"???"
Tiona gawked. What kind of nonsense is this?! For a second she thought she was hearing things again. How could someone say that their summoned monster didn't even cost magic to use?
"Of course," Tsuna continued calmly, "the creature's strength depends entirely on my perception, experience, and imagination. That's the only real limit."
"That's... way too lenient of a limit," Tiona muttered. It sounded more like a joke than a restriction. The strength of his creations depended solely on how vividly he could picture them? That was basically infinite potential.
Then a thought struck her. She looked at him with curiosity. "Wait... then doesn't that mean you are the weak point?"
"Pretty much."
"Eh?"
His blunt honesty stunned her. It took Tiona a few seconds to process that he'd admitted it so openly.
"For this power, my personal ability being subpar is the biggest weakness. I can create all kinds of creatures, sure, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm physically weak."
Tsuna didn't shy away from admitting it. That weakness wasn't unique to this world of swords and magic—it had followed him from his old one too.
Until he found a way home, he had to train his body. That was his top priority. He'd finally gained a power that could change his destiny, and there was no way he'd waste it.
"I've thought about ways to compensate for it," he went on. "Like creating a full-body armor-type monster that could merge with me and enhance my defense. But that's just a temporary fix. In the end, improving myself matters most."
If I could awaken the Dying Will Flame right now, it'd make things a lot easier.
A brief flicker of disappointment crossed Tsuna's face, but it vanished as quickly as it came. Even without that power, Annihilation Maker filled most of the gaps he once had. He was content—and he knew whining would get him nowhere.
"For now, rather than worrying about my strength, I'd rather learn more about this world."
"In that case, how about I be your guide?"
Tiona's eyes sparkled. Normally she wasn't too keen on babysitting newbies, but this one? This one was different. She was interested.
"That's fine with me," Tsuna said. "But don't you guys have work to do?"
"Oh, that's fine!" Tiona waved it off. "Finn and Riveria handle all the heavy stuff. Even with the Dungeon expedition prep going on, logistics and supply management aren't my problem."
"You idiot, Tiona!"
Tione shot up from her seat, glaring at her sister.
"Did you already forget we're supposed to be watching Ais? You know, making sure she doesn't sneak into the Dungeon again?"
"...Ah!"
Tiona froze. She'd completely forgotten about that. Looking between the sulking Ais and the intriguing newcomer in front of her, an idea suddenly lit up in her head.
"Well, if we're supposed to keep Ais from going to the Dungeon anyway," she said slowly, grinning, "why not just bring the newbie along too? He's not heading down there for a while, right? After Riveria's lessons, we could show him around Orario together!"