The blackboard was already covered with complex formulas and phrases when Klein raised his gaze for a moment. The teacher spoke nonstop, alternating between explanations and quick notes, while most of the students just copied mechanically, some even yawning.
Klein kept the tip of his pencil sliding calmly across the notebook.
As someone who had worked hard to get a good job in his previous life and spent countless nights studying to graduate from Harvard, his handwriting was clean, precise, almost artistic.
However, behind his calm demeanor, his mind was elsewhere.
He was thinking about what he had told himself minutes ago: test his abilities, explore the limits of the body he had inherited, and mainly, decide how to move in the midst of that world.
He would have to explore his Longinus and return it carefully.
Sacred Gears, also known as God's Artifacts, are mysterious instruments imbued with divine power, granted by the God of the Bible to humans and hybrids.
It is said that they were created with the purpose of offering strength, hope, and infinite possibilities to humanity, allowing even simple mortals to interact and equal, to a certain extent, existences far beyond themselves, be they supernatural beings, gods, or even buddhas.
From what he knows of the original story, the original God of the Bible conceived the Sacred Gears as part of his system intended to perform miracles in the human world; individuals who awakened such artifacts became figures of great power and influence, and it is possible that many names consecrated by history were, in reality, bearers of these divine relics.
These manifestations vary from common examples, like the Twice Critical, to exceptional rarities, like the Twilight Healing, with the legendary Longinus occupying a singular level due to their capacity to shake even divinities. Although each Sacred Gear is unique, some can repeat in different individuals, like the Blade Blacksmith.
The forced removal of a Sacred Gear, however, invariably leads to the death of its bearer.
Only humans and hybrids have the capacity to be born with such artifacts, and even after reincarnation into demons or angels, the bearers continue to keep them. There is also the possibility of descendants of ancient humans inheriting the power.
Although the general rule is that each individual is born with only one Sacred Gear, there are cases where exceptional circumstances allowed the acquisition of a second. Despite this, there is no record of someone who was born with multiple Sacred Gears, which suggests that the nature of such artifacts restricts each person to only one.
The reason why supernatural beings are not born with Sacred Gears remains a mystery. However, the hypothesis is that this is due to the role of humans as beings destined to cultivate and pursue their own desires. Still, the power of a Sacred Gear does not always manifest as a blessing: there are bearers, often children, whose existence was shortened by the burden of their own artifacts.
Even rarer cases involve users who directly awakened the Balance Breaker without the need for training or gradual awakening, although such individuals perished or became unstable under the weight of their abilities. A similar situation occurs with bearers who resort to the Juggernaut Drive, also known as Breakdown the Beast, an ability restricted to Sacred Gears that harbor sealed creatures. This form offers power sufficient to face or even annihilate gods and Satans, but it exacts a devastating price: the loss of sanity and the consumption of one's own life force as fuel to sustain such power.
The form and nature of a Sacred Gear vary enormously.
Throughout history, they have been categorized into four major groups: Longinus Sacred Gears, Artificial Sacred Gears, Subspecies Sacred Gears, and Common Sacred Gears.
Following this division, his was a Longinus.
The Longinus, also called Tools that Destroy Gods, constitute a set of thirteen original supreme-level Sacred Gears, endowed with power sufficient to slay even divinities.
Revered and feared in equal measure, the Longinus are also described as Incarnations of Divine Destruction, Tools of Heavenly Destruction, or simply as the Supreme Sacred Gears, titles that reflect the magnitude of their threat and the weight of their existence...
The sound of Aika Kiryuu's muffled laughter pulled him back to the present. She was whispering something to the colleague beside her, laughing with that typical provocative air. By reflex, her eyes passed over him for a second, and Klein saw a malicious smile appear on her lips. It was no surprise: Aika never missed a chance to provoke, and he knew that sooner or later she would try to strike up a conversation again.
He ignored her, returning to the notebook and his thoughts.
Where had he left off...? Ah, it was about what he knew of the Longinus. This special class of Sacred Gears received its name from the legendary True Longinus, the first and most powerful of all. Unlike other Sacred Gears, which can exist in multiple copies of the same type, each Longinus is absolutely unique: there can only be one of each in all existence.
According to what he knew, the essence of the Longinus lies in the fact that they are combinations of powers that, under normal circumstances, should never coexist. They are, in their nature, fusions of colossal abilities that, united, result in artifacts of unprecedented destruction. Therefore, each Longinus is considered the most powerful within its own category, like the Dimension Lost, revered as the supreme barrier Sacred Gear, or the Annihilation Maker, recognized as the definitive form of creation.
Still according to what he knew, the Longinus possess incomparable scalability. When they reach the Balance Breaker state, they not only significantly multiply their power but also expand the range of possibilities they can manipulate. In his thoughts about this, he even theorized that each Longinus absorbs and reflects the imagination and creativity of its bearer, becoming an instrument shaped by the will and vision of whoever wields it.
His was the [Sephiroth Graal], also called the Holy Grail of the Secluded World, one of the thirteen original Sacred Gears classified as Longinus. Its denomination directly refers to the legendary Holy Grail of Christ's Last Supper, as well as the Grail present in Arthurian traditions.
Among the Longinus, the Sephiroth Graal holds a prominent place for being counted among the so-called Holy Relics, a group formed by artifacts that carry direct links to elements of Christian tradition and that, in their Sacred Gear form, assume immeasurable powers. Along with it are the True Longinus (Holy Spear), the Incinerate Anthem (Holy Cross), the Alphecca Tyrant (Holy Nail), and the Shroud of Turin, composing a circle of divine instruments that surpass the mere definition of weapons...
From what he knows of the powers of his Longinus, the Sephiroth Graal manifests as a golden chalice that, upon contact with Christ's blood, acquired the singular capacity to allow its bearer to understand and manipulate the very principles of life. Through it, the user has access to intimate knowledge of the formation of souls, vital essence, and even the concept of death, absorbing into their mind a torrent of universal thoughts and truths that, in excess, can overload the heart and soul, freeing it from any emotional or rational stability.
This dominion over life enables uncommon feats, such as summoning and controlling souls or the ability to repair wounded bodies and restore them to their maximum condition, as long as the soul remains intact, in addition to reversing damage caused by forbidden spells. Its amplitude even extends to the restoration of ancestral relics, like the Fruits of Life and Wisdom that Lilith, mother of demons, had kept in Purgatory after they withered, and which were returned to fullness through its power.
He even remembers that in the original story, the Sephiroth Graal also proved to be an invaluable tool for analysis and information gathering, being used to investigate the soul of the Red Dragon Emperor and the [Boosted Gear] of Issei Hyoudou's original body. Its versatility even reached more practical applications, such as mass production of plate mail armors; in other words, his Longinus was very overpowered if used the right way...
Even more so if he manages to achieve the Balance Breaker.
Sacred Gears possess a maximum activation state called Balance Breaker, also known as Forbidden Move. It is the most powerful manifestation of a Sacred Gear. Once achieved, the Balance Breaker can be activated again much more easily than in its first manifestation.
An incomplete Balance Breaker can be obtained through self-sacrifice of the user, as in the case of Issei Hyoudou in the original story, who sacrificed his left arm and transformed it into a dragon arm. However, this method is not considered a true activation of the Balance Breaker. This unstable form is called Over Booster.
In general, the Balance Breaker can only be awakened when the Sacred Gear bearer goes through a dramatic change or shock, which triggers the release of this supreme power.
The known manifestations of the Balance Breaker can be divided into three categories: Crest Side, Abyss Side, and X Side.
The Crest Side is considered the regular state of the Balance Breaker, obtained through strengthening and marked by a drastic change in the user's spirit. It is the original Balance Breaker of a Sacred Gear and also the so-called Subspecies Balance Breaker. The latter differs by creating alternative forms based on the bearer's desires, granting unique abilities and generally more powerful than those of the standard form. The exact method to awaken a Subspecies is unknown, but it is believed to directly involve the user's personality. Some skilled bearers have even demonstrated the ability to partially direct the abilities obtained.
The Abyss Side represents an advanced form of the Balance Breaker, obtained when the user seeks to surpass the limits of the Crest Side and achieves a state of fusion with their Sacred Gear, provoking an even deeper transformation.
Finally, the X Side is a rare and irregular manifestation, which cannot be classified within the previous categories. It is characterized by sudden changes or atypical combinations of different states, being considered an exception among exceptions. Among the known examples he remembers are the Illegal Move Triaina and the Cardinal Crimson Promotion, of Issei Hyoudou; the Malebolge Vritra Promotion, of Genshirou Saji, resulting from the fusion of his four Sacred Gears into one; and the Forbidden Invade Balor the Beast, of Gasper Vladi, one of the most peculiar and powerful manifestations of this category....
Speaking of the [Boosted Gear].
In front of him, Issei was half-slumped over the desk, scribbling more drawings of voluptuous girls than any useful notes. Matsuda and Motohama struggled to keep their eyes open, but it wouldn't be long before they dozed off.
Klein let out a low, almost imperceptible sigh.
This trio doesn't change...
However, there was no irritation in his thoughts, just observation. The most curious thing was realizing that, in some way, Issei seemed different from the other two. Even as pathetic as them, there was something in him...
He could guess that it was responsible for making several women in the original story fall in love with him... The legendary [Dragon Charm]?
Curious, was his sensitivity so high that he noticed this? Was it due to the fact that his Longinus was related to the principles of life...? If so, did it mean that it was evolving his 'will'? Or was he overthinking things? After all, it had only been half a day since he was reborn and it was in his possession...
Well, the hypothesis wasn't flawed.
From what he knew, Sacred Gears have quite a characteristic:
Desire. Sacred Gears are driven by the power of desire. And that also defines their strength. Even as a Demon, his desire to wish remains. The more intense his longing, the stronger the response from his Sacred Gear.
In fact, Sacred Gears are not simple weapons or divine tools. They carry within themselves the will of those who wield them, reacting to the strength of the feelings and dreams of their bearers. The deeper and truer the desire, the more powerfully the Sacred Gear awakens.
Over time, these artifacts can change and grow along with the heart of those who possess them, acquiring new abilities according to the needs, thoughts, and even pains of their owner. It is from this intimate connection that extraordinary phenomena are born, like the Balance Breaker, the form that reveals the true potential of a Sacred Gear, and the mysterious Subspecies, unique variations that reflect the individuality of each person...
While the morning advanced, he limited himself to continuing to copy the content, planning in silence.
The clock hand on the wall dragged in an almost cruel rhythm. The sound of the chalk tip scraping on the blackboard filled the room, accompanying the teacher's monotonous explanations.
The windows were open, letting the soft spring breeze cross the room and lightly mess up some loose sheets on the desks.
Klein turned the page of the notebook calmly, without losing the rhythm.
On the other hand, Issei laughed loudly at some lame joke that Matsuda whispered. Motohama tried to disguise his sleepiness, but his head bobbed dangerously forward. An impatient grumble from the teacher was the response, but soon he went back to writing without paying much attention. There was also Aika who didn't seem the least bit interested in the subject. She still exchanged folded notes with the colleague beside her, and every time a new message reached her hands, the provocative smile returned to form.
He ignored it.
The bell wouldn't be long in ringing, but the atmosphere already carried that typical weight of the last part of the class; half the room was already mentally preparing for the break, while the other half just waited to survive until then.
And when the bell finally echoed through the corridor, a chorus of dragged chairs and relieved sighs took over the room.
The class had ended.
It was break time.
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