This Monday morning, the house was quiet—Mom and Dad at work, the girls at school or on errands. Luke and Lila were out "sightseeing" (code for scouting faction movements, their veiled powers scanning for Church or devil traces). I sat in the living room, feet propped on the coffee table, a half-read manga open on my lap. The TV droned a morning talk show, its chatter a white noise against the weight of the Excalibur arc. Irina's childhood laughter haunted me—her Mimic a shape-shifting threat, Xenovia's Destruction a cleaving juggernaut. Diodora's depravity loomed, a devil I'd need to crush. Asia's strength was formidable, but her heart—her endless mercy—made her vulnerable to the coming storm.
The Gamer System's chime shattered the quiet, a blue screen flaring with an urgency that made the soda can on the table tremble. Gamer's Mind steadied my pulse, the soul-erasure restriction a cold chain binding my words. No one was home to see the glow, but the system's timing was uncanny—a call to action when I least expected peace.
System Directive: Draconic Sacrifice
Alert: Future threats escalate—Excalibur fragments, Diodora Astaroth, and Church inquisitions pose existential risks to Asia Argento's survival. User's Sacred Gear: Boosted Gear designated for transfer to ensure her protection.
Transfer Protocol:
Objective: Permanently transfer Sacred Gear: Boosted Gear (Balance Breaker) to Asia Argento, enhancing her combat potential against holy and demonic threats.
Process: Automatic upon acceptance; Asia gains Boosted Gear's full capabilities (doubling power every 10 seconds, Dragon Scale Mail tripling stats). User retains Twilight Healing, Resurrection, and Phoenix Force (10%).
Warning: Transfer is irreversible; Boosted Gear and Ddraig's essence leaves user permanently. No quests assigned—system-mandated action.
Activation: Immediate transfer upon acceptance. [Y/N]
The screen's words hit like a blade to the gut. Boosted Gear—my dragon heart, Ddraig's voice, the crimson gauntlet that had carried me through zombies, backrooms, and holy swords—gone? To Asia, my saint, whose stats and Twilight Healing were mighty but lacked the raw combat edge to face Xenovia's or Diodora's cunning. My Intelligence raced: the system foresaw threats I couldn't yet grasp—Excalibur's full might, Diodora's depraved peerage, or worse. Asia with Boosted Gear would be unstoppable, her golden fields paired with draconic fury a shield against any blade. But losing Ddraig? My partner, my fire?
His voice growled, heavy with resignation: "It's for her, partner. The girl's your heart—she needs this more than we do. You've got Twilight, Resurrection, Phoenix. You're still a dragon. Let me go—make her a queen."
My throat tightened, Gamer's Mind barely holding back the ache. Asia, who'd faced Xenovia's blade with courage, who'd healed devils and fallen without judgment, deserved every edge. The Excalibur arc, Diodora's shadow—these weren't hypotheticals. They were coming, and her mercy could be her undoing without power to match. I exhaled, steeling myself. "You're right, Ddraig. She's worth it."
I selected Y, the screen dissolving in a pulse of crimson light. Boosted Gear flared on my arm, the green gem glowing fiercely, then dimming. A warmth surged from my chest, a tearing sensation—not pain, but loss—as the gauntlet shimmered and faded, Ddraig's presence pulling away like a tide. The air shimmered, and upstairs, a soft gasp echoed—Asia, home early from school, her aura flaring with new power.
I bolted to her room, finding her on her knees, blonde hair spilling over her sundress, crimson gauntlet glowing on her left arm. Her green eyes widened, Twilight Healing fields mingling with draconic aura, her stats now bolstered by Boosted Gear's potential. Observe confirmed:
Name: Asia Argento
Level: 50
HP: 15,000/15,000 (150 Strength + 150 Endurance × 50)
MP: 7,500/7,500 (150 Intelligence × 50)
Strength: 150
Endurance: 150
Agility: 150
Intelligence: 150
Luck: 150
Sacred Gears:
Twilight Healing (Balance Breaker): Unlimited healing for self/others, no mana cost; golden fields with resurrection potential.
Boosted Gear (Balance Breaker): Doubles power every 10 seconds; Dragon Scale Mail triples combat stats (450 Strength, Endurance, Agility). Houses Ddraig, Red Dragon Emperor.
Thoughts About You: "Issei… this power? It's yours! Why me? I'll protect everyone—I promise!"
Relationship: Best Friend (96/100)
"Issei!" she gasped, tears welling. "This… Boosted Gear? It's your dragon! Why?"
I knelt, taking her hands, the gauntlet warm against my skin. Gamer's Mind held my voice steady, though the void where Ddraig had been ached like a missing limb. "Fate says you need it. Excalibur's coming, Asia. Xenovia, Irina, Diodora—they're too much, even for you now. This makes you a queen, not just a saint. You'll crush them."
Her eyes searched mine, guilt warring with resolve. "But… Ddraig? Your power?"
I forced a grin, Phoenix Force's cosmic warmth flaring to fill the gap. "I've got Twilight Healing, Resurrection, Phoenix Force. I'm still a badass. Ddraig's with you now—he'll keep you safe. Right, partner?"
A faint rumble echoed, not in my mind but hers: "The girl's got heart, Issei. I'll guard her like I did you. Don't mope—dragon up." Asia's eyes widened, hearing him, then nodded, clutching Ddraig Jr.—her stuffed dragon—tighter.
"I'll make you proud," she whispered, Boosted Gear glowing as she stood, aura flaring. "BOOST!" Her stats doubled to 300, golden-crimson light bathing the room, a saint reborn as dragoness.
The loss hit harder than I'd admit, even with Gamer's Mind. Boosted Gear had been my fire, my edge through zombies, backrooms, and holy swords. But Twilight Healing's golden fields, unlimited for all, kept me whole. Resurrection could defy death itself. Phoenix Force's 10%—cosmic flames, telekinesis, reality warps—made me a force still. My 160 stats held, HP 16,000, MP 8,000. I wasn't broken, just reshaped. For Asia, for Rias, for the girls, I'd move forward.
_______________
The New Normal
The house buzzed with the girls' return. Raynare burst in first, violet eyes narrowing at Asia's gauntlet, her devotion flaring with concern. "Issei, what the hell? That's your gear!" Kalawarner followed, fists clenched, her Strength bristling. "You gave it up? Why?" Mittelt's illusions flickered, worry in her golden eyes. "Big move, dragon-boy. You okay?"
Asia stepped forward, Boosted Gear glowing, her voice steady. "Issei gave it to me—for protection. The Church, Diodora… I need it. I'll wield it well."
Raynare's gaze softened, her Observe thoughts via my skill: "She's stronger now—good. But Issei… losing his dragon? He's hiding the hurt." She hugged me, fierce and warm. "You're an idiot, but our idiot. Don't break."
Luke and Lila—Lucifer and Lilith—returned from "sightseeing," their veiled auras (100 stats) pausing at the shift. Luke's obsidian eyes met mine, reading the loss. "A sacrifice, boy? For her?" He clapped my shoulder, voice low. "Worthy. Dragons share their fire."
Lila's ember eyes, gleamed with approval. "A queen rises. You've her back, Issei—and ours." Her hand brushed mine, infernal warmth grounding me.
Dinner was a chaotic affair—Mom and Dad oblivious, praising "Luke and Lila's" "travel stories," Asia nervously hiding the gauntlet under a sleeve. Raynare's teasing kept things light, her spears' aura subtle as she passed potatoes. Kalawarner arm-wrestled Luke, losing "narrowly" to his veiled 300 Strength. Mittelt's illusions turned napkins into dancing dragons, Asia giggling, her 96/100 score a balm.
Nights passed, Asia training in the backyard—Boosted Gear doubling her stats, Dragon Scale Mail encasing her in golden-crimson scales, tripling to 450. She sparred with Kalawarner, claws meeting spears, Twilight fields healing grazes instantly. I watched, Phoenix flames coiling, Twilight mending my phantom aches. Ddraig's voice, now hers, guided: "She's got it, Issei. Let her soar."
Rias visited, her bond sensing my shift. In my room, her hand cupped my face, blue eyes searching. "You gave her Boosted Gear? Issei, that was your heart."
"For her," I said, kissing her palm. "I've got enough. Twilight, Resurrection, Phoenix—I'm still your dragon."
She smiled, crimson hair spilling, and kissed me deeply, her Power of Destruction flaring in sync with my cosmic flames. "Always mine. But Diodora… the Church… they're coming. Asia's ready now—because of you."
The Excalibur arc loomed—Irina's Mimic, Xenovia's Destruction, Diodora's depravity. But Asia, now a dragoness, stood tall. I'd lost my gear, but gained a queen. The dragon endured, flames undimmed.