The last thing he wanted was someone like Grayfia barging through his wards and into his home. So, there was only one thing he could really say, "Just keep being yourself. So far, I like everything I've seen... Well, almost everything. Himejima-san seems extremely annoyed, even angry, anytime my girlfriend comes up in conversation."
Rias's mood instantly shattered at that statement. She looked away from Junichiro, "She has her reasons. Speaking of, I thought things were ending between you two?"
Junichiro nodded, "They are. Honestly, I would have ended things by now but I haven't seen her in weeks. She's not returning any of my communications either and I'm not the type to break up with someone in a text message or email. That's a cowards move."
At this point, Junichiro suspected Mittelt was partially avoiding him to keep him from breaking up with her. He doubted it had anything to do with any feelings for him and more that she didn't want to get in trouble with Azazel over it.
He knew she'd be back in a few more days though. She'd need refills for her growth potion since she'd be running out shortly. If she wanted her body to keep maturing, she'd have to come see him in person. He could break up with her then, though he would be a proper gentleman and continue to provide her with the potion. He wasn't a complete dick.
Aside from that, he was kind of looking forward to breaking up with her. He hadn't really noticed it at first, but there was a large difference between spending time with Mittelt, who was millenia older than him, and Rias's peerage, who were all around his age. He might have constantly fading memories of his previous life, but he felt like he was fifteen not in his fifties or sixties.
He honestly hadn't realized what he was missing by not spending time with people his own age.
Rias sighed and nodded her head in acceptance of that. If she dated someone and they broke up with her in a text, she'd be pissed, "I see."
She was still trying to come to terms with the power that her potential peerage member would be wielding so she wasn't quite on her game. At least she now understood why he wanted to protect himself so much. While she would never order her peerage members to do something they didn't wish to do, she knew there were other Kings who were less scrupulous than her.
There was silence as Rias continued to process the implications of Junichiro joining her peerage and the unbelievable fact that she couldn't tell anyone about it! Now that she knew who he was, she wanted to brag about him to everyone she knew the moment he joined her peerage! The Artificer and the Red Dragon Emperor in a single person would make her peerage nigh unbeatable!
Or it would, once they all got some training. She doubted that Junichiro would be using the Boosted Gear's balance breaker instantly and he would need time to train with it. But still! Between his skills at making magical items, potions, and other things and the power of the Boosted Gear, he could single-handedly change her peerage for the better!
Rias took a breath and looked Junichiro straight in the eyes, "I have to know. Just how much were you holding back against me and my peerage?"
Junichiro tilted his head to the side in thought, "That's... difficult to answer. While my personal strength isn't all that much, relatively speaking, the resources and items I could bring to battle are not insignificant. With prep time and knowledge, I could easily make something to counter just about anyone in battle. My strength isn't in what I personally can do in battle, but rather in the items I craft."
Rias thought about that then asked, "What about your Sacred Gear, Sword Birth. How much did you hold back when using it?"
Junichiro looked Rias dead in the eyes, "Significantly."
Her eyes narrowed, "Show me."
Junichiro sighed but nodded and climbed to his feet, "Follow me."
Together, the pair left the house and stepped into Juncihiro's expansive backyard. He stepped a little ways away from her and began to gather his magical power, pumping it heavily into his Sacred Gear, "Sword Birth, Balance Breaker."
Golden energy erupted out of Junichiro's entire body filling the area with the sound of metal striking metal as an entire army of swords formed in the air. Many didn't stick around long as they flowed together into a construct around his body covering him head to toe in thick multicolored plate mail armor.
Another dozen swords merged together to form a massive tower shield that he grabbed with his left hand and held with ease. The last remaining few dozen swords in all manner of various shapes and sizes continued to float behind his back in a wing shaped pattern.
Junichiro held his right hand out causing one of the swords at his back to leap into his hand with a solid 'clang' of metal on metal. Steam rose from the gaps for his mouth as Junichiro announced, "Infinite Arms of the Forge God."
Rias stared at Junichiro in awe. She expected him to have some tricks, not his actual Balance Breaker! Even Kiba didn't have his yet. This made her wonder what Junichiro had to have gone through to unlock it. After all, the only known way to unlock a balance breaker was through a deep need. That pretty much meant it only happened in battle.
She stepped closer to examine the weapons and armor more closely. It sort of reminded her of what she'd heard of about Paladins during the Great War. They were some of the Church's most powerful warriors, at the time. Though she had to ask, "Why are your armor and shield so many colors? It's like a hippie painted your armor."
Junichiro chuckled, his helmeted head turning to watch Rias as she examined his armor, "Each color represents a different element. The armor is nearly impervious to energetic elemental damage as it absorbs it all and uses the magical power gained to continue to power itself. The more spells they fire at me, the more powerful the armor becomes. The same applies to the shield, only it's better at the more solid elemental attacks instead of the more energetic ones. I can use the shield to block or deflect those attacks and steal some magical power from them at the same time."