Rod didn't bother to hold the two girls accountable for their shameless auto-aiming.
Expressionless, he pulled a fresh outfit from his storage and got dressed. Then he turned his attention inward, beginning to sense the full power of his newly fused Sacred Gear.
Once fully integrated, all the functions of the Incinerate Anthem unfolded before him in the form of a system interface.
[Equipment (Soul-Bound): Incinerate Anthem]
[Description: One of the three Sacred Relic-class Sacred Gears. This Holy Cross carries the will of a long-passed Saint and can change ownership autonomously upon the host's death.]
[Ability: Can release a cross-shaped purple sacred flame. In addition to extreme heat, the flame contains holy and purifying properties, granting it enhanced effectiveness against devil, shinigami, vampires, yokai, and similar races. It can also seize souls and crucify them upon the cross, accelerating the Gear's evolution.]
[Balance Breaker: Locked]
[Note: The saint's will has been rendered harmless. Original Sacred Gear functionality remains intact.]
"Well, damn."
Rod actually found himself impressed for once.
Most Sacred Gears housed the soul of a powerful being, which was the source of their varied abilities. If that soul lay dormant and uninvolved, it wasn't a problem. But if it actively observed the outside world through its host's body… well, Rod would consider that a liability.
Thankfully, his personal system remained reliable as ever.
As for the identity of the saint? Rod couldn't care less.
"Congrats! Looks like you successfully fused with your Sacred Gear," Lavinia said sincerely.
"But fusion is only the beginning! If you want to become even stronger, it takes strength of will. The stronger your will, the greater the feedback from your Sacred Gear. If you can unleash a powerful resolve, the Sacred Gear will answer that call!"
She placed both hands on her chest with heartfelt sincerity.
"If your will becomes powerful enough, you'll be able to unlock your Sacred Gear's true form ,its Balance Breaker!"
Lavinia gave him a double thumbs-up.
"Oh, and there's one more thing," she added. "Independent manifestation-type Sacred Gears can act autonomously outside the user's body. The advantage is that they can strike enemies at long range. The downside is that the core body is usually weak ,if a strong enemy gets close, they're easily taken down."
"But you're already strong at close range. If you can unlock your Balance Breaker too, you'll be even more powerful!"
Rod already knew that.
But unlocking Balance Breaker wasn't exactly easy.
Strong will, huh?
…Does lewd will count?
In the High School DxD world, honestly, it probably does.
The only problem was, who knows how bizarre a Balance Breaker based on that kind of desire would turn out?
Rod didn't think he was weaker than the native Sacred Gear users of this world, but unlocking a full Balance Breaker wasn't something he could brute-force.
One step at a time.
But just then, a progress bar floated before his eyes.
[Balance Breaker unlock sequence initiated. Using the Sacred Gear in combat will accelerate progress.]
"Now that's more like it."
The most difficult stage for any Sacred Gear user had just been effortlessly skipped over.
God bless his system.
Sure, given enough time and effort he probably could've unlocked Balance Breaker himself… but who would say no to a self-filling progress bar?
Don't need to pretend, most people would want an easy way out, wouldn't they?
"Rod-san, you seem to be in a really good mood?"
Lavinia noticed the upward curl at the corner of his lips and tilted her head curiously.
"Just thought of something that made me happy."
He wasn't about to spill the truth about his system, so he changed the subject.
"How are you two feeling now? Can you move?"
"My head still hurts a little…" Lavinia murmured.
"M-Mine too," Asia said softly, both girls holding their temples with a pitiful look.
"Then we'll leave Kyoto tomorrow. No rush."
It was a good opportunity to plan their route to Kuoh Town anyway.
Japan wasn't large, and transportation was generally good ,but Kuoh was devil territory, so there were no direct flights from Kyoto.
There were trains, but Rod had zero interest in squeezing into a crowded railcar.
He opened his system map. The teleport anchor in Kuoh Town was lit up faintly.
Unfortunately, teleport anchors couldn't carry passengers. Otherwise, he'd be there in a second.
Some time passed.
Still feeling dizzy, the girls retreated to the bedroom, leaving Rod alone in the suite's living room.
He spent five minutes planning out the best route to Kuoh.
Then he remembered something ,the treasure he picked up at the Inner Sanctuary's altar.
Among the ancient books, scrolls, and ornate jewelry, the most important items were three sets of remains, those of three powerful yokai.
At the time, Rod had just thought, Why not? Free loot is free loot. So he'd dumped it all into his storage.
Looking back now, that was clearly the right call.
The Incinerate Anthem had a built-in ability: seizing powerful souls to enhance its flames.
And those yokai remains still contained the appropriate souls.
Was this not the perfect upgrade material?
Rod's eyes lit up.
Still, he didn't act on the idea right away.
He'd already made enough waves in Kyoto for one day.
It wasn't hard to guess that one reason Suzaku Himejima came by earlier was to confirm whether he was the mysterious glasses-wearing man who'd stolen the Inner Sanctuary's treasure.
But everything stored inside his personal inventory was completely sealed off. Not even a trace of aura leaked.
Even if God Himself returned, He couldn't detect it.
If he started sacrificing yokai souls in Kyoto, though, even the smallest slip could alert the Five Great Clans.
Then it'd be back to endless trouble.
Better to wait until they left Kyoto.
....
That night.
Rod, sound asleep, felt something soft and warm press against him. But sensing no hostility, he didn't wake.
Morning arrived uneventfully.
Rod stretched, feeling refreshed ,until his hand brushed against something unusually soft.
"…Huh? Feels bigger than last time."
Could it be?
Did Asia… develop overnight?
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