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Kyoto, Yasaka Shrine—
Having returned to what had practically become his permanent residence, Ryo was immediately greeted by someone he hadn't expected.
Angel Gabriel approached with a bright smile, "Governor, you've finally returned."
"I got back not long ago." Ryo nodded in response to her enthusiasm before his gaze shifted to the white-haired, red-eyed girl standing beside her.
The girl carried herself with a soldier's discipline and confidence.
"And who is she?"
"Her name is Lint Sellzen. She's one of my Reincarnated Angels."
Gabriel gently pulled the serious-looking girl forward and introduced her with a smile.
Lint immediately bowed, "It's an honor to meet you, Ryo-sama."
Despite her composed appearance, curiosity flickered in her eyes as she secretly observed Ryo.
After all, this was the man who had become the supreme leader of all three factions in only a matter of days. It would have been stranger if she wasn't curious.
"A Reincarnated Angel?"
Ryo looked mildly interested, "Hm... Her aura is rather mixed. Human, Longinus user, and her life state is a little unusual too. What's going on here?"
Gabriel immediately looked troubled. "You're asking too many questions at once. I don't even know where to begin."
"Start from the beginning." Ryo's tone remained calm. "From her birth."
"All right."
Gabriel sighed in relief and patted Lint lightly on the shoulder, "This child is the product of one of the Church's unauthorized Hero Experiments. In other words, she's an artificial human created using the genetic material of an ancient hero."
Ryo raised an eyebrow.
Gabriel continued, "Lint was created using the genetic material of hero Sigurd, so she was born with exceptionally powerful spiritual energy."
"Some time ago, Michael captured the Eastern Oz Witch Augusta and obtained the Longinus Incinerate Anthem from her. While helping catalog the spoils, Lint unexpectedly received the Sacred Gear's recognition."
"And then she became an angel?" Ryo asked, his expression turning slightly strange.
A descendant of a legendary hero. Chosen by a Longinus. Now a Reincarnated Angel directly under Gabriel.
A tragic origin story. A miraculous power-up. And a beautiful angel superior who clearly doted on her.
If Ryo didn't already know who the protagonist was, he might have mistaken the girl standing before him for one.
"Yes. A Reincarnated Angel." Gabriel smiled helplessly. "The technology was discovered by accident after Ajuka and Michael began exchanging technical knowledge. This is still the first experimental batch."
She glanced at Lint, "This child insisted on volunteering."
"Ambition isn't a bad thing." Ryo gave Lint another look.
First-generation test subject for an unproven procedure. The protagonist vibes just kept getting stronger.
"I assume Lint will be participating in the training program?"
"Yes, Governor!" Lint immediately straightened her back like a soldier standing at attention.
"Good." Ryo smiled and patted her head. "Work hard. Hopefully it won't be long before I see you in Little Garden."
Then he turned to Gabriel, "And you're currently..."
Gabriel answered at once, "I'm taking her to the Fallen Angels' facility for a full examination. We want to monitor both her physical condition and the effects of the Longinus."
"Travel safely."
Ryo nodded before continuing toward the shrine's inner hall with Akeno following behind.
Only after he disappeared did Lint finally release a long breath.
"That scared me to death." She clutched her chest dramatically. "I can't believe I actually ran into him here."
Gabriel laughed, "You're usually such a troublemaker. Why were you so well-behaved just now?"
"Because he's the supreme leader!" Lint immediately replied. "The strongest being who defeated the Infinite Dragon God and brought peace to all three factions! I heard even God issued a divine decree ordering everyone to treat him with the highest level of respect. A lot of people in the Church's Holy Affairs Bureau have been dying to meet him."
Her excitement became more obvious the longer she talked. "I can't believe I got to meet him before any of them."
Then she leaned closer, "Oh, Gabriel-sama."
"Hm?"
"I heard Ryo-sama only attacked once when fighting Ophis and won immediately." Lint's eyes sparkled. "Is that actually true?"
Gabriel smiled mysteriously, "If you're curious, ask him yourself when training begins."
"That won't help. It's not like I'll get a chance to see him during training anyway..." Lint stopped mid-sentence.
Then her eyes widened.
"Wait."
Gabriel's smile deepened.
Lint stared at her in shock.
"Gabriel-sama!" Lint nearly jumped in excitement. "Are you saying Ryo-sama is going to personally teach us?"
Gabriel immediately smacked her hand, "Keep your voice down. It's enough that you know. Don't go spreading it around. Understood?"
"Yes, yes, absolutely!"
Lint nodded so fast she looked like a pecking chicken.
But inwardly, her anticipation for the upcoming training had skyrocketed.
...
..
Inside the shrine's inner hall, Ryo found Ajuka and Michael standing amidst a collection of modern scientific equipment.
"You two certainly made yourselves hard to find."
"Governor!"
The pair looked up from the computer they had been examining and greeted him.
Ryo returned the greeting while walking over. His gaze landed on a capsule-like device nearby.
Inside floated a teenage boy wearing a restraining suit, his body slowly undergoing visible changes.
Ryo observed him for a moment, "Not bad. I was gone for one day, and you've already developed Reincarnated Angels."
While these were humans transformed into angels rather than born angels, Little Garden's Cross possessed similar technology.
As far as the Little Garden system was concerned, reincarnated angels still counted as angels.
Which meant they could still generate pure faith-based achievements.
"We merely discovered the possibility after exchanging technologies." Ajuka adjusted his glasses and sighed. "But honestly, most of it was redundant. The manpower and resources wasted researching overlapping technologies could probably have built another complete devil faction."
"There's no point worrying about sunk costs now." Ryo waved dismissively.
Then he asked, "You've already developed Fallen Angel reincarnation technology too, haven't you?"
"More or less." Ajuka sounded slightly proud. "Compared to angels, it's not particularly difficult. As long as the Reincarnated Angel system is stable, converting it for Fallen Angels is mostly a matter of modifying the equipment."
Hearing that, Ryo suddenly grinned, "What about yokai?"
Ajuka froze.
"Since you're already doing angels and fallen angels, why not create Reincarnated Yokai too?"
Ajuka's expression immediately turned miserable.
Angels and fallen angels were manageable.
But yokai?
There were countless varieties with wildly different physiologies.
That wasn't research. That was torture.
"Fine, I'll be merciful and stop bullying you." Ryo laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "Keep researching Reincarnated Angels. If you need anything, just ask."
"The technology itself isn't the problem anymore." Ajuka pushed up his glasses.
A disturbing enthusiasm entered his voice, "What I need are test subjects. Humans are the safest option, but I still lack data on special human variants, non-human species, the side effects of reincarnation, and how various bloodlines react."
"Even the database provided by Lady Algol doesn't contain detailed information on those areas."
"Algol is supporting this project too? Hmm..." Ryo raised an eyebrow. "Then what exactly are you after?"
Humans with unusually large spiritual reserves. Devils. Fallen Angels. And gods."
The way Ajuka listed them sounded eerily similar to a mad scientist discussing laboratory specimens.
"Do you have targets in mind?" Ryo asked.
Transforming non-human races into angels was territory even Little Garden's Cross hadn't fully explored.
Unknown territory meant danger. But it also meant opportunity.
At that moment, Ryo understood exactly why Algol supported the project.
Ajuka smiled, "According to intelligence provided by our informants within the Old Satan Faction..."
His expression grew noticeably more cheerful. "A rather unusual research organization has been hired to launch an attack against us."
"Interesting." Ryo slipped one hand into his pocket. "Where are they planning to strike?"
Ajuka immediately pulled out a map.
After clearing a space on the table, he spread it open and pointed to a location.
"Based on our analysts' assessment, their most likely target is this area."
His finger stopped on a section between Kyoto's outskirts and Muko City.
A location clearly marked, 'Himejima Family Territory.'
"Huh?"
Akeno, who had been quietly acting as Ryo's secretary and recording the conversation, immediately changed expression.
"Now that's interesting."
Ryo looked at the marked location and slowly smiled. A trace of amusement appeared in his eyes.
.
.
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