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When the time came to go all out, Anos no longer needed to throw away expensive pre-forged formation plates like he used to.
Now, he could deploy everything directly from memory.
Lower material cost.
Greater concealment.
Far more efficient.
"In a way… perhaps you were purified by the very god you once believed in."
Watching Freed's soul dissolve into light, Anos let out a quiet sigh before leaving.
—
The rest of the night passed without incident.
Aside from brief calls from Sona and Rias confirming the rumor issue had been resolved, Anos devoted all his time to engraving feng shui formations into his memory domain.
If he could store them there—
He could deploy them instantly.
Perhaps due to the heavy mental strain the day before, he slept exceptionally well.
When he woke the next morning, something felt… different.
Warm.
Soft.
Like holding a perfectly shaped pillow of living jade.
He glanced under the covers—
And understood immediately why he had slept so comfortably.
Dark Magician Girl.
Curled against him like a human body pillow.
"Mana? Didn't I prepare a room for you?"
Her true name was Mana, He had summoned her the previous day to study black magic together.
During his later research session, she had taken it upon herself to clean the entire house.
Seeing how earnestly she worked, he hadn't had the heart to return her to the card.
So he let her stay.
And sometimes during the night—
She had followed her master's presence instinctively and climbed into his bed.
"Master… I want to stay close to you…"
Her voice was soft, slightly drowsy, slightly pleading.
Anos shook his head helplessly.
"Next time, at least tell me in advance."
"Mm! Mm! I will!"
She nodded enthusiastically.
He smiled faintly and picked up the witch's hat resting nearby, gently placing it atop her head.
Even through the fabric, she seemed to feel the warmth of his hand.
Her expression softened into something almost catlike.
—
After breakfast, Anos headed to school.
Unfortunately, there was no white-haired catgirl walking beside him today.
"Excuse me… may I ask you something?"
A blonde girl approached him directly.
Anos found himself thinking—
Why does she look so familiar?
"What is it?"
"Have you noticed anything… unusual happening recently?"
She lowered her voice as if discussing state secrets.
"Unusual?" Anos tilted his head. "Would that 'meteor' that fell outside Kuoh count?"
According to the news, the Ark Sphere's descent had been classified as a meteor.
"…Nothing else?"
Disappointment flickered across her face.
She had already heard that answer too many times.
Before she could press further—
"BOOM—!"
A violent explosion tore through the distance.
A surge of black, savage spiritual energy erupted skyward.
The blonde girl stiffened, startled.
Anos, meanwhile, felt something else entirely.
Excitement.
Because at the epicenter of that explosion—
A silver treasure chest had appeared.
Silver.
The God of the Bible's divinity had come from a gold chest.
How inferior could silver be?
[Ding!]
[Silver-tier treasure chest triggered.]
[Opening condition: Suppress the remnant soul of the Evil Dragon Vritra.]
"…You've got to be kidding me."
Suppress an evil dragon?
Was this a joke?
Before Anos could even move, the blonde girl beside him vanished in a blur.
"Fast... And that faint sense of familiarity…"
She was definitely not ordinary.
But he couldn't afford to waste precious judgment time identifying her.
He had something far more urgent to handle.
Whether he could suppress Vritra or not—
He had to try.
Activating a transfer formation, Anos arrived at the explosion site.
"I see."
He frowned.
Now he understood why this had happened.
The host was dead.
In the distance, a black dragon in spiritual form roared, pouring destructive energy into the surroundings.
Corrupt dragon breath tore through the sky, instantly obliterating several fallen angels midair.
"Judgment, did the fallen angels trigger Vritra's rampage?"
[Yes.]
Anos had already suspected as much, but confirmation was essential.
There were no male members in his Student Council.
In fact, the one who originally should have attended Kuoh Academy—
Saji Genshirou.
Had been redirected to another school through Anos' quiet interference.
Saji's Sacred Gear was far easier to identify than Issei Hyoudou's, which required prolonged observation.
"Judgment, did the fallen angels attempt to forcibly seize his Sacred Gear?"
[Yes.]
That settled it.
In the original timeline, the fallen angel Governor-General Azazel had gathered Vritra's fragmented souls and implanted them into Saji through Grigori's research division.
But that only happened after Saji survived under Sona's protection until the Three Factions Treaty.
Now, without Sona's involvement—
And with ambitious lower-ranking fallen angels seeking recognition—
Someone had acted prematurely.
Azazel himself wouldn't bother collecting Sacred Gears personally.
But his subordinates?
They knew their leader's obsession.
And some would absolutely attempt to capture Sacred Gear users recklessly to earn favor.
This—
Was the consequence of trying to rip a living Sacred Gear from its host.
The dragon's soul had broken free.
And now—
It was enraged.
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~Support with 300 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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