Three days later, Ageha Ikuse was buried in the Hanyu village cemetery.
The fresh mound of earth under the old cherry blossom tree became the final resting place of the woman who had raised Tobio alone since he was a baby. A simple wooden grave marker with her name engraved—as simple as her life, as simple as her love for her only grandchild.
A light drizzle fell, making the ground around the grave muddy. Tobio stood before the grave, wearing black clothes borrowed from a neighbor. His eyes were red and swollen, but there were no more tears—only a gaping emptiness in his chest.
Behind him, several villagers stood with umbrellas. There was Watanabe and a few other neighbors who had helped during these three days. And Sae, who since the funeral began had only stood silently at the back, staring at Tobio's back with worried eyes.
A village priest recited the final prayers in ancient Japanese. The words flowed like rain water—cold and untouched. Tobio heard, but didn't truly hear. His mind was empty, his eyes fixed on the name on the grave marker:
AGEHA IKUSE
After the prayers finished, the villagers began leaving the grave one by one. Some touched Tobio's shoulder briefly, offering condolences in soft voices. Tobio only nodded without turning.
Sae remained. She stood beside Tobio, sharing an umbrella even though it was too small for two people. Her uniform shoulders were wet, but she didn't care.
"I know it's hard..." Sae began in a soft, careful voice. "But don't be gloomy forever."
Tobio was silent for a while. His eyes were still fixed on the grave marker.
"I know." His voice came out hoarse, almost inaudible among the raindrops. "I need time alone."
Sae wanted to say something, wanted to hug him, wanted to do anything to lessen the pain in Tobio's eyes. But she knew—there was grief that had to be faced alone. There were wounds that had to be tended in silence.
She nodded slowly. "If you need anything, I'm at home."
Slowly, Sae turned and left. Her footsteps faded away on the muddy path, leaving Tobio alone in the rain.
Tobio remained standing there, letting the rain soak his hair and clothes. Cold water mixed with the tears that flowed again—he didn't even know which was which anymore.
'Grandma... forgive me...'
---
That night, Tobio's room felt emptier than ever.
He sat on the wooden floor, leaning against the wall near the window. The oil lamp in the corner of the room burned dimly, creating dancing shadows on the walls. In his hand, the bracelet his grandmother had given him—the only keepsake left.
Tobio stared at the bracelet for a long time.
He let out a long sigh, then shifted his gaze to the night sky outside the window. The full moon shone brightly, accompanied by twinkling stars. A beautiful sky, one that didn't care about the sorrow of the humans beneath it.
"I don't care about wars between races," he muttered into the silence. "They're too busy fighting, too busy hating each other. They forget... there's a real threat in this world."
Trihexa. The destroyer creature sleeping within its seals. Tobio knew about it— yet the leaders of the races were too busy with their own affairs.
What he knew was, he couldn't let this world be destroyed like his grandmother had left—without him being able to do anything.
"I want to be able to see Souls or Existences. Energy Flow—including Magic and Ki. Lastly, Dimensions. No matter how far the distance."
That intention flowed from the deepest part of his heart, stronger than a prayer, more sincere than an ordinary wish. It was the final request of a child who had lost everything, who wanted to ensure there would be no more losses he could have prevented.
The bracelet on his hand suddenly felt warm.
Then—CRACK.
The bracelet broke. Beads scattered on the floor, the silver cord snapped into pieces. And at the same moment, Tobio's eyes felt like they were burning.
"A—ARGHH!"
Pain stabbed like a knife splitting his brain. He collapsed onto the floor, his hands reaching for his face, feeling something warm flowing down his cheeks—blood, from his eyes. Warm blood flowing profusely.
But what was more terrifying was what he saw.
Even though his eyes were tightly closed, even though the pain almost made him faint, Tobio could see. 360 degrees. Like a fisheye lens camera recording every direction. He could see himself prone on the floor, mouth open in pain, blood flowing from both eyes.
He could see his room from the ceiling corner, from under the bed corner, from behind the wardrobe corner. He could see strange shadows on the walls—not ordinary shadows, but something deeper, more real.
Souls? Existences?
He didn't know.
CRACK.
Another cracking sound, this time deeper. Not in the room—inside himself.
All around him was silent. No aura, no vibration. Only silence and pain that continued to shake his body.
And then—a voice.
"You... strange human."
Tobio still had his eyes closed, covered in blood. Before him, or rather within his 360-degree perception, stood a little girl.
Black gothic dress. Long straight black hair. An expressionless face—truly expressionless, like a living porcelain doll.
And around her, space itself was distorted—not visually, but existentially, as if she were the point where reality folded.
Tobio recognized that figure.
Ophis.
The Infinite Dragon. One of the strongest beings in this world, perhaps in all existence besides Great Red.
Ophis stared at him with flat eyes that showed nothing. "A human who forces his vessel," she spoke, her voice like a whisper from afar.
"You will break someday."
Tobio endured the pain still coursing through every nerve. He tried to smile—it probably looked like a grimace. "I... know."
His breath came in gasps, but the words kept coming out. "Just a selfish wish. Ensuring that Trihexa remains asleep in its seals. And if there's a chance... someday, I will overcome that. I don't care if I disappear later. The world doesn't know, no one cares about me... I don't even expect praise or respect."
Ophis was silent.
For the first time, something appeared in those flat eyes—something that might be curiosity.
"Truly a strange human."
She stared at Tobio longer, then turned. Her steps left no trace on the floor, made no sound.
"I hope I will see that later."
And Ophis vanished. Just like that, as if she had never been there.
Tobio himself remained lying on the floor. The pain in his eyes began to subside, replaced by an incredible fatigue spreading throughout his body. His new vision—360 degrees, seeing energy, seeing souls—was still active, giving him a strange perception of the world around him.
'Grandma... is this what you meant by the easy path?'
This wasn't easy at all.
That last thought drifted before he lost consciousness, sinking into dreamless darkness.
---
In a different dimension, in a place called Heaven, Michael—the Great Seraph, leader of Heaven's forces—was checking the Sacred Gear system.
His workspace was an endless white hall with towering crystal pillars.
Before him, a giant holographic screen displayed hundreds of points of light—each point was a Sacred Gear owner around the world, with their respective status and condition.
Suddenly, one point in the corner of the screen changed color.
Not yellow. Not red-orange.
BRIGHT RED—the highest emergency code.
Michael frowned. He enlarged that point, and data began scrolling beside it.
[Sacred Gear System — Multi-Anomaly Report]
Host: Tobio Ikuse
Primary Sacred Gear: Telos Karma (Unregistered State)
Secondary Sacred Gear: Canis Lykaon (Sealed / Suppressed)
[System Initial Detection]
CRITICAL STACKED ANOMALY
Telos Karma Output: +700% above parameter
Soul stability: Progressively cracking
Existence layer: Distorted
System analysis:
Sacred Gear attempting to read undefined phenomena in database:
· Soul Perception: Unmeasurable level
· Multilayered Energy Flow: Involving non-physical dimensions
· Local Dimensional Distortion: Detected within host's perception radius
System conclusion:
This phenomenon does not conform to Sacred Gear laws.
Host exceeds biological & spiritual limits.
Possibility: Entity or power outside the system involved.
Additional detection:
Second Sacred Gear identified… in sealed condition
[Second Sacred Gear Analysis]
Name: Canis Lykaon
Status: Not normal Dormant
Status: Conditionally inactive
Abnormal status: "SEALED BY EXTERNAL ENTITY"
System Log:
"Sacred Gears are generally in a Dormant state or active when conditions are met."
"However… this entity—"
"is LOCKED."
[Seal Source Detection]
!!Attempting Identification…!!
Seal does not match:
Sacred Gear System
Angel system
Devil system
Or common holy artifacts
Conclusion: Seal originates from 'high-level authority' or entity outside standard systems
---
Michael read the data in silence. His usually calm face showed a slight furrow in his brow—a sign of full concentration.
This wasn't a danger that could be ignored.
He knew Telos Karma—a rare Sacred Gear that allowed its owner to "manifest" final outcome wishes by paying a certain price.
But this... this was beyond any previously recorded parameters. Reading dimensions? Seeing souls? That wasn't a Sacred Gear function. That was a function of...
...gods? Or something higher?
"This isn't just using power," Michael muttered to himself. "This is an exchange. And the price paid... is himself."
Michael sighed, a rare occurrence enough to make the surrounding Seraphs exchange glances. His gaze didn't leave the figure of Tobio.
"...There are two," he murmured softly, yet the vibration in his voice was enough to make the light in that heavenly space tremble.
He could see it clearly now. Two balls of light within Tobio's soul. One pulsed wildly, formless, constantly changing—that was Telos Karma.
The other one... was dark. Solid. Like the core of a dead planet. But on its surface, unknown symbols were engraved, a solid prison barrier.
"That's not Dormant," whispered Michael, this time with a sharper, more alert tone. "That's... sealed."
Curiosity mixed with wariness pushed him to try reading the structure of that seal.
Who could lock a Sacred Gear? Angels? Devils? Ancient Gods?
For a moment, his mind looked deeper into the seal...
And he stopped.
For a fraction of a second, the Great Archangel fell silent. An experience he hadn't felt in the last millennium. What he saw wasn't a safety mechanism, or a restraining spell. It was an action. An act of restraint.
Someone, or something, had deliberately imprisoned this beast, ensuring it could never escape and rampage in the world. Not because it was evil, but because if it escaped... the consequences would be too horrifying to imagine.
If this seal is released... Michael thought, his eyes narrowing. Would that child's body still survive? Or would he be torn apart by the power he had been holding back all this time?
Two Longinus was an anomaly. Two Sacred Gears in one body was a violation of the basic design of creation. And one of them was sealed by a power he couldn't even identify...
"This is no longer a Sacred Gear case," Michael murmured to himself, an admission of a mystery surpassing his knowledge. "This is an omen."
Light gathered at his fingertips, forming a direct communication circle. His calm face returned, but the command that came from his mouth was a battle command.
"Dulio. Griselda."
From within the light, two figures appeared. One, a young man with blond hair and a bright smile—Dulio Gesualdo, Joker of the Brave Saints. The other, a long-haired woman with a gaze as sharp as a razor—Griselda Quarta, Gabriel's most trusted right hand.
Michael offered no greeting. He immediately projected Tobio's image before them. But it wasn't Tobio they saw.
They saw two stacked layers of Sacred Gears, visualized in golden light and dark shadow.
"This individual," Michael's voice was firm, without hesitation. "Carries two Sacred Gears."
Dulio's smile immediately stiffened.
"Two Longinus, Telos Karma, in an unstable state and beyond control. The other one..."
Michael paused, giving them time to process.
"...is named Canis Lykaon. In a state sealed by an unknown entity."
Griselda, who had been silent until now, sharpened her gaze. Her eyes moved quickly, analyzing the data provided. "Two Sacred Gears in one body is already impossible," she cut in coldly. "But one being sealed... that means there's a reason why it had to be caged."
"Exactly," Michael nodded slowly. "My orders: Monitor directly. Do not eliminate. The top priority is observation and stabilization of the host."
He sighed once more.
"Avoid triggering the seal's release in any way. If that seal is released..."
Michael looked at them both, and for the first time, a shadow of worry appeared in the Great Archangel's eyes.
"...the consequences cannot be predicted. Not only for him, but perhaps for all of us."
The communication ended. Dulio and Griselda were silent in their respective spaces.
Dulio stared at the data left before him. His cheerful smile had long vanished, replaced by a serious expression rarely seen.
"Wait... two Sacred Gears?" he muttered, his finger touching the data screen to enlarge the Telos Karma section. The output numbers made his eyebrows rise. "This one... the output is insane. This isn't just a Longinus."
Then he saw Canis Lykaon. A locked icon with a red warning symbol beside it.
"...and the other one is sealed?"
Dulio sighed deeply, leaning back in his chair. The high ceiling of his room seemed to press down on him.
"This isn't an ordinary mission," he sighed softly. "This... we're guarding a time bomb that could explode anytime."
Elsewhere, Griselda had already moved. She stood at the edge of a large window in the Brave Saints headquarters, gazing towards the city where Tobio's location was last detected. Her eyes narrowed, her mind working quickly to formulate a strategy.
"This one is unstable," she analyzed internally, recalling the Telos Karma data. "The host is forcing the ability to see souls and dimensions. That will destroy him from within."
Then she thought of Canis Lykaon.
"...and this one is caged. That seal exists because something had to be restrained. Something that wasn't destroyed, only locked."
Griselda concluded coldly, a certainty born from her perfectly honed combat instincts:
"If that seal exists... that means in time, that something will try to get out. And our job is to ensure that doesn't happen."