"A… Longinus?!"
Seeing the crimson gauntlet on Qin Xiao's arm, Akeno Himejima was completely stunned.
It wasn't that she couldn't control her reaction—
the news was simply too unbelievable.
A Longinus.
The highest class of Sacred Gear.
The ultimate weapon capable of killing gods.
And the Boosted Gear was one of the most famous in history.
Every host of the Boosted Gear had been known as the Red Dragon Emperor of their era.
Except for those who died early by accident, nearly all of them eventually stood at the pinnacle of power.
Many even reached Maou-class strength in their teens or twenties, rivaling leaders of the major factions.
Not only that—
Each generation of the Red Dragon Emperor and the White Dragon Emperor were mortal enemies.
Just like the legendary battle between the original Ddraig and Albion, which once caused immense destruction across the world.
Every host of the Boosted Gear and the Divine Dividing inevitably became enemies.
And now—
Qin Xiao already possessed a chain-type Sacred Gear.
Yet he also held the Longinus — Boosted Gear.
How could she not be shocked?
"Partner, why did you summon me? Are we fighting?"
At that moment, Ddraig's voice echoed.
The green jewel on the gauntlet flashed repeatedly like a signal light.
"The Red Dragon Emperor…?"
Akeno carefully called out.
The Boosted Gear and Divine Dividing were special among the Longinus.
Because both contained the dragon souls of the Two Heavenly Dragons.
These Sacred Gears possessed their own consciousness.
They could help their hosts grow stronger and even assist them in battle.
"Hm? That magical power… Are you a devil? Wait… there's also—"
"Enough!"
Before Ddraig could continue, Akeno suddenly shouted.
Her expression turned pale.
Ddraig stopped speaking.
Qin Xiao also dismissed the Boosted Gear.
Akeno's background was complicated.
She was the daughter of the fallen angel leader Baraqiel and the shrine maiden Shuri Himejima.
Her body carried the bloodline of a high-ranking fallen angel.
Years ago, Shuri Himejima, a shrine maiden of one of Japan's great exorcist clans, encountered an injured fallen angel.
That fallen angel was Baraqiel.
She treated his wounds.
Eventually the two fell in love and gave birth to Akeno.
However—
A relationship with a fallen angel violated the doctrines of the Himejima clan.
While Baraqiel was away on a mission for Azazel, the clan discovered the truth.
They demanded that Shuri hand over Akeno for punishment.
Shuri refused.
To protect her daughter, she was killed.
Baraqiel arrived too late.
Though he slaughtered everyone present, he could not save her life.
Because of this tragedy, Akeno developed deep hatred toward her own fallen-angel bloodline.
She even rejected her father's protection.
After leaving him, she wandered alone, making a living exorcising evil spirits.
During that time, she was hunted relentlessly by members of the Himejima clan.
Until she met Rias Gremory.
Rias chose to protect her.
Using the influence of the Gremory family, she forced the Himejima clan to withdraw.
From that moment on, Akeno and Rias became inseparable friends.
To repay Rias—and because she despised her fallen-angel blood—
Akeno chose to reincarnate as Rias's devil servant.
Baraqiel, burdened by guilt, never interfered.
Ironically, most of Rias's servants carried painful pasts.
Akeno had her conflict with her father.
Koneko Toujou had the trauma involving her sister Kuroka.
Yuuto Kiba had his obsession with the Holy Swords.
Even Gaspar Vladi struggled as a useless vampire.
"Akeno-senpai… calm down."
"Sorry… I lost my composure."
She took a deep breath.
Qin Xiao felt a bit helpless.
This development felt extremely familiar.
In harem anime, this was exactly the kind of scene where the heroine opens her heart to the protagonist.
Did stealing Issei's fate also steal his storylines?
"Qin Xiao… you must be curious why I reacted like that."
"Not really."
Akeno smiled softly.
"You're too kind, Qin Xiao."
She then sat down on Qin Xiao's bed.
The apartment was small, after all.
Qin Xiao sighed inwardly.
Here comes the classic emotional confession arc.
"Actually… besides being a devil, I have another identity."
Qin Xiao simply listened.
She clearly wanted to talk about her past.
Suddenly—
Two different wings appeared behind her.
One pair was black devil wings.
The other was black fallen-angel wings.
In front of Qin Xiao, she revealed her true self.
Qin Xiao could almost guarantee—
This development happened because he had taken Issei's fate.
Normally Akeno would never expose this secret so easily.
Indeed—
Protagonists in harem stories were ridiculously unfair.
Beautiful girls constantly opened their hearts and fell for them.
"How does it look?"
"Ugly… right?"
Akeno bit her lip.
"From a man's perspective… not at all."
"It's beautiful."
Akeno smiled warmly.
"You really are kind, Qin Xiao."
"No."
"I'm not one of those 'overly kind protagonists'."
He definitely didn't want that label.
"Akeno-senpai—"
Before he could finish—
She suddenly hugged him.
Their bodies pressed together.
Qin Xiao instantly froze.
Because Akeno's figure was…
far too overwhelming.
The embrace made him fully aware of the soft warmth pressed against him.
Want More? CheckOut 65+ Advanced Chapters on Patreon
https://patreon.com/Killua_001
200PowerStones=+1Extra Chapter