Lavinia might be a ditz, but her understanding of Sacred Gears was profound, likely because she had awakened hers as a child.
"Like my Ice Princess, Incinerate Anthem is an Independent Avatar type. This means they can exist independently even without a host and even possess the power to fight on their own."
Speaking of which, Rhode remembered a male devil named Sairaorg who had a similar Gear, the Regulus Nemea. When he activated his Balance Breaker, it looked like a suit of golden armor—it was incredibly cool.
"The research being done by the Utsusemi and Sataniel was focused on creating imitations of this type of Gear. If you want to fuse with it, you can do it now. The process for an ownerless Independent Avatar type is very simple, and the success rate is high. If someone like Augusta could do it, you certainly can!" Lavinia said, her eyes full of encouragement.
Hearing this from a veteran wielder, Rhode was ready to move. A Gear was only useful if it was fused; otherwise, it was like a gun without ammo.
"Then I'll begin."
"Don't worry, Mr. Rhode. I'll be right here watching over you," Lavinia said seriously.
Rhode found an open space. Fortunately, the presidential suite was huge. Having someone he trusted guarding him eased his mind. Taking a deep breath, Rhode gripped the purple crucifix and began slowly spreading his energy into the item.
It was like connecting fibers. As his power touched the cross, a link was established—much like the bond in the movie Avatar. The process was smoother than expected. The purple cross floated into the air and began to dissolve into the center of Rhode's chest like a stone sinking into the sea.
[You have successfully completed the preliminary fusion of the Longinus: Incinerate Anthem]
[Deep fusion beginning. This process may cause bearable pain, itching, and other discomforts. Proceed with deep fusion?]
A prompt appeared before his eyes.
"Yes."
Rhode expected some system assistance, but a second later, terrifying heat erupted from within his body. It started at his chest and flooded his limbs; his very blood felt like it was boiling.
In Lavinia's eyes, Rhode looked like a crab being boiled in water—his skin was turning bright red. It was a sight she had never seen before, though she had never seen anyone fuse with an Independent Avatar type before either. Normally, these Gears reincarnated into humans at birth.
The heat also woke the sleeping Asia. Feeling the skyrocketing temperature, the little nun woke up in a sweat, only to find Rhode seemingly turned into a man of fire.
"Wh-What's happening?! Mr. Rhode! Mr. Rhode!" Even if she didn't understand the situation, she knew he was in pain. "Miss Lavinia, what's wrong with him? Is there anything I can do?!" She was nearly in tears.
"He'll be fine," Lavinia said calmly. At the same time, she summoned her own Gear: a beautiful humanoid figure made of eternal ice. Once summoned, the room's temperature dropped back to normal, suppressing the purple flames on Rhode's skin so they wouldn't incinerate the furniture.
Asia quickly wiped her tears. A ring set with an emerald on her finger released a soft green light, covering Rhode.
"Oh? A healing Sacred Gear? That's quite rare," Lavinia noted with surprise.
With their help, the agonizing pain of the purple flames was cut in half. While it was still more than a normal person could bear, Rhode had adapted. He even had the energy to complain in his head. Just a fusion, why do I have to suffer like this?
But "nothing ventured, nothing gained." He could feel his body merging deeply with the Longinus. He just had to wait it out. It was a long process that couldn't be interrupted, or he'd have to start all over—pure torture.
After what felt like an eternity...
[You have successfully completed deep fusion with the Longinus: Incinerate Anthem]
Rhode finally let out a long breath. The purple flames vanished from his skin; he would never feel pain from this fire again. Like any other wielder, he could now use the Gear's abilities.
Before he could check them, however, a fragrant breeze hit him. A soft body slammed into his chest, and warm tears soaked his shoulder.
"Mr. Rhode! I was so worried! I'm so glad you're okay!" Asia was sobbing into his chest, her emotions completely out of control.
"I'm fine, see?" Rhode patted her back. It felt good to be cared for. Then, he looked at Lavinia. "You didn't mention it would be that painful."
Lavinia rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Eh? I didn't?" She tapped her chin with her finger, clearly trying to play it off.
Rhode didn't press her, though he felt he'd have to settle the score one day. But why did her gaze feel strange? She kept glancing downward. Wait, are you using aim-bot too?
"Eek! Mr. Rhode! Your... your clothes...!"
Following Asia's scream of shame and embarrassment, Rhode realized he was buck-naked. The little nun, having never seen "that," covered her eyes—though the gaps between her fingers were suspiciously large.
Lavinia said nothing, her "aim-bot" locked on from start to finish.
────────────────────────────────────────
Support me here: https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
High School DxD : Reincarnated into the Multiverse, but it's High School DxD (117 Chapters – Ongoing)
Join the journey and become part of the story!
────────────────────────────────────────