Rhode didn't bother calling out the girls for their "offensive" behavior. He calmly took out a fresh set of clothes from his storage and dressed before examining his new power.
[Equipment (Soul-bound): Incinerate Anthem]
Description: One of the three Holy Relic Longinus, the Holy Cross. It contains the will of a certain Saint and can change masters upon the host's death.
Abilities: Can release purple holy flames in the shape of a cross. Besides high heat, the flames possess holy and purification properties, dealing "Special Attack" damage to devils, reapers, vampires, and yokai. Can also capture souls and bind them to the cross to trigger the Gear's evolution.
Balance Breaker: Unlocked.
Note: The Saint's will has been neutralized while preserving the original effects of the Longinus.
"Excellent," Rhode muttered.
Most Longinus contained the souls of powerful beings, which provided their strength. While a silent soul was fine, one that could watch your every move through your own body was a drawback. His "cheat" had come through once again. As for whose soul it was, he didn't care.
"Congratulations. It looks like the fusion was a success," Lavinia said. "But fusion is just the beginning. If you want more power, you need the strength of will. The stronger your will, the more the Gear responds. If your will is strong enough, you can unlock the true power of a Longinus—the 'Balance Breaker.'""So, Mr. Rhode, work hard toward your Balance Breaker!"
Lavinia made a cheering gesture.
"Oh, and one more thing," she added. "Independent Avatar-type Gears allow the wielder's will to manifest them outside the body to act freely. The advantage is that you can defeat enemies from a distance, but the disadvantage is quite obvious: most wielders themselves are physically weak. Once a powerful enemy closes the distance, it's very easy to be defeated."
"But you're incredible at close quarters, Mr. Rhode. If you can liberate the power of your Longinus, you'll become even stronger than you are now!"
Rhode knew that, of course. However, triggering a Balance Breaker was no easy feat.
Guided by a powerful will? Rhode thought. I wonder if 'lewd desire' counts as a powerful will? In the logic of the High School DxD world, it probably did. He just couldn't predict how strange a Balance Breaker triggered by that kind of will would look. Rhode didn't think he was any weaker than the natives of this world, but achieving a formal Balance Breaker wouldn't be simple. He'd have to take it one step at a time.
Suddenly, a progress bar appeared before his eyes.
[Longinus Balance Breaker Mode: Unlocking...]
[Using the Longinus as much as possible in battle will accelerate the unlocking process.]
"That's my boy," Rhode muttered.
The most difficult step for any Sacred Gear user had been cleared by Rhode just like that. Having a "cheat" really was the best. While he could have eventually liberated the Balance Breaker through his own hard work, who could refuse an automated progress bar?
"Mr. Rhode seems to be in a very good mood?" Lavinia looked at the smirk tugging at his lips, her expression a mix of confusion and curiosity.
"I just thought of something happy."
He obviously couldn't talk about his system cheat, so he dropped the subject and pivoted. "How are you two feeling? Can you travel?"
"My head still hurts, and I'm a bit dizzy," Lavinia admitted.
"Me... me too," Asia added.
Hearing Rhode's question, the two blonde beauties—one tall, one small—rubbed their heads with pained, miserable expressions.
"Well, it's getting late anyway. Let's wait until tomorrow to leave Kyoto."
He could use the extra time to research the route to Kuoh Town. Japan wasn't that big, and transportation was convenient, but perhaps because Kuoh Town was the territory of the Devil faction, there were no direct flights from Kyoto. There were trains, but Rhode had no interest in squeezing into a carriage with a crowd of people.
He opened the system map. The teleportation anchor for Kuoh Town was glowing faintly. Unfortunately, anchors didn't allow for passengers; otherwise, he could have warped there instantly and saved himself the trouble.
Later that night, because they were still woozy, the two girls went back to sleep. This time, they moved into the bedroom. Rhode stayed in the living room alone.
After spending five minutes finalizing their travel plans, Rhode suddenly remembered the "Treasure of Uji" he had picked up from the Okunoin altar. Aside from ancient books and paintings documenting history, there were several pieces of jewelry. But the most important items were clearly the physical remains of the three Great Yokai.
Rhode had originally taken them on the principle of "it's a waste to leave it," but now it seemed that decision was spot-on. One of the abilities of Incinerate Anthem was to capture powerful souls to strengthen its own flames. The remains of these three Great Yokai just happened to house the corresponding souls—wasn't this the perfect fuel for his Longinus?
His mind began to race with possibilities, but he didn't act immediately. He had already caused enough of a stir today.
He could guess Suzaku's reason for visiting. One of her goals was to judge if he was the mysterious man in glasses who stole the treasure. Fortunately, once an item was placed in his storage space, all its aura was completely cut off. Let alone Suzaku, even the God of the Bible wouldn't be able to detect anything in Rhode's inventory.
If he chose to sacrifice the souls of the three Great Yokai while still in Kyoto, the slightest leak of their aura would alert the Five Great Clans. That would mean endless trouble. It could wait until they were safely away.
In the middle of the night, Rhode felt a warm, soft object lean against him. Since there was no hostile intent, he didn't wake up.
The night passed peacefully. When "Master Rhode" woke up, he felt refreshed, but he was immediately taken aback by the soft mass in his palm.
Wait... does it feel bigger than last time? Rhode wondered. Did Asia have a growth spurt in a single night?
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High School DxD : Reincarnated into the Multiverse, but it's High School DxD (117 Chapters – Ongoing)
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