With Raynare established as the professional "housewife," Rhode had officially found his footing in Kuoh Town. After breakfast, the Fallen Angel trio finished the chores and headed downtown to buy groceries for the coming days.
Asia and Lavinia sat on the sofa watching TV, while Rhode took the chance to check the Balance Breaker progress on his Longinus. In less than two days, the progress had only reached about 5%.
"This speed... it's a bit slow," Rhode muttered, his brow furrowing slightly.
While having the progress increase automatically was a good thing, he still preferred a more direct, brute-force way to increase his combat power. Still, he had stolen this Longinus from an old hag; he was lucky the system could even buff it.
"Little Rhode, what are you thinking about?" a voice asked from beside him. "Want a drink?"
Lavinia held out a bottle of "Happy Water" (Coke) to Rhode while she opened a carton of milk for herself. A drop of white liquid escaped the corner of her mouth, sliding down her fair neck and into the "hidden valley" below. While she had changed her clothes, she was still wearing an open-chested shirt and short shorts—items she had bought at the mall yesterday, which she called her "home wear."
Lavinia: ( · V · )
Rhode didn't mind her dressing like this at all; after all, he was the one benefiting from the view. The modern clothing accentuated her figure perfectly—she was easily a match for Rias or Akeno. Furthermore, since Lavinia was slightly older, she had a more mature, womanly aura in certain areas. From Rhode's current angle, he had a very clear view of a rather suggestive area. Most importantly, as a European, Lavinia had no habit of wearing a bra while at home.
"Little Rhode is so H," Lavinia giggled softly, noticing his gaze. "That's how you're supposed to say it in this situation, right?"
Rhode remained silent for a full minute before finally speaking. "You're right. But you really shouldn't let other men see you like this, or they'll turn into 'beasts' and hurt you."
"And what about you, Little Rhode? You've been staring this whole time—won't you turn into a beast too?" Lavinia's voice was gentle.
Rhode replied, "I'm fine. After all, I have a will of iron."
Lavinia's lips twitched slightly. She wasn't completely naive; she was only a bit dazed when her blood sugar was low in the mornings, but she was usually quite sharp. As for Rhode's "will of iron"... she had to admit, he had a point. She had never seen anyone else look so "unblinking" while staring at someone for a full minute without shifting their gaze.
However, Lavinia didn't care much. She already viewed Rhode as "one of her own." She didn't press the topic and instead smiled. "How do you feel after merging with the Longinus? Are you getting used to it?"
"It's alright for now."
"That's good. The power of a Longinus is naturally immense, but..." Lavinia snapped her fingers, and ice crystals like blooming flowers emerged from her fingertips, a chill permeating the air. Even this tiny display caused the room's temperature to drop by several degrees. The frost hit the Coke in Rhode's hand, freezing it solid in an instant.
"See? This is my Longinus—[Absolute Demise]. Its power is strong, but if you can control it with more precision, you can draw out even greater strength."
Rhode winced. You're right, but how am I supposed to drink my Coke now that it's a block of ice?
"Your Longinus is like mine—an Independent Avatar type. If I were to give you advice, it would be to work on becoming one with its power. When controlling an Independent Avatar, it's natural to give commands or fight alongside it; that's how Augusta used it. But she failed to understand the true essence of a Longinus."
"To truly master it, your body alone cannot be in sync. You must merge with it from the depths of your soul. Generally, you want to aim for the deep core of the Sacred Gear and go as deep as possible. The deeper you go, the closer you get to the 'Truth.' Well... don't let my confident words fool you. To be honest, I still can't control my doll perfectly. The more I try to master it, the more I try to merge or seek the truth, the more I feel like the doll is going to swallow me whole."
"Usually, I'm the one controlling the Ice Princess. But sometimes, I wonder if I'm actually the doll being controlled by her. I'm afraid of that feeling, which is why I learned so much magic. But facing this power that has lived inside me since birth, I still feel a trace of fear."
Lavinia's voice trembled slightly. She was likely remembering her childhood; as a girl of only a few years old, she had to face an Independent Avatar Longinus all by herself. It was essentially her "childhood trauma."
"Rhode, I want you to be careful. That's just the nature of Independent Avatars. The more you seek true power, the closer you get to the truth—but the higher the risk of being swallowed. The avatar is a part of you, but it's also 'another you.' If given the chance, that other self could replace the original you at any time."
"Uh..." Rhode really wanted to tell her not to worry. The system had already optimized [Incinerate Anthem], neutralizing the "Will of the Saint" inside. He just hadn't realized Independent Avatars had such side effects. The anime hadn't mentioned that at all. They really hide the fine print!
"Don't worry, I won't be swallowed. Because I..."
"Because you have a will of iron, right? Yes, I've experienced it firsthand," Lavinia laughed, her eyes crinkling.
After speaking, she seemed to remember something and ran upstairs, returning with several sets of clothes. "I bought a lot of clothes yesterday. Rhode, do you think this outfit suits me?"
Facing such a "life-or-death" question, Rhode was well-practiced. "If it's for me to see, you look good in anything."
Of course, what he really wanted to say was that she looked best in nothing at all. But clearly, now wasn't the time. Hearing Rhode's feedback, Lavinia's face flushed as she beamed with joy.
Asia, who had been sitting on the sofa, suddenly found that the TV wasn't interesting anymore. She watched the two "flirting" with tearful eyes.
She was clearly the first one here...
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