Even Rhode felt himself being "frozen" for a split second. Of course, it wasn't him that was frozen, but the space around him. The flames from [Incinerate Anthem] kept the chill at bay; the ice melted and reformed in a constant cycle.
Ice and Fire—two Longinus with diametrically opposed attributes. Who would gain the upper hand depended entirely on their mastery and understanding of their respective Sacred Gears. Lavinia had been awakened for nearly twenty years; her understanding of her Longinus was far beyond Rhode's current reach.
However, Rhode didn't expect to win a sparring match against Lavinia using a Longinus he'd had for less than three days. His goal was to increase the Balance Breaker progress bar through combat. While his mastery was inferior, the souls of the three Great Yokai he had absorbed prevented him from being defenseless.
The purple flames of the Holy Crucifix began to sway and flicker as if they were alive. In the next moment, a massive pillar of fire shot into the sky, quickly condensing into a terrifying, humanoid monster. Its face looked like a demonic ogre—it was the face of Shuten-doji.
By binding the soul of Shuten-doji to the crucifix, the Longinus was able to use its power, manifesting the Yokai's appearance in a giant, fiery form.
"Hmm... that's not a Balance Breaker. Rhode is manifesting that through the flames? He's much better at this than that old hag," Lavinia murmured to herself.
Augusta's way of using the Longinus was just releasing flames or summoning fire giant sub-species through Balance Breaker. But Rhode could summon monsters with bound souls—that alone showed his talent far exceeded hers.
"But just that won't be enough to beat me!"
Lavinia manipulated the Ice Princess to release an even more intense chill. Shuten-doji was hit by a relentless barrage of frost, its flames beginning to dim. But immediately, another hideous humanoid monster and a nine-tailed fox burning with purple flames erupted from the crucifix. Once they left the cross, the two new behemoths suppressed the wild chill.
The atmospheric temperature began to rise, and the ice on the ground melted rapidly. The Ice Princess and the three monsters manifested by the Holy Crucifix reached a stalemate.
Rhode looked at his progress bar, which was moving significantly faster now, and a faint smile appeared on his face. At this rate, he'd be able to use Balance Breaker in about a week.
The sparring match lasted for about fifteen minutes. Lavinia used a variety of moves, while Rhode focused on strengthening his mastery of the Longinus in a live-fire situation. No one was hurt, though both were somewhat exhausted.
All in all, Rhode had the advantage in terms of gains. While Lavinia hadn't used her Balance Breaker, for a beginner to hold their own against her for this long showed just how much potential he had."Rhode, well done. Your control over the Longinus is already quite impressive..."
Lavinia wasn't sure what to compare it to.
"At the very least, you're much stronger than Augusta." She added, "If she had even half of your talent, I wouldn't have had to fight her for so long in the past."
"It's alright," Rhode replied. Even though he knew she was right, he maintained a modest front.
The two of them walked back to the area where Asia was waiting.
"Sorry, Asia. It must have been very cold here," Lavinia said, looking guiltily at the girl who was currently exhaling puffs of white mist.
At the start of the battle, Kuroka had originally intended to transform into her human form and lounge beautifully on the grass to watch the show. However, as soon as Lavinia used her Longinus to plummet the temperature, Kuroka had wisely turned back into a black cat and dove into Asia's arms, using the girl's body heat to stay warm.
It was a testament to Asia's kind heart; even though she was freezing herself, she still held Kuroka tight. If it had been Rhode, he definitely would have draped Kuroka around his neck like a scarf.
"Descend, Blessing of Protection."
Lavinia waved her wand, and a wave of warmth dissipated the surrounding chill.
"Thank you," Asia said, squinting her eyes in gratitude. She then reached out toward Rhode and Lavinia. A soft green glow spiraled out, and the soreness and discomfort in their bodies quickly vanished.
"I... I can help too," Asia said with a silly, innocent smile, looking like she was fishing for a compliment.
"You did a great job, Asia," Lavinia said gently, reaching out to pat Asia's head. However, Lavinia's stomach soon let out a loud growl, causing her motherly aura to vanish instantly.
"I'm hungry." She looked at Rhode.
"Let's go back."
The barrier dissolved, and the trio (plus cat) headed home. Not long after they arrived, the Fallen Angel trio returned carrying large bags of groceries.
"Master," Raynare greeted him briefly before heading straight into the kitchen with the bags. Kalawarner took on the role of sous-chef, while Mittelt performed a quick change into her maid outfit.
"Master, Master! We bought so many ingredients today, so dinner is going to be a feast! You should look forward to it!"
Rhode gave a slight nod. Lavinia, on the other hand, instinctively swallowed her saliva; Raynare's cooking seemed to suit her palate perfectly.
"I'll go help too," Asia said, feeling a bit awkward just sitting around. She proactively headed toward the kitchen. "Miss Raynare, is there anything I can do?"
"Go peel the garlic," Raynare directed without looking back.
"Okay!"
Since she hadn't experienced the trauma of being hung on a cross to have her Sacred Gear extracted in this timeline, Asia felt no distance or fear toward Raynare.
The living room suddenly felt empty. Lavinia curled up on the sofa, hugging the black cat. Her expression looked exhausted, and her eyelids were beginning to droop.
"By the way, I wanted to ask you about the Balance Breaker." Rhode was considering his next move. The progress bar was growing at a satisfying rate, but he wanted to know more. What would Incinerate Anthem look like once it reached that stage? "What is a Longinus usually like once it achieves Balance Breaker?"
Lavinia, struggling against the sleep demon, tried to focus. "As for the realm of the Balance Breaker... I don't know the specifics perfectly. For example, once my Sacred Gear enters that state, it can release power far greater than usual. But to be honest, I haven't actually used my Balance Breaker yet; my normal power is usually enough for whatever I'm doing."
"So, Rhode, are you thinking about what yours will look like?"
"You don't need to overthink it. Once a Sacred Gear merges with you, it becomes a part of your body. Therefore, if you have a specific vision of what you want it to be, there's a high probability the Balance Breaker will manifest that way."
"But you must be careful. Balance Breaker means you can use the true power of the Sacred Gear, but you must never let that power blind you..."
"So sleepy... Rhode, I'm going to sleep... wake me up when it's time to eat..."
Lavinia finally succumbed to her drowsiness and fell asleep, leaning her head against Rhode's shoulder.
────────────────────────────────────────
Support me here: https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Spring Sale Special – 20% OFF!
High School DxD : Reincarnated into the Multiverse, but it's High School DxD (144 Chapters – Ongoing)
Join the journey and become part of the story!
────────────────────────────────────────