—You feel it, don't you? Their hopes, their dreams... this burning heat. With who you are now, I know you understand, Issei."
Yeah. I feel it, Ignis.
This heat—this searing radiance.
I can feel everyone's hearts pouring into me.
It isn't just a surge of power; it feels like I'm being submerged in it. There's no instability, no danger. It's profoundly warm—comforting, even.
It was the same back in Heaven, and when I tried to save Diarmuid. This rainbow brilliance wraps around us with a gentle touch, tethering our souls together.
In his monstrous form, Rizevim clutched his head, writhing in agony.
"What the hell is this…!? My head… it's splitting…! What's crawling inside me!? Is this light your doing, Red Dragon Emperor?! Are you the one behind this absolute nonsense?!"
Rizevim was visibly repulsed by the rainbow light. His face contorted as if he were about to vomit; he gasped for air, bile and saliva trailing from his lips.
As he suffered, I spoke to him in a voice of leveled calm.
"I see. You can't feel it, can you? This warmth. You don't understand what this heat means."
My words sent him into a spiraling rage.
"Like I'd want to know! To hell with your feelings! You make me sick, boy!"
Rizevim conjured a massive sphere of magical energy between his hands. It was denser and more terrifying than anything he had unleashed before. It held enough raw power to reshape the very geography of the area, let alone level the surrounding buildings. Was he planning to vaporize Vali and the Great King along with me?
"VANISH!"
Rizevim hurled the mass of magic without a second thought. To me, it felt as though a meteor was falling from the heavens. The orb, wreathed in a pitch-black aura, fell upon us without mercy.
The world vanished in a roar of wind and pressure. Black smoke swallowed the battlefield.
As the haze thinned and my vision cleared, I stood before him. My form was tattered; my armor was webbed with cracks, crumbling away in heavy chunks with every gust of wind.
Seeing my state, Rizevim let out a jagged laugh.
"Hyah-hah-hah! You took it head-on! How pathetic! Did you really throw your life away to shield my useless grandson and that 'King' brat? It doesn't matter how much you've powered up—once you're broken, you're done! Now, I'm going to take my time killing you!"
Rizevim's laughter rang out, shrill and triumphant.
It was true that I had stood my ground to protect the immobilized Vali and the Great King. But there was one thing the bastard hadn't realized.
Ddraig spoke, his voice booming loud enough for Rizevim to hear.
[Son of Lucifer. What is it you think you've seen? Look closer at my partner.]
"What?"
Rizevim shifted his gaze back to me.
Yes, my armor was falling apart. The cracks spreading across my body were deepening; the scales were turning to dust, scattering like sand in the wind.
But this wasn't happening because of his attack.
The armor couldn't contain the power surging from within me. It was shattering from the inside out.
It was like molting. I was shedding the shell I had worn until now to step into a new domain.
Through the gaps in the collapsing armor, a rainbow-colored aura erupted. Eventually, every plate of the old mail vanished, replaced by a torrent of prismatic light. The brilliance grew sharper, more intense, yet strangely serene as it expanded.
"What… what is that form…?! Those eyes…!?"
Rizevim pointed a trembling finger at me as I stood there in my own skin once more.
I caught a glimpse of my reflection in a shard of glass at my feet. There I was—enveloped in a rainbow shroud, my eyes glowing a brilliant, piercing gold. My irises shimmered with a divine luster, radiating an atmosphere entirely different from anything I had ever felt.
Seeing myself, it finally clicked.
The "change" Ignis spoke of, the "awakening" Assem sought from me—this was it.
Not human, not devil, not dragon.
And certainly not a god.
Ignis addressed Rizevim.
"—The Reformer. One who has surpassed their limits to touch a new possibility, and made it bloom. Issei has reached a realm beyond your comprehension. He has evolved, Rizevim Livan Lucifer."
"A Reformer…?! What the hell is that?! You're telling me he evolved into something nonsensical at the eleventh hour?!"
Evolution… Yeah, that sounds right. I can feel it myself.
I have awakened. I have evolved.
Ignis whispered in a voice meant only for me.
"Listen. Even though you've awakened, you aren't used to this power yet. Your body might hold, but your mind might not be able to keep pace."
So, I only have a little time. A few seconds? A minute? I've just woken up, so I can't master it all at once.
Well, I figured as much. Even with all these factors and powers mixed together, this is still my body. I know its limits.
Let's settle this quickly.
I didn't even take a stance. I simply faced Rizevim. The moment he braced himself—I was already standing directly in front of his eyes.
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