"Boom!"
A violent burst shook the quiet manor, the shockwave rumbling through the ground.
"What…?!"
In that instant, Yukino and Asuna stopped their training in the basement, Utaha and Eriri froze mid-conversation in their room, and even Musashi—who hadn't gotten out of bed yet—sprang up, all of them turning toward the same direction.
"W-What's happening?!"
Eriri panicked, clueless about what had occurred.
The others, however, sensed it clearly.
A surge of demonic power.
A Sacred Gear's fluctuation.
And the air—heating rapidly, the temperature inside the manor rising by the second.
All of it came from one place.
"The garden!"
Yukino called out and flew toward it.
Asuna blinked in surprise, then followed.
Utaha also wanted to rush over, but after seeing Eriri flailing helplessly, she sighed and dragged her along.
The group of girls arrived at the garden—and froze.
It was engulfed in purple flames.
Those purple flames burned freely in the air, swallowing the entire garden in a sea of violet fire.
"W-What is this?!"
Yukino, Asuna, and Utaha all went pale.
The moment the purple flames entered their sight, their bodies trembled instinctively—as though facing a natural enemy.
It felt similar to confronting the Holy Sword Asuna could create—an overwhelming sense of hostility.
"…I didn't expect to see this here."
Musashi's quiet voice pulled the girls back to themselves.
The swordswoman stepped out of the main building, eyes fixed on the flames, her expression tense.
"Sensei!" Asuna quickly asked, "You know what this purple fire is?"
"Of course. It's infamous." Musashi exhaled, unsure whether to laugh or sigh. "You may not have seen it before, but for devils, it's even more terrifying than a Holy Sword. With its power and reputation, there's hardly a devil who doesn't fear it."
"You must have at least heard its name."
"—'Incinerate Anthem.'"
At that name, everyone except the still-confused Eriri stiffened.
Incinerate Anthem—one of the thirteen Longinus, ranked eighth.
Its fame came not only from being a Longinus.
It was also a Holy Relics.
Holy Spear, Holy Grail, Holy Nails, Holy Shroud, Holy Cross…
Artifacts tied to God Himself, revered by heaven and the Church alike.
Each one was a high-grade holy object—more sacred than even the highest-tier Holy Swords.
Among the thirteen Longinus, three evolved from these Holy Relics:
True Longinus, Sephiroth Graal, and Incinerate Anthem.
Incinerate Anthem originated from the Holy Cross. Its wielder could release a cross-shaped purple holy flame—intensely hot, laced with powerful divine and purifying power. For devils, grim reapers, vampires, youkai… even a touch could be fatal.
"So this purple fire is the holy flame from Incinerate Anthem?"
Yukino narrowed her eyes. Frost gathered around her, revealing her agitation.
A Longinus ranked above her Absolute Demise…
"Why would the Holy Cross's wielder appear here?!"
Utaha held Eriri's hand tightly, stunned.
"No clue." Musashi's tension finally faded, replaced with her usual casual grin. "Guess we'll have to ask the owner."
The moment she said that, the flames shifted.
They surged inward, as if being drawn to something.
From within the parting purple fire, two figures emerged—Leo and Shiina Mahiru, walking hand in hand.
The entire garden's fire flowed toward Shiina Mahiru and merged into her body.
At that, everyone understood.
"Shiina-san is the Holy Cross's wielder?!"
Asuna cried out.
"How's that possible?!"
"I thought she didn't have a Sacred Gear?!"
Yukino and Eriri were stunned.
"S-Shiina-san…?"
Eriri finally snapped out of her confusion, staring blankly at the girl surrounded by divine purple flames.
What was going on?
Was this kouhai not just an ordinary person like her?
How did she suddenly turn divine the moment she stepped outside?!
"Looks like the Holy Cross chose her."
Musashi watched Mahiru with interest.
Incinerate Anthem, despite being the fourth-ranked Longinus, was unique.
Most Sacred Gears and Longinus were governed by heaven's automatic artifact system—even angels couldn't control their assignment.
But Incinerate Anthem was different.
It moved by its own will, choosing hosts autonomously.
When a host died, it personally selected the next—never through the system.
Clearly, the Holy Cross had chosen Shiina Mahiru, turning a particular kind of human into the newest Longinus wielder.
"Your servant's luck is… something else, Leo-sama."
Musashi shook her head, half impressed, half speechless.
She could already tell—Shiina Mahiru had been reincarnated as a devil, becoming Leo's servant just before awakening as a Longinus wielder.
"I was pretty shocked too."
Leo held Mahiru's still-dazed hand and smiled helplessly.
He hadn't expected that the legendary Holy Cross would choose her.
He had recruited her to test whether his trait could affect reincarnated devils—drawing in dormant Sacred Gears.
But Incinerate Anthem acted on its own will. There was no telling whether it came because of her nature… or because of him.
Either way, Leo's experiment had succeeded—even if in an unexpected way.
Not only that—it proved another suspicion of his:
A protagonist was a protagonist.
Only a chosen child could go from "ordinary but unusual human" to "Longinus wielder" in a single step. It was practically destiny.
And Leo, who had taken her as his servant, earned enormous returns because of it.
A Longinus ranked above Absolute Demise.
A Holy Relic.
This time, his feedback was undeniably greater than what he received from Yukino.
His demonic power advanced into the Ultimate-Class Devil tier—not barely, but pushing well past the threshold.
His devil rank rose to Eight-Wing.
And the Sacred Gear…
Thinking of the unreal, almost dreamlike experience just moments ago, Leo nearly drifted again.
Whether he was the current wielder of Zenith Tempest or one of its countless predecessors… that had been a question haunting him for a long time.
And now, without warning, it had been resolved.
"Guess that's how the world works sometimes."
Leo couldn't help smiling.
Musashi watched him, then glanced at his servants—two Longinus wielders, two rare Sacred Gear users, and Leo himself, who possessed a Longinus as well.
What kind of monster team was this?
She couldn't even imagine what this group would become once they grew stronger.
Or how the underworld—its three major powers and the entire devil faction—would react.
And they weren't even done recruiting yet.
It was… honestly exciting.
"Say hi to everyone, Mahiru," Leo said, gently pushing Shiina forward.
"…H-Hello, senpai."
Shiina Mahiru finally snapped out of her daze. Feeling the familiar power circulating through her and sensing the changes within, she bowed nervously.
"I'm Shiina Mahiru, first-year… and Leo Eligos' Bishop piece."
She bowed deeply.
"Please take care of me from now on."
====
100 p.s for extra chapter!
====
You can read up to chapter 136 on patreon.com/NiaXD.