Since Albion called it good news, it must not be a bad thing for him. Azlan anticipated it, his breath still labored on the cold convenience store roof, but his eyes were full of hope despite his weak body.
[Azlan Farid. Your compatibility with me is the highest of all time. Deep within your soul you crave supremacy!]
[I am a Heavenly Dragon who takes supremacy as my truth. Now, your desire resonates with me. That's why your Balance Breaker awakened without needing a strong emotional trigger because your subconscious is so strong, strong enough to challenge the world's current!]
Albion wasn't stingy with praise, his voice echoing proudly in Azlan's mind, like a mentor seeing hidden potential.
Although his host was just an ordinary person and still very weak, that didn't matter to him. He could guide Azlan to become a strong fighter step by step.
Considering their high compatibility, Azlan's talent and potential in utilizing Divine Dividing, his starting line was more advanced than previous Divine Dividing hosts.
"Thank you for such high praise toward me, Albion. But you haven't said the real good news."
There was no joy felt in his heart, Azlan was self-aware that he was still a helpless weak person before having real stable power.
[Your reaction is boring. Never mind, I'll consider your personality introverted. Back to the main topic. Congratulations, your Balance Breaker is Side X.]
"...??"
Azlan tilted his head, showing clear confusion on his face.
Seeing that, Albion explained further. He explained that achieving Balance Breaker alone was already an extremely rare achievement, with less than one percent of Sacred Gear users in the world capable of doing so.
Balance Breaker is generally divided into three categories: Side Crest, Side Abyss, and Side X.
Side Crest: Enhances the Sacred Gear's original power, developing it into a superior form.
Side Abyss: Reaches an extreme condition where the user and Sacred Gear merge completely, forming a deep and dangerous transformation.
Side X: A mutation that doesn't conform to the previous two categories, producing new forms and abilities that cannot be predicted.
Most Balance Breakers fall into the first category, only strengthening or developing their original abilities, safe but limited.
Awakening Balance Breaker alone was already very rare. Going further and modifying it, reshaping Balance Breaker into a unique form was almost unimaginable, like rewriting the rules of nature itself.
So far, only three of Albion's hosts had Side X Balance Breaker, developing transformations that were stronger and more personal, reflecting their own souls.
Although Azlan's Balance Breaker transformation lasted briefly, Albion who resided in his soul knew it wasn't the common Side Crest Balance Breaker, but rather the rarest Side X!
[Your mutation Balance Breaker has two abilities.]
[The first mutation ability, although it also cannot restore stamina and is only able to increase power, as well as being limited by physical constraints to prevent unlimited absorption, will not release that excess power. Instead, this excess power will be stored within the Sacred Gear to strengthen itself.]
[That means you can store as much of your opponent's power as you want each time you divide their power, and you can utilize it as you please according to your needs.]
Not only was Albion happy, Azlan felt the same, his eyes sparkling as he imagined the potential.
"In the end, dividing the opponent's power to increase my strength is only temporary. However, with this mutation ability, I can increase my power earlier if the enemy is too strong to the point I can't touch them."
Azlan began thinking about the future, long-term strategies he could build.
Divine Dividing users must make physical contact with the target at least once to activate the Divide effect on that target. This physical contact could be a touch, punch, or even just touching the opponent's clothes/armor—enough to start the division process.
After the first physical contact is successfully made and Divide is initiated on the target, Azlan doesn't need to continuously touch the opponent, the effect will continue automatically.
But what if the opponent has intuition that makes them predict that a single touch from Azlan is very dangerous, so they choose to protect their body with energy or something similar? Then Divine Dividing would be useless, and Azlan would be trapped in pure physical combat.
As someone who is always cautious, he always considered the worst-case scenario.
"..."
Meanwhile, Albion, unaware of the complexity of his host's thoughts, continued enthusiastically:
[The second ability, Not only dividing enemy power, but also distributing that power to allies, increasing their power temporarily.]
[This is Boosted Gear's power!]
[Hahaha... I'm curious what kind of expression Ddraig will show if he finds out about this? I'm sure it will be very satisfying!]
Albion couldn't help but laugh uproariously, which didn't fit his calm personality that wasn't easily swayed by emotions.
"Ddraig, the other Heavenly Dragon? The Red Dragon Emperor? Don't tell me..."
Speculation began forming in Azlan's mind based on the clues in Albion's words, his memory returning to the list of Longinus mentioned earlier.
And sure enough, Albion confirmed it the next moment.
[My truth is supremacy! Representing the desire to stand alone at the peak. Divine Dividing's power, dividing and stealing my opponent's power, effectively eliminates their strength and establishes its own absolute superiority.]
[Meanwhile, Ddraig's truth is domination! Representing the drive to continue competing and become stronger. His Boosted Gear's power comes from increasing his own power and transferring it to others, which reflects his goal to defeat his opponents. In short, his ability allows users to double their power every ten seconds, and transfer accumulated power to allies.]
"Dividing and doubling, huh... You two represent opposing powers. No wonder you're arch-enemies."
After learning about the other Heavenly Dragon's power, Azlan felt Albion and Ddraig were like water and fire.
[We are dragons whose power equals the gods. We are eternal rivals, fighting endlessly throughout time. Wherever and whenever we meet, we will fight in fierce battle, a conflict that seems endless.]
[Even after Ddraig and I were defeated by the combined efforts of the Three Great Factions, our bodies torn apart, and our souls sealed within Sacred Gears, becoming two of the thirteen Longinus, our battle never stopped.]
[Our battle continues, represented by our respective hosts throughout history. This time, it's your turn, Azlan. I'm confident you will defeat this generation's Boosted Gear host!]
"..."
Azlan remained silent. He didn't immediately respond to Albion's great expectations. This supernatural world was still very new to him. The eternal battle between the two Heavenly Dragons was a very heavy burden to bear just like that.
He needed time to acclimate, to fully understand his power, and to decide his own path.
The sky was already night, stars beginning to scatter above the silent Tokyo, illuminating the convenience store roof with faint light.
Azlan ended his intense conversation session with Albion. After absorbing so much supernatural information and unexpectedly activating Balance Breaker, his head felt dizzy, and his body was very tired.
"Enough for tonight, Albion. I need rest."
The light wings on his back slowly disappeared, fading into blue particles that vanished into the night air, leaving a faint warm sensation on his skin.
[Alright, Azlan. Rest. Tomorrow I'll start training you. Your physique is very weak, we need to strengthen your constitution]
Albion's voice echoed softly in his mind before subsiding into silence.
Carrying the cooking equipment that had cooled down, Azlan entered and descended from the roof, moving slowly down the stairs. Each step felt heavy, the impact of extreme energy exertion.
He returned to his dark bedroom, dropped the cooking equipment in the corner, and without wasting time, threw himself onto the soft mattress. He just wanted to lie down and sleep, recovering his physical and mental energy drained by a day full of miracles and dangers.
In the darkness, Azlan closed his eyes. Although the world outside was a zombie apocalypse, and within him now resided a Heavenly Dragon thirsty for supremacy, he fell soundly asleep with a small smile.
There was new power he now possessed, and with it, a new goal: to become strong so as not to be among the oppressed!