Every member of the Occult Research Club was working hard to grow stronger, so naturally, Genichi couldn't afford to sit idle either.
Rias practiced using the Shadow Monarch every day. She had already accumulated more than thirty shadows. Although she still hadn't reached the number she wanted, it was more than enough to deal with Riser.
"Genichi-kun, look."
Akeno stood in the center of the clubroom with her arms folded, wearing her trademark smile.
More than a dozen shadows moved independently beneath her feet. Some practiced offensive maneuvers, others assumed defensive stances, and a few even worked together to rehearse coordinated tactics.
Akeno didn't need to give them specific orders. A single thought was enough for them to assess the situation and react on their own.
"Not bad."
Genichi watched the shadows and nodded. "They can already act autonomously."
Akeno's smile grew even brighter.
"It's all thanks to your wonderful teaching, Genichi-kun."
Genichi shook his head.
"You simply grasped it quickly."
He wasn't lying.
Akeno's command over the Shadow Monarch was genuinely astonishing.
She seemed naturally suited to magic that required dividing one's attention among multiple tasks. Instead of treating her shadows as simple duplicates, she controlled each one like an independent entity.
In comparison, Rias focused more on the number and power of her shadows, while Akeno prioritized flexibility and autonomy.
Yuuto stood beside the window, practicing Apparition with a wooden sword in hand.
His figure flickered around the clubroom, appearing left and right, then forward and back, moving so quickly that he was almost impossible to follow.
Each time he reappeared, his wooden sword thrust forward, the tip accurately striking a predetermined point in the air.
Yuuto's improving quickly too.
Genichi watched him and silently evaluated his progress.
After acquiring Apparition, the swordsmanship prodigy's combat strength had increased by at least threefold.
Spatial magic combined with his swordsmanship was practically a match made in heaven.
Koneko, meanwhile, crouched in a corner with a mass of dark-red demonic power gathered in her palm.
It was the power granted to her by Dragon Eater, giving her extraordinary destructive power against dragon-type creatures.
She rarely spoke, but when it came to training, she was more diligent than anyone.
Asia sat on the sofa, practicing different applications of her Sacred Gear.
Everyone was working hard.
Genichi withdrew his gaze and looked down at the Boosted Gear on his right hand.
Its green jewel shimmered faintly beneath the lights, almost as though responding to his attention.
Balance Breaker.
His current objective was to develop this Longinus until it reached Balance Breaker.
Come to think of it, Genichi had been researching how to achieve Balance Breaker with the Boosted Gear ever since he traveled to the world of DanMachi.
Aside from hunting monsters, he had spent nearly all his spare time there studying the Boosted Gear.
He had tried all sorts of methods—concentrating his mind, stimulating intense emotions, and even forcibly activating it with demonic power.
Yet he had never managed to reach Balance Breaker.
According to the information he had gathered from various sources, a Sacred Gear could enter Balance Breaker when its wielder overturned the world's natural "flow" through an overwhelmingly powerful emotion or desire.
The resulting form and its activation conditions depended on the strength of the wielder's will and the degree of spiritual resonance with the Sacred Gear. Not every Sacred Gear wielder was capable of reaching that state.
Genichi had absolute confidence in his mental fortitude.
His will was unquestionably strong enough to achieve Balance Breaker.
So why couldn't he do it?
After a moment of silence, a possibility flashed through his mind.
Could it be because the Boosted Gear no longer contained the Red Dragon Emperor's soul?
He had already devoured Ddraig's soul.
The current Boosted Gear was nothing more than an empty shell.
It still possessed the framework and power of a Longinus, but it no longer had a soul.
Without a soul to drive it, it was like a sports car without an engine. No matter how impressive it looked, it couldn't move.
Genichi hesitated briefly before gradually arriving at an answer.
If he wanted to confirm his theory, he would probably have to ask either the God of the Bible or Azazel.
One was the creator of the Sacred Gear system, while the other had conducted extensive research into Sacred Gears.
Those two were the only people likely to have an answer.
Unfortunately, neither of them could tell him.
The God of the Bible had died long ago, while Azazel was the Governor-General of the Fallen Angels. Even if he knew the answer, he had no reason to share it with Genichi.
That meant Genichi could only experiment on his own.
He stared at the Boosted Gear and considered another possibility.
If it couldn't reach Balance Breaker because it lacked a soul, could he give the Sacred Gear one?
Of course, he didn't mean placing a genuine soul inside it.
Instead, he could use the Shadow Monarch to make one of his shadows serve as a substitute.
His shadows possessed all his power as well as his will.
If he infused one of them into the Boosted Gear and had it replace Ddraig, perhaps he could activate the Sacred Gear's Balance Breaker.
There was no point in delaying once he had an idea.
Genichi took a deep breath, sat cross-legged in the middle of the clubroom, and closed his eyes to begin the experiment.
The others immediately noticed his unusual behavior.
Akeno stopped practicing. Rias raised her head, Yuuto lowered his wooden sword, Koneko stood up from her corner, and Asia opened her eyes.
"What is Genichi doing?" Rias asked quietly.
Akeno shook her head.
"I don't know, but he must be trying something."
No one disturbed him.
Genichi focused his mind and reached his senses into the Boosted Gear.
Its interior was a vast, empty space, dark and silent.
Ddraig's soul had once resided there.
Now, nothing remained.
There was only emptiness.
Genichi called to one of his shadows.
The darkness beneath his feet began to writhe. A black silhouette separated itself from the floor and stood silently before him.
The shadow had no face or features, only a hazy humanoid outline, yet it radiated an aura identical to Genichi's.
Go inside.
Genichi issued the command in his mind.
The shadow quickly understood his intentions.
Its body transformed into a streak of black light and plunged into the Boosted Gear.
Genichi's body jolted violently.
He could feel the shadow entering the Sacred Gear's internal space.
It floated within the darkness like a dim lamp illuminating the surrounding void.
Then it began to spread.
Like ink dripping into water, it gradually dyed the darkness gray.
The Boosted Gear began to glow.
Its green jewel lit up, shining far brighter and more intensely than before.
Light flowed within the jewel as though responding to the shadow's arrival.
Genichi's heart pounded.
It was working.
He maintained his concentration and carefully sensed the changes occurring inside the Sacred Gear.
The shadow had already merged completely with the internal space. It began combining with the Sacred Gear's framework, like a soul joining with a body.
Genichi could feel the Sacred Gear's power being activated.
The strength that had slumbered for so long was slowly awakening.
But it still wasn't enough.
Genichi gritted his teeth and continued pouring demonic power into it.
He needed the shadow to fuse completely with the Sacred Gear. It had to become part of the artifact rather than remain a foreign presence.
Seconds passed, followed by minutes.
The clubroom was so quiet that even a falling needle would have been heard.
Everyone watched Genichi as the light emitted by the Boosted Gear grew brighter and more intense.
Rias clenched the fabric of her skirt. Akeno's smile vanished. Yuuto frowned. Koneko's ears stood perfectly straight, while Asia's lips trembled faintly.
Finally—
The light erupted.
Genichi's eyes snapped open.
Within the Boosted Gear's green jewel, the faint figure of a red dragon could be seen swimming through the light.
After entering the Sacred Gear's inner space, the shadow had been guided by the artifact and transformed into the shape of a red dragon.
Genichi stared down at the gauntlet, excitement stirring in his heart.
"Did it work?"
He raised his hand and willed it to activate.
The Boosted Gear began to transform.
Its green jewel released an even more dazzling radiance, illuminating the entire clubroom.
Within that brilliant light, the gauntlet's form began to change.
Crimson armor spread across Genichi's body. At the same time, he felt his power rising at an astonishing rate.
It quickly reached the level of a High-class Devil—and even that wasn't the limit. As long as Genichi's body could withstand it, his power could continue increasing.
"Is that... Balance Breaker?"
Rias's voice trembled.
(End of Chapter)
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