Private Kuoh Academy.
As the school bell rang, students left their classrooms to begin their short lunch break.
At the back of a classroom, a girl with a slender figure, fair skin, and long red hair put down her textbook and looked toward her friend nearby.
"Akeno, come with me to the Student Council for a moment."
"The Student Council? Did something happen?" A look of confusion appeared on Himejima Akeno's face.
"A guest has arrived today," Rias replied. "His identity is rather special; he is the heir to the Yukimura Clan, an Ancient Martial Arts Family from the Dragon Kingdom."
Himejima Akeno suddenly understood.
Most ancient martial arts families in the Dragon Kingdom had long histories and were proficient in close-quarters combat.
Himejima Akeno had heard of the Yukimura Clan.
It was the top Ancient Martial Arts Family in the Dragon Kingdom, with a heritage spanning thousands of years and countless experts.
Since the heir of such a power had come to Kuoh Town, Rias, as the administrator, naturally had to meet him.
Following Rias, Himejima Akeno walked toward the Student Council office.
"What does that heir of an Ancient Martial Arts Family have to do something in Kuoh Town?"
"I'm not sure yet, but he's here as an exchange student. If nothing unexpected happens, we'll be seeing each other often from now on."
As she finished speaking, a hint of anticipation flashed in Rias's eyes.
Having been in the human world for so long, she had dealt with various factions to some extent.
But this was the first time in her memory that she would be in contact with the heir of an Ancient Martial Arts Family.
She wondered what kind of person he was.
...
Rias's curiosity didn't last long.
When she pushed open the doors of the Student Council with Himejima Akeno, two figures were already sitting in the room.
On the left was a woman with short black hair wearing a pair of glasses; it was her friend, Sona.
"Rias, you've come at just the right time."
Sona spoke to introduce him: "This is the transfer student from the Dragon Kingdom, Yukimura Lynn, whom I mentioned to you two days ago."
"Hello, Yukimura-san. I am the administrator of Kuoh Town, Rias Gremory. You can just call me Rias."
Rias looked at the other figure in the room.
Black hair and black eyes, with sharp brows and starry eyes; he looked even more handsome than in the files, and a sharp aura emanated from his body.
"Ara ara, he's quite the handsome guy."
Himejima Akeno covered her mouth and let out a light chuckle: "Kuoh Academy used to be an all-girls school. Student Lynn will be quite lucky after transferring; just this face alone will attract countless little fangirls."
"I'm not very interested in ordinary women."
Lynn replied without changing his expression: "If I had to say, the three of you present are more in line with my standards for a partner."
Himejima Akeno blinked: "How bold. We've only just met, and you're already starting to confess?"
Lynn: "I'm just telling the truth. Or do you think you're unattractive?"
Himejima Akeno: "Not at all, but you're the first person to praise me so directly."
The smile on Himejima Akeno's face grew even more intense.
No one would refuse being praised.
Especially since Lynn came from an Ancient Martial Arts Family, making his status more noble than that of an ordinary person.
Receiving recognition for her appearance from him was indeed something that put her in a good mood.
"Cough~ Let's stop the small talk for now."
Seeing that Himejima Akeno was getting a bit off-topic, Rias coughed to temporarily interrupt their conversation and stepped in.
"Yukimura-kun, I'm very welcoming of you coming to Kuoh Academy, but may I ask for your reason?"
"What do you mean?"
"The reason for coming to study at Kuoh Academy."
Rias met the young man's gaze: "As the heir of an Ancient Martial Arts Family, you shouldn't be lacking for good places to go."
"Furthermore, I can feel that your strength is very high. Coming specifically to Kuoh Town must be for some reason, right?"
"As expected of the eldest daughter of the Gremory Family. It seems continuing to hide it wouldn't be good for either of us."
After a bit of professional flattery, Lynn didn't hide it: "Actually, coming to school in Kuoh Town is secondary; I'm mainly here for a Sacred Gear."
He really wasn't here just for school.
Rias's spirit jolted: "What Sacred Gear?"
Lynn: "The Longinus—Boosted Gear."
Rias: "A Longinus?!"
A flash of surprise crossed Rias's eyes.
If Sacred Gears were categorized into ranks, then a Longinus was a top-tier Sacred Gear, possessing the great power to slay gods.
She hadn't expected the other's goal to be so shocking. Sona Sitri and Himejima Akeno, who were listening nearby, were equally surprised.
Exchanging a glance with Rias, Sona took the initiative to ask: "Yukimura-san, you mean... the Boosted Gear is at Kuoh Academy?"
Lynn nodded.
"Just call me Lynn."
"And yes, I've also prepared a Sacred Gear extraction ritual. My goal this time is to take his Sacred Gear."
Sona frowned.
The worst-case scenario had appeared.
The Boosted Gear wasn't sealed somewhere; it was within a person.
When a Sacred Gear resides in a host, it creates a link with the person's life source.
Once forcibly extracted, it affects their life source.
Simply put, it causes death.
And Rias was equally aware of this.
Looking at the young man speaking so casually, her expression became much more serious than before.
"Lynn-san, exchanging a human life for a Longinus might seem like a good deal to you, but I..."
"Don't be so quick to refuse."
Lynn raised his hand and summoned a ball of life energy: "The Gremory Family is different from ordinary Devils; you place more importance on emotions. I've looked into this."
"In fact, I've made some modifications to the Sacred Gear extraction ritual. As long as enough life force is channeled into the original host during the extraction, the side effects can be canceled and their life preserved."
"I will be responsible for paying this life force, and I'll also ensure the host's family has no worries for the rest of their lives. Furthermore, if you two agree to help, I will owe you a favor."
"As long as it doesn't cross my bottom line, I can unconditionally do one thing for you, even if it's assassinating the God Kings of other pantheons."
"Assassinating a God King?" Rias was stunned for a moment.
Although the power of a Longinus was strong, its benchmark was ordinary gods.
If it were a god specialized in combat, or an existence of a different dimension like a God King, it would be very difficult even with a Longinus.
Unless Lynn himself already possessed sufficiently solid strength, only then would there be a chance to assassinate a God King with the amplification of the Boosted Gear.
"I'm not joking."
Lynn released his aura at the right moment.
A pressure that almost turned physical crashed down, making the bodies of the three girls in the room sink.
"So strong." Himejima Akeno narrowed her eyes.
This aura was simply too powerful; just standing here made her feel a bit breathless.
With such a powerful aura, the other's strength was definitely no worse than a High-Class Devil.
"Now you should understand my strength."
Lynn withdrew his aura into his body: "Well then, are you two going to accept my deal? This is a good opportunity to have the future strongest in the world owe you a favor."
Rias didn't reply immediately, but instead asked another question: "If I still refuse, will you choose to stop and no longer covet the Sacred Gear?"
Lynn let out a light chuckle: "Care to guess?"
Rias guessed it: "It seems you've already prepared a plan for if the negotiations fail."
Lynn nodded: "In fact, I could have come here secretly and kidnapped the person, but I didn't do that. Do you know why?"
"Why?"
"Because doing that carries the risk of exposure, and then I would be on bad terms with you. After all, you are the sister of a Satan; creating conflict isn't a good thing."
"..."
That really was a sufficiently realistic reason.
But in this way, the sincerity Lynn gave was very substantial.
Unless she wanted to extract information and snatch the Sacred Gear from Lynn's hands first.
Otherwise, provided no lives were lost, this was already the best option.
Rias looked at Sona beside her.
Coincidentally, the other girl was casting a glance her way as well.
The two exchanged a look across the space, understanding each other's thoughts.
"Lynn-san, I agree to your terms."
Rias made her decision: "However, I have one prerequisite."
"Please, go ahead."
"When you strip the Sacred Gear, Sona and I must be on-site to supervise."
"Of course. You are the masters of this place, after all. Anything else?"
"That's all."
"Then let's set off."
"?"
Set off? To where?
A flash of doubt crossed Rias's eyes.
But she reacted quickly.
"You haven't already captured the person, have you?"
"Naturally. I don't fight battles I'm not sure of winning."
A smile appeared on Lynn's face.
"Since I dared to come here to meet you all, I have naturally made full preparations. Both the person and the ritual are ready; all that's missing now is the witness of you three."
...
What? Where am I? What am I doing?
Staring at the unfamiliar ceiling above, the newly awakened Issei Hyoudou was filled with confusion.
But soon, he recalled his experience before losing consciousness.
It was a youth with black hair and black eyes, appearing to be around the same age as himself.
On his way to school in the morning, the other party had suddenly appeared and blocked his path.
"Friend, do you have any dreams?"
"To find a girlfriend with big breasts." Faced with a stranger's inquiry, Issei Hyoudou gave his answer without hesitation.
"You misunderstand, my friend. I mean things you want to do, like life goals."
"To find a girlfriend with big breasts." Issei Hyoudou still didn't hesitate; his voice even rose a bit higher.
Influenced by his childhood experiences, he had an extremely strong interest in women, especially those with large breasts.
Facing his reply, the black-haired youth seemed to understand something. He pondered for a moment and asked a new question.
"If I help you find a girlfriend with big breasts and guarantee that you and your family will have no worries about food or clothing for the rest of your lives, with countless money to spend, could you do me a favor?"
"Of course, no problem." Issei Hyoudou gave the black-haired youth a thumbs up: "As long as you can do that, never mind one favor—I'd have no problem doing a hundred!"
"Then, thank you."
That was the last sentence Issei Hyoudou heard.
After that, the world before his eyes suddenly fell into darkness.
When he regained his senses, he was in this empty basement, with strange patterns drawn on the floor.
Click—!
The basement door was pushed open.
Issei Hyoudou turned his head to look. The black-haired youth he had seen that morning walked in.
...