As DXD Lynn issued the command, the eager mist surrounding him instantly became active and flowed into DXD Lynn's body.
"Do you feel anything?" DanMachi Lynn asked immediately.
"Not yet. The target of this mist isn't me, it's the Sacred Gear inside me." DXD Lynn focused his attention inward.
Mist that merged into his body did not run rampant but locked onto the Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet.
The mists divided into two parts: one covered the surface of the Sacred Gear, slowly writhing, vaguely revealing a terrifying aura.
The other part went further, penetrating into the interior of the Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet, merging with the still-sleeping Ddraig.
Several seconds later, the mist covering the Sacred Gear's surface and the mist covering Ddraig's surface simultaneously vanished.
DXD Lynn willed it and summoned the modified Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet.
"This is... the mist ran into the jewel?" Jujutsu Lynn, standing nearby, immediately noticed the change in the Sacred Gear.
The emerald-green jewel originally located in the center of the gauntlet now had a mass of white smoke floating inside.
Undoubtedly, this was the mist from mist Plaza.
Chef Lynn asked curiously: "Has the Sacred Gear's ability changed?"
"The original abilities haven't changed, but the Sacred Gear gives me a very hungry feeling." DXD Lynn replied after carefully investigating.
Chef Lynn scratched his head: "A hungry feeling? Sacred Gears get hungry?"
One-Punch Lynn guessed: "Perhaps it's not the Sacred Gear that feels hungry, but Ddraig."
"Ddraig is still asleep. I tried to wake him up just now, but I failed." DXD Lynn said slowly.
He had considered One-Punch Lynn's guess just now.
But perhaps influenced by the mist, Ddraig, who had also absorbed the mist, fell into a deeper slumber, showing no response no matter how much he was called.
"Try feeding the Sacred Gear some magic power," DanMachi Lynn offered a new solution.
Hearing this, DXD Lynn mobilized the magic power and life force within his body and injected them into the Sacred Gear: "No reaction. What it wants to eat probably isn't energy."
The other Lynn's suggested new ideas, but all ultimately failed.
Chef Lynn spread his hands, indicating he was out of ideas: "There's nothing we can do. We can't exactly cook a meal for him, can we? He doesn't seem to have a mouth either."
"It's fine. Since it doesn't affect the use of the original functions, I'll study it slowly when I get back." DXD Lynn retracted the Sacred Gear, his expression calm.
The main purpose of coming to mist Plaza this time was to test sharing the Sacred Gear's power; the anomaly of the Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet was not part of the plan.
Regardless of the final outcome, as long as the original functions were not affected, it was not a loss.
Deciding to investigate the Sacred Gear's changes after Ddraig woke up, DXD Lynn bid farewell to the other Lynns, left mist Plaza, and returned to reality.
However, as soon as his consciousness returned, he felt a cool sensation coming from below, accompanied by an unusual touch.
Looking down, a pair of black cat ears twitched, and milky-white breasts swayed with his body, stirring up a tumultuous wave.
Seemingly sensing something, Kuroka slowly raised her head, licked her lips, and revealed a seductive look on her face, like a cat that had successfully stolen something.
"I already took a bath."
Looking at Kuroka's wet long hair and the faint fragrance coming from his nose, Lynn raised an eyebrow: "You're usually so lazy and procrastinate when I ask for help. You were quick this time."
It hadn't even taken ten minutes for him to go to mist Plaza to share abilities and test the Sacred Gear's changes.
In the past, Kuroka would probably still be humming a song in the bathtub, playing on her phone, and only slowly coming out when the battery died.
"Forget it. Since you're so impatient, I'll satisfy you tonight."
Placing his hands on Kuroka's head, Lynn began to sway up and down in rhythm.
After a while, a symphony quietly began to play.
...Underworld, Capital Lilith.
A man dressed in opulent clothing with light green hair pushed open the office door leisurely, his hand in his pocket.
"Sirzechs, what is it?"
"Rias sent me some intelligence not long ago. Read it yourself."
Inside the office, a man clads in armor with long red hair, whose appearance bore some resemblance to Rias, handed over a top-secret document.
Ajuka, who was also a Maou, didn't stand on ceremony. He opened the document and quickly scanned it, instantly understanding why Sirzechs had called him over.
"The current generation Red Dragon Emperor has appeared."
"Yes, and not just an ordinary Red Dragon Emperor, but a powerhouse who used the Sacred Gear Deprivation Ritual to transfer the Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet onto himself."
Sirzechs sighed: "According to Rias, this man named Lynn gives her a dangerous feeling even without the Sacred Gear. His strength is probably comparable to a High-Class Devil."
"Now that he has obtained the Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet, coupled with the martial arts inherited from the ancient martial arts family, his strength is at least at the Maou level. If he has enough time to prepare... he might reach our level."
"That's a bit troublesome."
Ajuka placed the document back on the desk. Although he said it was troublesome, his expression didn't change much.
As one of the three supreme beings among Devils, Ajuka had encountered all sorts of powerhouses along the way. Even if the newly born Red Dragon Emperor had great potential, in his view, it wasn't as important as his research.
Speaking of research, Ajuka seemed to recall something and casually asked, "This generation's White Dragon Emperor, he's with the Fallen Angels, right?"
"Yes, he's also a tricky fellow."
"How do you plan to handle it?"
"Maintain the status quo for now," Sirzechs replied. "This new Red Dragon Emperor hasn't shown any malice; he even showed goodwill before taking the Sacred Gear and mentioned wanting to meet us."
"Personally, I think he wants to use the Devils' power to investigate intelligence on the White Dragon Emperor. Of course, cooperation in other aspects is also possible."
"In short, I plan to let Rias continue to engage with him to figure out his personality. As for us, we will send people to the Dragon Country to gather intelligence."
The newborn Red Dragon Emperor came from the East, where the powerhouses of that nation hid in the shadows, rarely active in the ordinary world.
Even the Yukimura Clan, an ancient martial arts family composed of humans, had most of its core members in seclusion most of the time, rarely acting in the outside world.
Before the formal meeting, Ajuka planned to send people to the East to gather detailed intelligence and understand Lynn's personality before meeting and contacting him.
Ajuka naturally had no objection to this. He nodded and then asked, "When do you plan to set the time for the formal meeting?"
"Half a month or a month from now. I don't want to make the situation too conspicuous. I might need you to step in then."
"What a pain."
Ajuka sighed.
He didn't particularly like interacting with people.
This was also why he remained behind the scenes doing research and handed the diplomatic work over to Serafall.
But the person he had to meet this time was too dangerous.
Having only a Maou-level like Serafall make contact might lead to an accident.
Understanding the importance of the matter, Ajuka ultimately did not procrastinate and agreed.
"Notify me when you have set the time."
"Thank you, Ajuka."
A faint smile appeared on Sirzechs's face.
As childhood friends, he had great trust in Ajuka's abilities.
With him taking charge, this matter was basically settled.
...
Ring ring~ Ring ring~
The piercing ringtone shattered the silence of the room.
Lynn opened his eyes, picked up his phone, gave it a casual glance, and pressed the answer button.
"Good morning, Rias."
"Morning, Lynn."
A familiar voice came from the other side of the line.
Having exchanged contact information before parting ways yesterday, Rias hesitated for a moment before asking.
"Lynn, you completed the enrollment procedures yesterday. Are you planning to stay in Kuoh Town for a while?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Nothing, I just saw that you didn't come to school this morning and thought you were preparing to head back to the Dragon Country after getting your Sacred Gear."
"This morning?"
Lynn moved the phone a bit further away and checked the time.
[12:16]
Well, it was indeed a bit late.
Understanding Rias's intent, Lynn replied: "I woke up a bit late. I'll head to school this afternoon."
"I see. See you this afternoon then."
On the other side of the call, Rias breathed a sigh of relief.
She had just received a task from her brother to maintain the status quo and keep in contact with Lynn.
If Lynn ran back to the Dragon Country, this task would be impossible to complete.
...
On the other side, after hanging up the phone, Lynn pushed Kuroka off of him and picked up his clothes from the floor.
Perhaps it was long-premeditated, but Kuroka was unexpectedly energetic last night, engaging in a bloody battle with him all night long.
From the living room to the bathroom and then to the bedroom, Lynn took the 'cat car' for a tour around the villa, only falling asleep an hour ago.
"Needs some improvement."
Lynn felt a sense of lament in his heart.
As a Nekomata of the superior Nekoshou species, Kuroka was born with great potential.
Having participated in the post-Transcendent experiments and then training for several years after defecting from the Underworld, her strength had grown to the level of a High-Class Devil.
For Lynn, she was an unprecedented rival.
If he hadn't awakened mist Plaza and significantly increased his physical attributes, he might not have necessarily won yesterday.
"Mnh~" Seemingly hearing the sound of Lynn putting on his clothes, Kuroka, who was still sleeping, slowly opened her eyes.
The thick quilt slid down from her shoulders, revealing a snowy-white fragrant shoulder and two rounded, plump fruits.
"Lynn, why are you up so early?"
"It's you who woke up too late."
"It's only twelve o'clock, that's not late at all, Nya."
Kuroka rubbed her eyes, and her somewhat fuzzy brain finally recalled the unspeakable experiences of last night.
In a daze, a surge of intense pleasure rose along with desire. She subconsciously licked her lips, her gaze staring straight at Lynn's lower body.
"Lynn, I'm hungry."
"You're not hungry, you're in heat."
Lynn casually pulled out a card and threw it over: "Go buy something to eat yourself this afternoon. I'm going to school."
"Eh? I don't want to!" Kuroka looked resistant, jumping up on the spot and clinging onto Lynn, her hands wrapping around his neck: "What's so good about school! Do me instead!"
"Have you evolved from a female cat into a sow?" Facing Kuroka's bold words, Lynn remained unmoved. He grabbed her by the scruff of the neck, lifted her off him, and tossed her back onto the bed.
"If you want it, we'll talk at night. I have other things to do this afternoon. If I'm lucky, I might see your sister."
"Shirone?" The black cat finally quieted down.
She was aware that her sister was working under Rias.
"Lynn, don't you dare use this opportunity to make a move on Shirone. She hasn't reached breeding age yet."
"It's just a meeting. You're overthinking it."
"I'm just giving you a heads-up, Nya."
Great power always attracts the opposite sex.
Having obtained the Boosted Gear, Lynn, who was now half a dragon creature, would only be more prominent in this regard.
With powerful strength and outstanding looks, Kuroka wouldn't be surprised by whatever happened.
Thinking of this, the tail behind Kuroka curled up, and a seductive smile appeared on her face.
"Lynn, if you want to make a move on Shirone, this big sister has no objections~"
"Like I said, it's just a meeting."
Lynn finished changing and pushed the door open to leave the room.
Seeing this, Kuroka gave a lazy yawn, tilted her head, and collapsed back onto the bed.
Resting and building up strength to prepare for the second round tonight!
...
Lynn's new home wasn't far from the school.
After leaving the villa, he strolled along leisurely and reached the school gates in just a few minutes.
Just then, as if remembering something, he split off a sliver of consciousness into the Sacred Gear to call out to Ddraig.
"[Good Morning, Partner. ]"
Unlike yesterday, this time Lynn successfully woke the sleeping Ddraig.
"To be precise, it's already noon." Correcting the time for him, Lynn asked: "Ddraig, do you feel any changes in yourself?"
"[Changes? Come to think of it, I'm inexplicably hungry after waking up. I want to find something to eat. ]"
Deep within the Sacred Gear, the massive Ddraig subconsciously clutched his abdomen, a hint of confusion appearing in his vertical pupils.
Hunger.
If this feeling appeared in an ordinary person, it would be a very common situation.
But as one of the two heavenly dragons, Ddraig was born with power comparable to a God King. He only needed to absorb demonic power or natural energy to replenish his body's consumption.
And after being killed by the Bible God and made into a Sacred Gear...
Ddraig had even skipped the step of absorbing energy, spending most of his time in a dormant state.
The feeling of hunger was very foreign to him.
"[Partner, what did you do to me? ]"
"Some accidents happened after you fell asleep yesterday. In short, you've received an enhancement."
Lynn didn't explain mist Plaza matter but instead changed the topic and asked: "Ddraig, is there anything you want to eat right now?"
"[I'm not too sure either, but...]"
Ddraig's voice was a bit hesitant: "[I don't know if it's my imagination, but I seem to smell a very enticing aroma. ]"
"An aroma?" Lynn understood what this represented and his expression turned serious: "Can you confirm the source of the aroma?"
"[I can. It's not far ahead of you. ]" Ddraig informed Lynn of the direction the aroma was coming from.
"Ahead... do you mean the school building?"
Getting a response, Lynn looked at the school building in front of him. After a thought, he followed Ddraig's guidance and walked inside.
After a while, several boys wearing Kuoh Academy school uniforms, chatting to pass the lunch break, appeared in his line of sight.
...