— Earlier That Night —
High above the sleeping city of Kuoh, in the sterile, modern penthouse of a skyscraper, a young man with hair as white as snow stood before a floor-to-ceiling window. Vali Lucifer was brooding when he felt it.
A tremor. Not in the earth, but in the very fabric of supernatural energy. A wave of raw, draconic power, ancient and infuriatingly familiar, washed over the city. It was a sensation he knew intimately, a resonance that echoed from the Sacred Gear sealed within his own arm.
From the depths of his soul, a voice, cold and haughty, spoke.
**[ Ophis? No... This presence... It is the Red. ] **
The Albion within him resonated with a mix of contempt and long-awaited anticipation.
Vali's ice-blue eyes, which had been gazing indifferently at the horizon, snapped into sharp focus. A slow, predatory smile stretched across his face, devoid of warmth and full of a terrifying, battle-hungry joy.
"The Red Dragon Emperor..." he whispered, the words a vow. "So, you've finally awakened, my fated rival."
He could feel the lingering signature of the power—the unrefined, explosive awakening of the Boosted Gear. It was weak, untrained, a newborn cub roaring its first challenge. But the potential was there. The sheer, intoxicating potential for a fight worthy of his power.
A low chuckle escaped his lips, building into a full, manic laugh that echoed in the empty, luxurious apartment. He clenched his fist, his own Sacred Gear responding to the provocation with a faint, silvery light.
"Finally! A reason to stay in this boring town! Albion, can you feel it? The stage is set! Our eternal battle begins again!"
He was no longer just a bored heir of Lucifer waiting for a purpose. He was the White Dragon Emperor, and his other half had just announced his presence. The hunt was on.
***
**— Back at the Hyodo Residence —**
The house was quiet. My parents had long since gone to bed, and Asia was safely asleep in the guest room. I had just finished my late-night routine and was about to collapse into bed when the thought struck me like a physical blow.
The Boosted Gear's awakening hadn't been a subtle event. It had been a supernatural explosion. A declaration.
*If I can feel the power of the Boosted Gear... and if the two Heavenly Dragons are eternal rivals...*
My blood ran cold. I sat on the edge of my bed, the fatigue vanishing under a surge of adrenaline.
"Ddraig," I whispered into the quiet of my room.
The response in my mind was immediate, the draconic voice a low rumble. **[ Partner. ]**
"The White Dragon Emperor. Albion's host. He felt us awaken, didn't he?"
There was a pause, filled with the weight of millennia of conflict. **[ Yes. The moment our power was unleashed, he would have sensed it. Just as I would sense him. The connection is... absolute. ] **
"And what do you know about his current host?" I pressed, needing every advantage.
**[ Nothing, ]** Ddraig admitted frankly. **[ I know only Albion. The vessel he chooses is irrelevant. But if history is any guide, one who wields Divine Dividing is never weak, and is always drawn to conflict with us. You should prepare. ]**
A sigh, heavy with the inevitability of it all, escaped my lips. It was one thing to know a threat existed in the abstract future. It was another to know that threat was now actively aware of you, that his gaze was likely turned in your direction at this very moment.
"So he'll be coming."
**[ It is our destiny to fight, ]** Ddraig stated, not with excitement, but with simple, grim fact.
*Prepare.* The word echoed in the silence. I was a low-class Devil with a body that was, at best, peak human. I had one flashy, powerful artifact on my arm that I could barely control, and a system that was still in its infancy. I was facing the White Dragon Emperor, a being of immense power drawn to conflict with me by destiny itself.
A grim smile touched my lips. There was no point in despair. All I could do was what I had been doing: move forward.
"System," I commanded silently.
The golden interface of the Omni-Emporium bloomed before my eyes.
**Available Points: 8,200**
The reward for saving Asia was immense. But as I looked at my options, I realized the Rokushiki, while powerful, was a martial art for a physical fighter. Against someone who could halve my power with a touch, raw physicality might not be enough. I needed to evolve my very nature.
I navigated away from the Abilities section and to the **Bloodlines & Physiology** tab. There, I found it.
**[ Devil Rank Advancement: Low-Class to Mid-Class ]**
*An infusion of pure, refined demonic energy that restructures your core, expanding your energy reserves and enhancing your overall physical and magical parameters. A fundamental upgrade to your existence.*
**[ Cost: 5,000 Points ]**
This was the foundation. A higher class meant more demonic power, greater resilience, faster regeneration. It would make everything else I did more effective. It was the smartest, most fundamental investment I could make.
But I needed more. I needed an edge that Vali wouldn't expect. My eyes scanned for something complementary, something that could synergize with the Boosted Gear. I found it in a different category.
**[ Psi-Physical Synergy Circuit (Basic) ]**
*Installs a metaphysical circuit that bridges psychic intent and physical action. Allows for the reinforcement of physical strikes with pure mental energy, independent of demonic power. Grants a minor degree of telekinetic force application (pushes, pulls, shields) and enhances kinetic control.*
**[ Cost: 3,000 Points ]**
This was perfect. A source of power separate from my demonic energy, something Divine Dividing couldn't simply halve. It would make my movements sharper, my strikes more precise, and give me tactical options beyond brute force.
The math was clear. 5,000 + 3,000 = 8,000. It would wipe out my savings, but the combination was worth it.
"System," I affirmed, my will solid. "Purchase Devil Rank Advancement to Mid-Class and the Psi-Physical Synergy Circuit."
**[ Purchasing: Devil Rank Advancement (Low -> Mid). Cost: 5,000 Points. ]**
**[ Purchasing: Psi-Physical Synergy Circuit (Basic). Cost: 3,000 Points. ]**
**[ Balance: 200 Points. ]**
**[ Administering... ]**
The sensation was profound. First, a deep, cellular warmth spread from my core, a feeling of my very essence being unwoven and rewoven with stronger threads. My demonic power reservoir, which had felt like a large pond, suddenly expanded into a small lake. The ambient energy of the world seemed clearer, easier to draw upon.
Before that feeling even faded, a second, sharper sensation followed. It was like a new network of nerves lighting up behind my eyes and throughout my body—the Psi-Physical Circuit. I focused on the cup of water on my nightstand and *pushed* with my mind. The cup wobbled, sloshing water over the rim. It was weak, but it was there. A force entirely my own.
I stood up, feeling the difference immediately. The world was sharper, my body felt more responsive, and a new, subtle energy hummed in the background of my awareness.
Vali was out there. He knew I was here. The clock was ticking faster than ever.
But I was no longer just a Low-Class Devil. I was stronger, faster, and now possessed a hidden card to play.
Let him come. I would be ready. Or I would die trying. There were no other options.