Lavinia might be a bit airheaded at times, but when it came to Sacred Gears, her knowledge ran deep.
Of course, that likely stemmed from awakening her own Sacred Gear at a young age.
"The Incinerate Anthem is just like my Ice Queen ,both are independent manifestation-type Sacred Gears. That means they can exist on their own even without a host, and they can even fight independently."
As she said this, Rod suddenly recalled a certain male devil from the Underworld ,something like Se-something. He wielded the Sacred Gear Lion King's Battle Axe, also an independent manifestation type.
When he activated Balance Breaker, it looked like he was donning golden armor straight out of Saint Seiya. Visually, it was pure fire.
"Those opposing the Five Great Clans ,whether it's the Hollow Cicada Organization or Satanael's faction ,they're all researching how to replicate Sacred Gears like this."
"If you want to fuse with it, Rod-san, you can do it now. For hostless, independent manifestation-type Sacred Gears, the fusion process is very simple and has a high success rate."
"Even someone like Augusta managed it, so I'm sure you can too!"
Lavinia looked at Rod with sparkling, encouraging eyes.
Hearing this from a seasoned Sacred Gear user had Rod instantly itching to try.
After all, Sacred Gears were only useful once they were fully fused. Otherwise, it was like having a gun without ammo.
"Alright. I'll do it now."
Rod nodded.
"Don't worry, Rod-san. I'll watch over you carefully from the side."
Lavinia's expression turned serious.
Rod found an open space, thankfully, the presidential suite was huge, offering plenty of room for his ritual.
With a trustworthy person watching his back, he could focus without worry.
Taking a deep breath, Rod gripped the purple cross and began channeling his power into it.
It was like threading a needle ,when his power made contact with the cross, a connection formed.
Anyone who'd seen Avatar would immediately get the visual.
The process went even smoother than expected. The purple cross floated upward, then began slowly dissolving into his chest like a ripple in water.
[You have successfully initiated fusion with the Sacred Gear – Incinerate Anthem.]
[Deep fusion commencing. This may cause tolerable pain, itching, or discomfort. Proceed with deep fusion?]
As that prompt appeared before him, Rod instinctively said:
"Yes."
He had expected system assistance, but instead, an overwhelming heat erupted from deep within his body.
It started in his chest, then surged through every limb, until it felt like his entire bloodstream was boiling.
"…?!"
To Lavinia, Rod now looked like a lobster being boiled alive, his skin had turned a deep, alarming red.
She had never seen anything like it.
Of course, she'd never seen anyone fuse with an independent Sacred Gear before, either. Most were born with theirs already fused into their bodies.
Even Asia, who had been fast asleep, was jolted awake by the room's sudden spike in temperature.
Drenched in sweat, she groggily sat up ,only to be horrified by the sight of Rod engulfed in flames.
"W-What's happening?! Rod-san?! Rod-san!"
Though she didn't understand what was going on, she could see that Rod was clearly in agony.
"Miss Lavinia, what's happening to Rod-san? Is there anything I can do?!"
Tears welled up in Asia's eyes as she panicked.
"He'll be fine."
Lavinia remained calm, though her expression grew serious.
She summoned her own Sacred Gear.
A beautiful humanoid figure made entirely of pale-blue ice.
The moment it appeared, the temperature in the room dropped back to normal. The icy figure helped suppress the wild purple flames on Rod's body, preventing damage to the room.
Asia, seeing this, wiped away her tears and activated her emerald-inlaid ring, which emitted a gentle green light that enveloped Rod.
"A healing-type Sacred Gear? That's rare."
Lavinia raised an eyebrow in surprise, noting Asia's actions and the ring she wore.
With both of them assisting, the excruciating burning sensation tormenting Rod lessened by half.
It was still unbearable by normal standards, but Rod was already used to pain.
He even had the mental space to complain.
Seriously, what kind of system made you suffer just to fuse with a Sacred Gear?
But fine, no pain, no gain. If he wanted power, this was the price.
Thankfully, he could feel that his body was steadily syncing with the Sacred Gear. It was only a matter of time.
The only problem was… the process was long.
And he couldn't stop.
If he stopped halfway, he'd probably have to start all over again ,a pure torture loop.
He didn't know how much time passed.
[You have successfully completed deep fusion with the Sacred Gear – Incinerate Anthem.]
Seeing the system message, Rod finally exhaled in relief.
The purple flames dissipated from his body ,he was now immune to their burn.
And like any other Sacred Gear wielder, he could now wield its full power.
But just as he was about to check the details, a fragrant breeze blew past his face.
Before he could react, something soft and warm flung itself into his arms.
A tearful voice soaked his shoulder with warmth.
"Rod-san… Rod-san! I was so worried… I'm just glad you're okay!"
It was Asia ,the little nun ,now bawling like a child in his embrace.
Seeing that Rod was safe, her pent-up emotions finally exploded. She couldn't stop crying.
"There, there. I'm fine."
Rod gently patted her back.
They hadn't known each other long, but it still felt nice to be cared about.
He turned to Lavinia. "You never said it would hurt this much."
Lavinia looked vaguely guilty. "Huh? I didn't?"
With one finger to her chin, she clearly hoped to play dumb.
Rod didn't press further, though he silently noted he'd get her back someday.
Wait a second… why did her eyes keep darting downward?
Are you running auto-aim too now?
"Ah! R-Rod-san! Y-Your clothes…!"
Asia's shriek was laced with both shame and panic.
Rod suddenly realized he was completely naked.
The little nun had never seen "that," and now she was covering her eyes, though her fingers were spread suspiciously wide.
Lavinia, meanwhile, didn't say a word.
She'd had auto-aim activated the whole time.
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