"W-What do you want?"
A trembling voice came from the corner.
Roy, just entering the classroom, turned toward the sound.
A petite figure in Kuoh Academy's female uniform caught his eye.
"What a cute little sister," Asia said, blinking in admiration.
"Cute, sure, but he's a guy," Roy clarified.
"Huh? A guy?"
Asia froze.
Akeno Himejima chimed in, "Gasper's got a cross-dressing habit."
"B-Because girls' clothes are cuter!" Gasper's shaky voice piped up, catching their conversation.
"What are you h-here for?"
"Gasper, the higher-ups lifted your confinement. You can come out with us now," Rias explained.
"No—! I don't wanna go out—!"
Gasper, as if stung, clutched his head, wailing.
A chronic social recluse, talking to strangers was a nightmare.
"Same old, same old," Rias sighed, glancing at her backup. "Roy, your turn."
"Got it."
Roy cracked his neck, popping sounds echoing.
He let a sliver of his suppressed aura leak out.
A terrifying pressure filled the room, weighing on Rias and the others.
Rias: "?"
What's he doing?
A question mark hovered over her head as Roy shifted into combat mode.
Before she could ask, he strode to Gasper.
"Eek—!"
Gasper stumbled back, falling with a yelp.
A strange energy surged from his eyes, enveloping Roy.
To everyone watching, Roy froze mid-step.
"That's his Sacred Gear?" Xenovia frowned, her expression turning serious.
"Stopping even the Red Dragon Emperor? That's insane."
"Not quite," Rias shook her head.
As if on cue, Roy chuckled. "So this is time-stopping? Stronger than I expected."
Boom!
Natural energy erupted from Roy, shattering the temporal force.
Moving again, he looked down at the vampire, raising a fist. "Impressive ability, but your base strength's too weak."
"Without power to back it, even the greatest ability's just a pipe dream."
Roy's punch exploded the air.
A thunderous boom echoed through the classroom.
In Gasper's eyes, Roy's fist loomed with a giant "DEATH."
But just as Gasper braced for the end, the fist stopped short of his head.
"Weakness is the ultimate sin."
"If you don't want to be used, come train with me."
"B-But I…"
Boom!
"Guess I was too nice."
Gasper, smashed into the floor, passed out.
Roy equipped the Spirit Healing Bracelet, quickly mending Gasper's wounds.
Seconds later, he flicked a lightning bolt, jolting Gasper awake.
"Train with me, or I'll beat you to death in here. Choose."
"No more beating! I'll train!"
Gasper surrendered, tears of sorrow streaming.
Farewell, my days of eat-sleep-game-repeat otaku life.
I'll miss you.
Meanwhile, in the Underworld.
"Sazeks, a commission came in."
Grayfia placed a parchment on the desk.
"A commission?"
Sazeks, working, paused.
Devils earned through commissions, but he was a Demon Lord.
Since becoming Lucifer, commissions reaching him were rare.
And without exception, they were never simple.
Scanning the parchment, Sazeks sighed, rubbing his forehead.
As expected, a troublesome one.
"Grayfia, anyone free under us?"
"None."
Grayfia shook her head.
Investigating the Brigade of Calamity, preparing the three-way talks, and handling daily tasks—his retainers and aides were all swamped.
Unable to find anyone, Grayfia brought the commission to Sazeks.
"It's not complex, but there's potential risk."
"We need someone strong enough to handle it."
"Strong enough, huh?"
Sazeks pondered, a name flashing in his mind. "Contact Rias. Ask if Roy's interested."
Occult Research Club.
Back from the sealed classroom, Rias introduced Gasper to Roy, Asia, and Xenovia.
After greetings, she assigned today's commissions to Koneko and the others.
Roy took Gasper to the training area, outlining his plan. "Early training focuses on stamina to build your mental grit."
"Once you've got some confidence, I'll teach you to use your Sacred Gear. Questions?"
"N-No problem."
"Too quiet! Louder!"
"No problem!"
"Good, that's the spirit!"
Roy nodded, easing off. "Run ten kilometers to warm up."
"Ten kilometers?!"
"Now it's twenty. If that's fine, say 'received.'"
"Received!!!"
Gasper shouted.
Don't run, get beaten to death. Run, maybe survive.
Easy choice.
Per Roy's orders, Gasper hit the treadmill at max speed, pushing his limits.
As Gasper warmed up, Roy opened his entry vault, eyeing his latest haul.
[Time Tyrant (Gold): Time affinity + massive boost to time-based abilities, immunity to time-stop.]
Roy's grin was harder to suppress than an AK's recoil.
Gasper had delivered a shock.
He'd expected a Red entry at best from that punch.
Instead, he scored a Gold—a time-based Gold.
Roy lacked time abilities, but a Gold entry's value was undeniable.
Swapping the Spirit Healing Bracelet for Time Tyrant, a strange sensation enveloped him.
No visible change, but he sensed a new energy.
He knew it well—minutes ago, he'd felt it firsthand.
"So this is time power."
Roy stared at his empty fingertips.
Time power, formless and colorless, was unlike any energy.
Though new, he sensed its might.
At equal scale, time power could devour mana and natural energy, reducing them to nothing.
But its potency made it hard to wield.
Even with Time Tyrant's affinity boost, gathering a wisp took seconds.
Improving collection speed wouldn't help much now.
Time was the world's most enigmatic force.
Even with Infinite Potential, Roy needed time to crack its uses.
"Another task for the list."
Adding "study time power" to his daily training, Roy paused, looking over. "What's up?"
"Just checking on you," Rias said, approaching and eyeing Gasper, who was rolling his eyes. "Training too intense?"
"Nah, it's fine."
Roy assured her, "With Senjutsu and the Spirit Healing Bracelet, even overload training won't leave lasting damage."
Truthfully, opening the attribute panel was the fastest way to power up.
Unlike Roy's plug-and-play entries, normals needed time to adapt to new power.
Gasper was unique.
As a Demon God Balor fragment reincarnate, he harbored vast death power.
With Time Tyrant, fully activating his power would be staggering.
Unable to control his current strength, adding more would make him spiral.
For his future, Roy opted for a slow grind to hone his will.
Only when Gasper mastered his Sacred Gear would Roy grant entries.
"You've thought this through," Rias said, not pressing further, switching topics. "My brother sent a special commission from a high-ranking Soul Reaper. He asked if you're interested."
"Soul Reaper? To the Underworld?"
Roy's eyes lit up.
Rias shook her head. "Not Hades's reapers. Soul Society's."
"???"
Did he mishear?
"Speaking of, you haven't studied this stuff, have you?" Rias realized, explaining. "Underworld's Hades, Heaven's Michael, Paradise's Buddha… depending on pre-death faith, human souls go various places."
"Beyond well-known mythologies, some factions also collect and reincarnate souls."
"Soul Society, led by the Spirit King from another world, is one example."
"Its Soul Reapers fight with Kido and Zanpakuto, rivaling any mythic faction."
"Rumor says the Gotei 13's Captain-Commander, Yamamoto Genryusai, could destroy the world at full power."
That's pretty terrifying.
Roy rubbed his temples, expression mixed.
Focused on training, he'd skimped on cultural studies.
His knowledge came from Sona's classes, which never covered Hollows or Soul Reapers.
Today, he learned his world blended Bleach's.
"Rias, can you compile a rundown of the factions?"
"Sure, but why the sudden interest?"
"Just feel I don't know enough about this world."
"No need to stress. You're learning fast."
Misreading him, Rias comforted.
After a brief chat, she agreed to gather the info.
"Back to the commission," Rias said, pulling out a parchment. "It's simple: find a Soul Reaper in Karakura Town."
Karakura? Soul Reaper?
Roy rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Who's the target?"
"Rukia Kuchiki. She lost contact with Soul Society two days ago."
Rias handed over the parchment, pointing to the bottom right. "Client's Ukitake Jushiro, a Gotei 13 captain."
"Interesting. I'm in."
Roy took the parchment, teleporting to Karakura Town.
As he prepared to scout Ichigo Kurosaki's house, an ominous aura pulsed from afar.
"No need to search."
Looking west, Roy vanished.
Meanwhile, Orihime Inoue's house.
After school, Orihime and her friend Tatsuki Arisawa hung out, enjoying sweets.
A boom startled them.
"What was that?!"
They turned toward the sound.
A wall, cracked and sporting a huge hole, greeted their eyes.
"Why's the wall broken?" Orihime tilted her head, puzzled.
"No clue, but that hole looks like something smashed it," Tatsuki frowned, equally confused.
An invisible force struck her stomach.
Tatsuki's face twisted, flying back into a wall, passing out.
"Tatsuki?!"
Orihime cried out.
But another force hit her, sending her airborne.
The world spun, and she grunted.
When it settled, a familiar figure appeared.
"What's happening?"
Seeing herself on the ground, Orihime blinked, dazed.
Before she could process, a roar shook the room.
"Orihime!"
"?!"
Orihime looked up, spotting a massive monster, trembling and backing into a corner.
The monster, provoked, roared again. "Orihime! You don't recognize your brother anymore?!"
"Brother?"
Orihime's mind blanked.
She'd never forget her brother.
But in her memory, Sora Inoue was a gentle man.
No way was he this terrifying, menacing beast.
"Damn it! How could you forget me! After I raised you! I got you out of that house—!!!"
Sora, unhinged, lunged with razor-sharp claws.
A cold flash sliced through the air.
With a screech, Sora's right arm was severed, hitting the ground.
---
If you want to read more than 20 chapters early feel free to visit pa tre on . com /Archus