The ground shattered beneath me.
I launched toward Raynare like a bullet fired from a cannon, wings flaring wide, slicing through the air with a single beat—not that it made me faster, but instinct demanded it.
There were no thoughts. No strategies. Just raw instinct fueled by a primal rage that made no room for reason or morality.
She tried to react, summoning a spear of light in a hurried gesture—but my shoulder had already rammed into her.
Her body folded upon impact, tumbling across the air before slamming into the floor and rolling. She was back on her feet in seconds, but the mockery in her eyes had vanished.
Now there was pain. Anger. And a flicker of fear.
She screamed and threw three spears in rapid succession. I leapt, twisting mid-air. Two missed. The third grazed my leg, leaving a searing burn. It didn't matter. I didn't feel pain—the fire inside devoured everything.
I accelerated.
Raynare took to the air, desperate to gain distance—but I was already on her. Twisting, I landed a brutal kick to her ribs.
The crack I heard told me I'd hit the mark. She screamed as a cloud of dust enveloped her.
I didn't let up.
A barrage of blows followed, not wild, but precise—like someone who had studied fights a thousand times and was finally making it his own. Fist after fist, gusts of wind rattling the ruined church. Raynare fought back, barely managing to stay aloft.
She tried to gather energy, to form another spear—my elbow shattered the spell before it even formed.
Her blood stained the air.
It wasn't enough.
Not until she felt the same terror she inflicted on Asia.
Not until the monster knew what it was to face someone who no longer thought... but burned.
Raynare didn't fall. Didn't flinch. She didn't even recoil when my fist smashed into her face.
She deflected it.
With a grin.
A second later, a spear of light burst from her palm and skewered my side like a blade. I never saw it coming.
I only felt the heat—the blinding, searing agony tearing through my ribs as my body was thrown like a ragdoll.
I crashed into a column. The air rushed from my lungs in one violent burst.
Light coursed through my veins like venom. It hurt like hell.
I didn't get the chance to rise.
Raynare was already there—wings flared wide like obsidian scythes. She dove with ferocity, another spear aimed straight for my chest.
I rolled, purely on instinct. I heard the humming hiss as energy skimmed past the marble where I'd been a heartbeat ago.
The church trembled with each blow. This wasn't the Raynare I remembered. Her power—was monstrous.
She was fast. Precise. Overflowing with magic like a storm unbound.
And she was toying with me.
"Is that all you've got?" she laughed, hurling a new volley of light spears that screamed like arrows. I raised my demonic wings to shield myself—but they were sliced through like wet paper.
I was losing. She was crushing me.
I threw myself skyward, trying to escape—but she was already there.
Mid-air, she intercepted me with a spinning kick that twisted my entire body. The world became a whirl of broken stained glass, blood, and shadows. I tasted iron in my mouth. I didn't know if it was hers or mine.
No—definitely mine.
Raynare raised a hand. Six spears hovered above her like stars of death. Her control was surgical. She cast them one by one, as if conducting a symphony of slaughter.
I tried to dodge. Only diverted three.
One grazed my thigh. Another tore across my shoulder. The last embedded itself in my leg and tore a scream from my throat I didn't even know I could make.
I fell.
Slammed into the earth.
Raynare descended with twisted grace, stepping over debris with the patience of a killer.
"Disappointed?" she mocked. "You thought you knew who I was, didn't you? But your memories are outdated, Issei."
What does she mean?
I didn't answer. I couldn't. I could barely keep my eyes open.
She knelt, her hand alight with corrupted holy energy as she cupped my face.
"You should feel honored. You'll be the first to fall before me… in my true ascent."
She raised her spear, aiming for the final blow.
And in that single instant between fear and fury—something screamed inside me.
|•"FIRE FROM YOUR MOUTH, DUMBASS!!"•|
I knew that voice.
It was mine.
Or... was it his?
The real Issei?
The tone was exasperated, desperate—but filled with resolve. Not a criticism. A push. A spark that ignited the powder keg in my chest.
The idiot was cheering me on.
And somehow, my body responded. As if we still shared control. As if my rage and his desperation were resonating.
Maybe it was emotion. Or maybe… something deeper that tied us together in this body.
"…Thanks for the tip," I muttered, half-aware of the smile on my lips.
I opened my mouth.
Raynare looked amused. She thought I was about to scream or beg—an expression of fear before death. Mistake.
In that moment, I focused everything left in my arms. Energy surged like molten fire from the Twice Critical and the fractured Boosted Gear—resonating inside me despite their unstable sync. Wild. Unrefined. But enough.
A beam of compressed demonic energy erupted from my mouth like a dragon's breath, accompanied by a roar that wasn't just mine, but echoed with every "Issei" within this body.
It was brutal. Unforeseen.
Raynare had no time to react. The blast struck her dead-on, tearing her through pillars and stained glass like a bullet. She screamed—for the first time. In pain. In shock. But not in defeat.
We both crashed to the ground.
She—smoking, sprawled among debris.
Me—gasping, blood in my mouth, hands shaking.
I hadn't won. Not even close. But I had hurt her.
She was bleeding.
And for now—that was enough to stay on my feet.
The silence that followed was unnatural, broken only by crumbling stone. The air stank of smoke, sulfur, and blood.
Raynare didn't move. She lay amidst a shattered column, torso scorched, outfit in tatters, one wing limp beside her as if torn from its root.
For a moment—I thought I had done it.
Fool.
Her body jerked violently—rising as if yanked by a force inside.
Holy magic swirled around her, radiant in a purity that was ironic coming from someone like her.
Her hair floated, weightless, as if the air itself fled her presence.
"You…" she spat, voice low and venomous. "You dared to wound me?"
Her tone was different now. No more cruelty. No more games.
She sounded humiliated.
Enraged.
"I'm going to tear you to pieces, brat."
I had no time to brace.
She vanished—and reappeared with a sonic boom. A punch to the gut launched me like a stone into the wall.
I didn't feel pain right away—just the impact, and the vacuum in my lungs.
I crumpled into rubble, gasping, my body begging to move.
She didn't stop.
She crashed down on me like a thunderbolt, knee to my face, fists burning with murderous fury. Each hit was a cathedral bell inside my skull.
I tried to summon the Gear. Nothing. No energy. She was overpowering me in every way.
Raynare raised a new spear. The energy it gave off wasn't like any fallen magic I knew. It was denser. Purer.
As if her very existence was growing heavier by the second.
"…How are you this strong?" I managed to cough between spits of blood. "You weren't like this in the memories I have!"
She grinned—a twisted, maddened smile.
"I wasn't. I was weak. A puppet of my own delusions. But now… I'm free. And I'll show you what that means."
Her spear came down.
I rolled, barely dodging. It sliced a chunk of flesh from my arm.
I screamed, blood splattering across the stones, but I stood, staggering. The Twice Critical pulsed faintly. No strength left to fight—only to survive for a few seconds more.
Raynare came again, wings like blades dancing in death. Dodging them was impossible. One slashed my cheek. Another, my side. I collapsed to my knees, the world tilting in front of me.
She approached slowly, savoring every step.
"Where's that fire now, little demon? Where are those bold words?"
I tried to speak—but only blood came. My body shook. My wings were broken. One arm hung useless.
I stood. Somehow.
I looked at her.
"I don't care if I die… as long as I take some of you with me," I spat.
Raynare laughed—that shrill, piercing laugh that scraped against my soul.
And then, without warning—her wing became a spear and impaled me through the side.
Not light. Not magic. Something denser. Like stone made into agony.
I felt the world flicker. My vision darkened at the edges. My legs gave out.
I fell.
The ground caught me like an old friend.
Raynare knelt beside me, bloody hands cradling my face.
"Next time… die on time."
She tossed me aside like garbage.
Then—silence. Pain. Darkness.
---
Darkness. Silence. Cold.
That was all I felt when I hit the ground. My consciousness crawled, slow as tar. Each thought felt distant, drowning.
I didn't know if seconds or centuries passed. My left arm was numb. My back burned like it had been flayed.
But I didn't care.
In that void—a voice echoed. Not from without, but from within. Not words—but intention.
|•Tch… why didn't you use those movement tricks you developed, idiot? •|
"…Heh… Sorry about that…"
My voice didn't leave my lips. It came from my soul.
|•Who apologizes after pulling a stunt that stupidly heroic? You're crazier than I am… •|
A silhouette appeared before me. A reflection… no, a warped version of me.
Not the me of now. The real Issei.
The one who'd always watched from within. His eyes were the same as mine… but sadder. More human.
"Issei…"
|•Yeah. I'm here. I guess there's no point pretending anymore. I've given up. Not because you're stronger… but because you try to protect them. •|
"…I'm not a hero."
|•I know. You're just a fool who doesn't want to see anyone else die. And that… that's enough for me. •|
I moved closer—or thought I did. There was no ground. No body. Just us.
"Thank you… for the chance."
|•Don't waste it. She—Asia—she can still be saved. But Raynare… she's not the one from your memories. She's stronger. Crueler. And you're broken. You know that, right? •|
"…I am. But I can still stand."
Issei gave a half-smile.
|•Sometimes I wonder… maybe you were meant to have this body from the start. •|
"Don't say that."
|• Why not? I was weak. Selfish. I would've never protected them like you try to now. I didn't even think about it. I just wanted to chase my desires. But you… you screamed her name before thinking of yourself. •|
A moment passed.
Then—a third presence emerged.
A heartbeat. Like reality cracked.
A green emerald flame blazed in the void. From my chest, a pressure surged. A claw. A breath. A roar—not sound, but authority.
[Finally, both hearts beat as one.]
The voice was deep, thunderous. A quake made flesh.
[Welsh dragon, bearer of wrath and pride… I am Ddraig. The Red Emperor of Domination.]
I dropped to my knees. Not in submission—but because his presence crushed everything.
"…Ddraig…"
[It is not yet time to wield me fully. Your body… your soul… are at their limits. But this resonance with my partner allows me to grant you a spark. A flame. A breath of true power.]
"…A chance?"
[One. Maybe your last. Shape it. Mold your rage, your guilt, your hope… into strength. And rise. Once more.]
I stood.
Issei smiled—a sad, proud smile.
|•I don't need this body anymore. Protect them. Protect what I couldn't. Do it for both of us. •|
I nodded. And everything turned to fire.
A roar shook my senses. Emerald. Blazing. Furious.
Pain... Pain was the first thing I felt as my eyes slowly fluttered open. It was dull, pulsing like a war drum through my chest, arms, and legs. My vision swam in red and silver tones, like blood on steel. The ground beneath me was cracked and scorched, the air thick with the lingering scent of ozone and smoke.
I was still alive.
But something had changed.
I could feel it—like an echo resounding deep within my soul. A flame that hadn't been there before, burning alongside the dragon's fire. The pressure in my arms was immense, almost unbearable, yet it felt... natural. Familiar. The right arm pulsed with the unstable might of the Twice Critical, flickering with spectral crimson blades. The left hummed with the weight of legend, the Boosted Gear—partially awakened, its emerald jewel glowing brighter with each heartbeat.
"You... you finally answered me," I whispered, not sure to whom I spoke—Ddraig, the real Issei, or the power itself. Maybe all three.
Then I heard it. Faint, but unmistakable.
[Partner, the time has come]
Ddraig's voice echoed in my mind once more, steady and calm, as if he had always known this moment would arrive. And perhaps he had. My memories, my soul—none of them belonged here originally, and yet, for the first time, I felt I did.
My hand clenched into a fist, the twin gauntlets reacting in sync, their energies intertwining. My aura surged outward, rippling through the air like a shockwave. Trees bent under the force, the earth groaned beneath me.
And standing just a few feet away... was her.
Raynare.
She stared at me with disbelief, the smirk gone, replaced by something else. Fear? Confusion? I couldn't tell.
I slowly stood up, ignoring the blood on my lips, the tremors in my legs. My gaze locked onto her, unwavering.
"You took something precious from her," I said, voice low but firm, vibrating with restrained fury. "And you tried to take me."
A step forward.
"That was your mistake."
My power surged again, the Boosted Gear flaring with a sharp clink, the gem flashing a deep green. Behind me, I felt Asia's presence—weak, but still breathing. Still alive.
I wouldn't fail her.
I wouldn't lose myself.
Not again.
"Let me show you what it means to awaken a dragon."
"…How…?" she whispered.
I didn't answer.
I just walked toward her, staggering, eyes locked, heart ablaze.
I didn't care if I died. I didn't care about pain.
Asia could still be saved.
Raynare could still fall.
And I…
I had a promise to keep
Pain still crawled beneath my skin like smoldering embers. My ribs were likely broken, each breath a jagged knife. My muscles screamed with every twitch, and the metallic taste in my mouth told me something inside was bleeding.
But even so… I stood.
Raynare floated downward with a cruel grace, her aura rippling like living flame, every feather of her wings glowing with celestial light. Her eyes, cold and sharp, studied me with a blend of contempt and morbid curiosity.
"You're really going to stand up again?" she said, her voice as sharp as a blade. "I'll break you again. And again, if I must."
She said, although it was noticeable how hesitant his tone was.
"That won't work... not this time," I murmured, lifting both arms.
The Twice Critical on my right arm pulsed with erratic crimson light, breathing like a living organ. Power surged through it in violent bursts, the many holy weapons I had absorbed thundering within, each one yearning to be unleashed, demanding release.
But it was my left arm that stole the scene.
There it was.
The Boosted Gear.
Incomplete. Not yet bearing its full set of armor plates or radiant brilliance—but unmistakable.
I could feel Ddraig's slumbering roar deep within the emerald gem. And for the first time... both Sacred Gears began to resonate.
The Twice Critical trembled violently, its core igniting with a deeper glow, feeding on the energy flowing from Ddraig's essence.
The weapons within it began to change, their shapes twisting, evolving—becoming something more. The Gear itself transformed into a seamless extension of those weapons, manipulating light as though it were simply another element under my will.
Raynare's expression cracked. Her smile faltered. Her brow furrowed.
"That's not possible...! You only had a pathetic Twice Critical!"
"You're right," I replied, my voice steadier now—deeper, more... mine.
"This is a loan."
[BOOST!!]
[BOOST!!]
Power erupted from the Boosted Gear, washing over me in surging waves. It coursed through my body, amplifying the Twice Critical as well. My senses sharpened. My sight became razor-precise. Each heartbeat a war drum guiding my every move.
Raynare didn't wait.
Her wings snapped shut and she shot forward like a black spear of divine death. I charged too—no longer prey. This time, I moved as her equal.
The impact was brutal.
My left arm caught her light lance, the Boosted Gear absorbing the blow. My right arm twisted, conjuring a blade of light and slashing in a wide arc. She recoiled just in time, narrowly dodging the strike. The explosion of mana from our clash shattered the air around us.
We fired spells at the same time. My blast, supercharged by the Twice Critical, collided with hers in a blinding flash that lit up the ruins of the church in sacred fire and fury.
For a heartbeat, it was almost like a dance.
She forged spears of light; I deflected them with blades I generated and discarded in an instant. Sometimes I shot beams of condensed holy energy from the Twice Critical, other times I struck with fists glowing from Ddraig's raw power.
Raynare howled—furious, unhinged that her prey no longer cowered.
"What the hell are you?! This doesn't make any sense!"
"I'm someone who won't lose again. Not to you. Not this time."
I said it with a calm that surprised even me, my voice steady, but burning with a fury I didn't yet understand.
The fight escalated.
Raynare changed tactics, doubling her speed, vanishing and reappearing behind me. But I was ready. I spun, unleashing an explosive wave of power from the Boosted Gear that hurled her backward. Without hesitation, I fired five shots from the Twice Critical—each one a hammer of light.
One struck true—right in her abdomen. She grunted, a sharp, pained gasp torn from her lips.
But she wasn't finished.
With a single motion, she conjured a massive spear and hurled it at me with terrifying force.
I crossed both arms, bracing myself. The impact launched me through the remains of the church, slamming me into the ground and carving a crater beneath my body.
My breath caught. Blood streamed down my face. Every part of me ached.
But I had managed to use both Gears to erect a barrier—one woven with draconic and sacred energy. It had saved me.
And still… I stood again.
And she saw it.
This time… we were equals.
And that terrified her.