Clang—
Crimson light flared upward from the magic circle carved into the floor, forming a barrier that enclosed Leo and Yukino.
Yukino watched as her vision was swallowed by red light. Moments later, it dimmed, and the world reformed around her.
When her sight cleared, she and Leo were no longer in the Service Club's room at Sobu High. Instead, they stood inside a vast underground training chamber—one she immediately recognized as being beneath Leo's manor.
"We really teleported in an instant…" Yukino murmured, glancing down at the identical magic circle glowing faintly beneath her feet.
"There's still some time before class starts," Leo said casually, already used to the sight. He snapped his fingers, drawing her attention. "Before then, you should get familiar with your new power and condition. Remember what I told you on the way to school about servant devils?"
"Of course." As the top-ranked student in her year, Yukino's memory was excellent—especially when the topic concerned her directly. "Including me, every servant devil is reincarnated using special pieces modeled after chess pieces, right?"
"Exactly. They're called Evil Pieces," Leo said with a nod. "They were created by the current Maou Beelzebub to save our dwindling devil population. Only High-Class Devils who hold a noble rank are granted them."
He extended his hand as he spoke. "According to the system, I'm the 'King.' After registering my territory on the stone monuments in the Underworld, I was granted fifteen Evil Pieces in total."
"These fifteen consist of one Queen piece, two Rook pieces, two Bishop pieces, two Knight pieces, and eight Pawn pieces."
"When I use them to reincarnate others into devils, the type of piece determines the servant's traits and abilities."
A crimson magic circle formed above Leo's palm, and one by one, glowing red chess pieces floated into view, arranging themselves in front of Yukino.
"The Rook piece grants immense strength and defense. It can use an ability called Castling, and it's worth five Pawns."
"The Bishop piece enhances demonic power, suited for those skilled in magic. It's worth three Pawns."
"The Knight piece specializes in speed—perfect for fast combat—and is also worth three Pawns."
"The Queen piece, however, holds the highest value—equal to nine Pawns. It combines the traits of all the others: strength, defense, magic, and speed. It's the most powerful of all."
As he introduced each piece, it floated closer to Yukino, until finally, eight identical pieces drifted toward her.
"And these," Leo said, "are the Pawns. The weakest individually, but the most numerous. Their special trait is Promotion—they can evolve into any other piece type when within enemy territory, gaining the corresponding abilities. They may seem insignificant, but their potential for change makes them invaluable wildcards."
Once Leo had finished his explanation, Yukino immediately understood.
"So… I'm your Bishop, right?"
She'd noticed it at once—the only piece missing from Leo's set was a Bishop. The Queen was still there, the eight Pawns complete, and both pairs of Rooks and Knights intact. Only one Bishop remained. The implication was obvious.
"That's right." Leo smiled, recalling the pieces. "You're one of my Bishops. Your trait is demonic power. After your reincarnation, your magic has grown considerably—far beyond that of an ordinary Low-Class Devil."
He looked at her with clear satisfaction.
The strength of a reincarnated devil wasn't fixed—it depended on the potential of the person before turning.
All devils possessed demonic power, even reincarnated servants, but the level varied greatly. Some servants awakened strong power; others, almost none. It depended entirely on the individual's innate talent.
Take, for example, the future Red Dragon Emperor, one of the Two Heavenly Dragons. When he was reincarnated, his demonic power was laughably weak—so weak he couldn't even use magic circle teleportation. He had to ride his bike around at night just to reach humans who'd triggered their flyers.
By contrast, Yukino's demonic power after reincarnation was already quite impressive—nearly at the level Leo himself had possessed at age ten.
And at three years old, Leo had already been a prodigy among Mid-Class Devils. After seven more years of training, his power had nearly reached the upper limit of that rank.
For Yukino to start off with power that strong, even with the Bishop piece's bonus, meant her natural magical aptitude was exceptional—on par with some pureblood devils. A genuine talent.
No wonder, Leo thought. In her own world, she'd been the heroine—the model of perfection. Whether human or devil, she was always the top student.
With proper training, Yukino could soon reach Mid-Class Devil combat ability—and not just any, but among the best.
And that was only in terms of her devil powers.
Compared to what truly slept inside her, even that was insignificant.
"Now," Leo said softly, "close your eyes. Picture the strongest thing you can imagine."
His goal today was clear—to help Yukino awaken the dormant power within her.
Without hesitation, she obeyed her master's command and closed her eyes.
The strongest thing…?
Almost immediately, a face appeared in her mind—Yukinoshita Haruno.
Her older sister. The one she'd always seen as her goal, the one she could never surpass.
Yukino knew she was gifted—she had confidence in that. But that confidence faded when she compared herself to her sister, the so-called "perfect superhuman."
All her life, Yukino had lived in Haruno's shadow. At home, just like at school, she was isolated—too cold, too distant, too proper. Everyone said she was a good child, but what they really meant was that she was dull, unlikable. She'd always been bound by that image.
So even though she carried pride, there was also deep insecurity. She saw herself as a substitute—a doll with no will of her own, longing to change but lost in uncertainty.
Even now, despite knowing that Leo—or even that fallen angel from the other day—was far stronger than her sister in reality, when told to imagine "the strongest," Haruno was the first that came to mind.
It wasn't logic. It was instinct—something carved into her subconscious long ago.
And in that instant, Yukino's emotions surged uncontrollably, stirring the power that lay dormant inside her.
"Now," Leo's voice rang out sharply, "draw it out."
She inhaled sharply—and obeyed.
Boom!
The air itself roared.
The temperature in the training chamber plummeted. Bitter wind whipped through the room as snow and frost began to spiral wildly.
Yukino's clothes rippled violently in the cold, her eyes still shut tight—while behind her, a figure began to take shape.
It was nearly three meters tall, a humanoid being made entirely of ice. It looked as though it wore a formal gown, with four slender arms and a faceless head. Six eyes glowed on the left side of its face, while thorn-like protrusions jutted from the right.
"W-What… is that?"
Yukino opened her eyes and froze at the sight of the icy figure standing behind her.
Leo's voice came smoothly, perfectly timed.
"That," he said, stepping closer, "is the true form of the Sacred Gear within you."
He stopped beside her, gazing up at the towering ice figure, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"Sacred Gears vary in strength. Some are weak, barely affecting daily life. Others grant power rivaling gods and Maou."
"Most fall into the first category—they can influence human society, but not beings like us."
"However," his smile deepened, eyes gleaming, "a few can threaten even devils and angels. And among those, an extremely rare handful possess the power to kill gods and Maou alike."
He looked at the ice figure, excitement flashing in his gaze.
"Those are the highest-ranked Sacred Gears—so powerful and dangerous that Heaven and the Grigori monitor their every move."
"There are only thirteen of them in existence. Each one has the potential to upset the balance of all three factions."
"They're called—Longinus."
And the Sacred Gear residing in Yukino's body… was one of them.
"Absolute Demise," Leo said softly. "Ranked eleventh among the Longinus. A manifested-type Sacred Gear said to freeze everything and create a world of eternal ice."
In the original story, it belonged to the magician Lavinia Reni.
But in this world—its wielder was Yukino.