"This is… the real world? No way. You've got to be kidding!"
Saji's voice trembled, his face pale with disbelief. "A whole department just to monitor Sacred Gear users? They actually kill people just for being a potential threat? That's insane."
"Don't be so dramatic." Shuo's tone was casual, almost bored. "Even Fallen Angels aren't that heartless. Usually, they just keep tabs on people like you. If your Sacred Gear never awakens or you don't do anything dangerous, they won't bother with you. What happened just now was… a special case."
He waved a hand, dismissing Saji's panic. "That guy was acting on his own, breaking orders to hunt down Sacred Gear hosts. Most of the time, they stick to surveillance."
Saji's hands twisted together, anxiety written all over him. "So… I'm safe now, right? No more life-or-death situations?"
Shuo paused, pretending to think. "Maybe. Probably. But honestly? There's a good chance you'll still be hunted."
"Wha—? Why?!" Saji's panic spiked again.
"Because your Sacred Gear is dangerous. You've got a quarter of Vritra—the Black Evil Dragon King—sealed inside you. That dragon's soul is twisted, wild, and it can push its host into a rampage. If your Sacred Gear was ever completed, it'd be a top-tier threat. The kind that gets marked for elimination the moment someone finds out."
Saji stared at him, stunned. He looked like a man whose entire world had just collapsed.
Shuo softened—just a little. "Look, Saji. You've got two options." He offered a small smile.
"One: I can extract your Sacred Gear. You'll go back to being a normal guy, living a normal life. No more supernatural headaches."
"Two: You do nothing. Maybe a Devil will recruit you, but odds are, the Fallen Angels will find you first—and they won't hesitate."
Back when he watched DxD, Shuo had never disliked Saji. The kid was decent—nothing like Issei's pervy antics. If Saji had been a creep, Shuo wouldn't have hesitated to throw away the mission reward and take harsher action.
"Devil… There are Devils in this world, too?" Saji looked lost.
"I think I'd rather just be a regular person. Please, Nangong-kun—get this thing out of me." Saji forced a bitter smile.
Shuo nodded, focusing his will. With the system's help, he reached into the supernatural and pulled the [Black Dragon Pulse] free from Saji's soul.
How could he do this without killing Saji? Simple—the system handled everything. No risk, no mess.
Saji stared, wide-eyed, at the writhing black mass in Shuo's hand. It pulsed with a sickly aura, tendrils shifting like something alive. "That… that was inside me?"
"Yeah. Evil dragon, evil vibes. But honestly, it's useless to me." Shuo shrugged, then, with a thought, purified the soul and tucked it away in his system's storage.
Even if the complete [Black Dragon Pulse] was nearly on par with a Longinus, it didn't matter to him. Maybe one day, if he collected all of Vritra's fragments, he'd purify the soul and give it to one of his girls as a gift.
Shuo glanced at Saji, and with another flicker of system power, erased the boy's memory of the last few minutes.
Saji would probably never join Sona's Peerage now. But that was his choice—Shuo hadn't forced him. No guilt on his conscience.
"Huh? Nangong-kun, why are you here? What just happened? I… can't remember anything." Saji scratched his head, confusion written all over his face.
"Don't sweat it. If you can't remember, it's probably not important. Give it a day or two—you'll forget you were even confused."
Shuo laughed, clapped Saji on the shoulder, and walked away, leaving Saji standing there in a fog.
"…What just happened…?"
—
Back home, Shuo wasted no time. This was his first Red Tier mission—his heart pounded with anticipation.
"System, show me my reward!"
"Ding! Mission complete: Protect Saji Genshirou and extract Sacred Gear. Reward: (Uchiha Madara version) Rinnegan.
"Holy—no way. The system actually gave me Madara's Rinnegan?" Shuo's whole body shivered with excitement. Just a Red Tier reward, and he'd scored one of the most broken powers in all of anime.
Madara's Rinnegan wasn't just strong—it was absurd. Tengai Shinsei, summoning meteors from the sky to obliterate the battlefield. Limbo: Border Jail, spawning invisible "shadow" clones that could block attacks or ambush enemies. Madara had soloed all nine Tailed Beasts with just one eye.
And in this world, he could even absorb magic to replenish himself. Gravity, repulsion, all the classic Rinnegan tricks—now his.
"Risking Fallen Angels for this? Totally worth it."
With a wave of magic, Shuo summoned a mirror, grinning at the blue, ripple-patterned eyes staring back at him.
Now, he finally had the power to protect himself. If he mastered the Rinnegan, even Satan-class enemies wouldn't scare him.
Only problem? His magic reserves were still pitifully low. No way he could sustain high-level combat for long. That had to change.
"Oh well. Where there's a will, there's a way. As long as I keep clearing missions, I'll figure it out. Worrying won't help—time to sleep."
With that, Shuo flopped onto his bed and drifted off, a satisfied smile on his face.
—
What Shuo didn't know was that he'd just thrown the Student Council into chaos.
After leaving the Occult Research Club, Tsubasa Yura (Sona's Rook) rushed straight to the Student Council room. The doors slammed open with a bang.
"Tsubasa, you're too reckless. Can't you at least knock?"
Tsubaki Shinra, the Vice President, frowned, her voice sharp.
"Hehe, sorry, Tsubaki! But I've got something major for the President!" Tsubasa stuck out her tongue, playing up the apology.
She bowed to the black-haired, bespectacled girl seated at the desk, then blurted out, cheeks flushed with excitement, "President, I found a swordsmanship genius today—no, a genius in every way! He's exactly the kind of Knight you've been dreaming of. We can't let him slip away!"
Sona Sitri raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised. "Oh? I didn't expect you to praise someone this much, Tsubasa. Tell me more."
Tsubaki's eyes lit up as well, her interest piqued.
"It went like this…"
Tsubasa recounted Shuo's challenge at the kendo club, embellishing the story with her usual flair.
"You're saying this student, Shuo Nangong, defeated every member of the kendo club with a single strike—and then beat you too?"
Sona's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Exactly. I was just as shocked. I'd planned to teach him a lesson, but he turned the tables on me." Tsubasa's cheeks reddened in embarrassment.
"And that's not all. Afterward, we went to…"
She eagerly described everything that happened at the Occult Research Club, her words tumbling out.
"He defeated Yuuto Kiba in just a few seconds?"
Now Sona was on her feet, eyes wide with shock.
"Kiba's Rias Gremory's Knight! He's strong—honestly, I'm not sure I could beat him myself. For Shuo to take him down instantly… it's hard to believe."
Tsubaki looked equally stunned. "That's… almost impossible."
"But it's true. Kiba-kun was completely outclassed." Tsubasa's tone was deadly serious.
When Tsubasa finished, Sona and Tsubaki exchanged glances, both faces alight with excitement.
"Shuo Nangong. Swordsmanship prodigy, master of hand-to-hand, lightning powers, space magic, probably a Sacred Gear user, and a great guy to boot. I have to recruit him for my Peerage. Rias, I won't let you steal him away."
Rias might have met him first, but Shuo hadn't joined her Peerage yet. Friendship or not, Sona was ready to compete for him.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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