After testing his strength, Leo left the underground hall and returned to his room.
"Balance Breaker… huh?"
Lying on his bed, he finally began seriously thinking about it.
The conditions for reaching Balance Breaker had always been clearly stated—even the books in his family's study covered the topic.
Since a Sacred Gear's power was fueled by its user's emotions and will, once the wielder experienced a drastic shift in desire or conviction—one strong enough to resist the natural flow of the world—the Sacred Gear would evolve and enter the domain of Balance Breaker.
Anyone who could fully control their Sacred Gear already had the foundation for it. If their heart experienced a major upheaval, then the emotions born from that upheaval—joy, sorrow, anger, grief, fear—would become the fuel that reshaped the Sacred Gear into a new form based on the user's intent, granting power far beyond its normal limits.
That was Balance Breaker: a sealed, world-disrupting power. Basically the same thing as a Bankai from that "neighboring shounen series."
"The condition is clear… but how do I actually achieve it?"
A will strong enough to defy the world?
How was he supposed to produce something like that?
"If it was just about training, it'd be nearly impossible. Even in the original story, barely anyone awakened Balance Breaker through raw effort."
Training alone rarely created the kind of emotional shock needed. It was far easier in a life-or-death struggle—especially for people with unshakeable convictions or goals. The closer they were pushed to death, the stronger their will flared, and that was when Balance Breakers were most likely to awaken.
"And even if I reach it… I need to think about what kind of Balance Breaker I'll get."
Every Sacred Gear had a Balance Breaker—just like every Zanpakutō could achieve Bankai. The difference was whether the wielder could reach it.
But Balance Breakers weren't fixed. They varied. Aside from "normal" Balance Breakers, there were also variant forms—subspecies Balance Breakers.
According to the original story, Balance Breakers were roughly divided into three types:
Crest Side — strengthens the Sacred Gear's original abilities.
Abyss Side — the user pushes the union between themselves and the Sacred Gear to madness, fusing into one.
X Side — doesn't fit the first two; mutation triggered by special conditions.
Most Balance Breakers were type one. Type two was rare. Type three was extremely rare.
The White Dragon Emperor had type two. The Red Dragon Emperor mostly had type three. As expected of the protagonist—if nothing else, he was the most special.
"So then… what about the Balance Breaker of Zenith Tempest?"
Leo thought back to the canon storyline.
In the original, Zenith Tempest belonged to the Church's strongest exorcist, Dulio Gesualdo. His Balance Breaker allowed him to summon countless soap bubbles that trapped his targets inside. Within those bubbles, he unleashed every kind of natural calamity—fire tornadoes, slicing winds, freezing cold, divine lightning—true divine punishment capable of changing the weather of an entire country.
But that wasn't Zenith Tempest's original Balance Breaker. It was a subspecies Balance Breaker Dulio himself developed:
Flagello di Colori del Arcobale — Speranza di Briscola
("The Rainbow Saint's Punishment — Stardust of Final Judgment")
"That ability… kinda reminds me of senpai's Sacred Gear."
Leo scratched his head.
Utaha's Sacred Gear created a barrier filled with various attacks—it really did resemble trapping enemies in bubbles and bombarding them with divine punishment.
Of course, the power wasn't even close. Even if Utaha reached Balance Breaker, her barrier attacks probably wouldn't reach divine calamity level, much less alter a nation's climate.
A Longinus was a Longinus—far above ordinary Sacred Gears. And Zenith Tempest was the second strongest Longinus in the world. The gap was enormous.
Still, it wasn't impossible. Sacred Gears constantly evolved. Who could say Utaha wouldn't someday push hers into Longinus-level territory?
It wasn't without precedent.
Originally, there weren't always thirteen Longinus.
Some had not yet manifested.
Some were born later through evolution, gaining the power to slay gods and Maou.
In the future, five new Longinus would appear, raising the total from thirteen to eighteen. Artificial Longinus would appear too, nearly upsetting the balance of the world.
But that was the future. It had little to do with Leo.
Even if new Longinus appeared, Zenith Tempest would remain firmly in second place. He wasn't worried.
Right now, reaching Balance Breaker mattered far more.
"This is going to be a pain…"
Leo realized that getting there would not be easy for him.
He had no deep obsession, no burning desire, no ideal he needed to fulfill. Yes, he was preparing for future chaos and striving for strength nonstop, but he wasn't obsessive about it. In fact, he had the attitude of "if I can't handle those major events, I might as well slack off and enjoy a carefree life in Chiba."
That kind of attitude was basically poison for reaching Balance Breaker, which required overwhelming will and emotion as its trigger.
Looking at the original series, none of the people who reached Balance Breaker were like him. Even the most unreliable, laid-back ones still carried a firm desire or obsession deep inside.
So for Leo, reaching Balance Breaker might be unexpectedly difficult.
"…I need to come up with a plan for myself."
...
The next morning, in the mansion's dining hall, everyone gathered for breakfast.
Leo sat at the head of the long table with a full spread in front of him. Yukinoshita Yukino and Yuuki Asuna sat on his left, while Utaha sat alone behind him.
Perhaps due to their upbringing, everyone ate quietly and politely. Even Leo had elegant table manners.
Only Utaha was different—she barely touched her food, yawning over and over, looking utterly exhausted.
"Damn it… why am I so tired… so weak…?" Utaha slumped over the table, her chest squashing against the surface as she groaned. "Last night I could do anything without feeling tired—I was overflowing with power. Why did I turn into this thing the moment morning came?"
Compared to last night, the difference was night and day. She was clearly suffering.
"I told you, didn't I? Devils are nocturnal." Leo glanced at her and yawned too. "It's not impossible to adapt. Just endure it for a bit. You'll get used to it eventually."
"Here, senpai." Asuna poured her a cup of hot tea. "It'll help wake you up."
Utaha thanked her politely, sipping the tea, but her expression remained dull and lifeless.
"You look sleep-deprived too." Yukino finally noticed Leo's state and frowned. "You didn't stay in the underground hall for long last night, right?"
"Yeah. I didn't push myself much. Went back early." Leo rubbed his eyes. "But I ended up thinking too hard about something, and didn't fall asleep until really late."
"You need to rest properly, Leo-san." Asuna offered kind advice, then asked, puzzled, "What were you thinking about so seriously?"
"Well…" Leo thought for a moment. "I was wondering how someone like me could make my mindset undergo a drastic change."
All three girls froze.
"What kind of question is that?" Yukino stared blankly. "Are you doing psychological research on yourself?"
"Why do you need such a drastic change of mindset?" Utaha tilted her head. "Are you unhappy with your current life, Devil-kun?"
"Not exactly." Leo waved it off without elaborating. "It's just something I need to figure out. You'll understand in the future."
They were Sacred Gear users too—Yukino, and now Utaha. They would eventually have to face the Balance Breaker wall as well.
"Um… should we ask Musashi-san for advice?" Asuna asked hesitantly.
Unlike the students, Miyamoto Musashi didn't attend school. She followed a devil's natural rhythm—sleeping during the day, active at night. Right now, she was no doubt fast asleep and wouldn't wake up until evening.
"Ask, huh…"
Leo tapped his fingers on the table thoughtfully.
"Maybe I really should find someone to consult about this."
He thought of someone.
Someone with unbelievably deep knowledge of Sacred Gears—
But also someone extremely dangerous to approach.
"…That might be risky."
He took a sip of tea, thinking hard.
And that made him even sleepier.