Everything is Anime!

Regardless of how those two are getting along, Hikaru is now examining his own gains. Besides Asia, the greatest trophy from this operation is undoubtedly the sacred gear, Boosted Gear of the Red Dragon Emperor—which is also part of Hikaru's plan. To achieve god-slaying under the best possible conditions, the most accessible powerful item early on is precisely this gear.

In the past, it was one of the Two Heavenly Dragons that sowed chaos in the world; a terrifying dragon feared by countless factions. Though it can't compare to Ophis, Great Red, and other top-level existences in the "DxD" world, it's on par with the next tier of beings known as "Transcendents." And notably, this kind of sacred gear doesn't require a so-called soul binding: as long as you have it, anyone can use it. The difference lies in how much of its power you can draw out. If your aptitude is lacking, you can only use its most basic effects—for example, Tatara's "Double"—but in fact, that skill is something any user of this gear can activate.

The real dividing line is the so-called "Balance Breaker." Essentially, it's a forbidden, ominous transformation. Like a force so destructive that it's called "a sealed power." And a Balance Breaker for a "God Destroyer" Sacred Gear is even more so.

Hikaru clearly remembers how to develop a Balance Breaker, and he also recalls what Boosted Gear looks like once it goes into Balance Breaker mode—a full body covered in armor, resembling a Kamen Rider or Armor Hero. As a guy, it's quite hard to resist that sort of thing.

But to unlock the Balance Breaker, at minimum you need the gear's spirit to awaken. As for how to awaken it…

Hikaru closed his eyes and sank his consciousness into the gear. Thanks to his frequent contact with Esther before, he'd already learned how to communicate with things like "spirits" residing in weapons, so this time was no exception.

Inside the sacred gear's mental space, there was nothing but a void of chaos. A dark-red orb of light floated in the darkness. Hikaru entered, catching sight of the slumbering red dragon within—its fiery red scales layered like mountain ridges, and its massive shape inspiring awe. However, Hikaru knew this was only an illusion. Long ago, the Red Dragon Emperor was dismembered by the Biblical God during some ancient war; now, only the dragon's soul remains, sealed within the crafted sacred gear.

"Red Dragon Emperor, open your eyes. The time has come for you to prove your worth," Hikaru said aloud.

Sensing his voice, the sleeping Red Dragon Emperor felt a ripple of power. Its frail seal was instantly broken; after centuries of slumber, it awakened once more.

"Where is this place?" Ddraig's consciousness stirred, sounding at first a bit dazed. But soon enough, memories and information came flooding back. "So that's how it is… The previous Red Dragon Emperor is dead, so you must be this generation's host?" Ddraig looked at the black-haired young man before it, sounding surprised. "Didn't expect you to communicate directly with me here inside the gear. How are you doing this?"

"Gifted," replied Hikaru.

"…Well, I'll accept that. But as partners who'll fight side by side, maybe we can be a bit more honest with each other?" Ddraig sounded mildly displeased. It felt that Hikaru didn't act like a host but more like an owner. Still, some kind of host was better than none. In the past, Ddraig had far stranger wielders. At least this one looked capable.

"In a family, everyone has their own privacy—let alone you and me, who just met," Hikaru said, shaking his head. Back when he only watched anime, he never realized how talkative Ddraig could be. Now it felt slightly excessive.

"Fine, but what did you come in for anyway? Now that I'm awake, we can talk normally with you on the outside, too."

"That's exactly the problem. I value privacy a lot, so I want you to appear only during combat. Otherwise, keep quiet."

"Hey, that's too much, partner!" Ddraig objected. "That's basically forcing me. Besides, now that I'm awake, how would we even do that? You expect me to just sleep all day until you call me out for a fight?"

Hearing that, Ddraig's manifestation quivered. It felt its host was even more peculiar than the last ones, and if it couldn't sleep, what then?

"I don't think it's over the top, and I do have a way to fix it," Hikaru said. Then, in his mind, he silently summoned Esther. A glow like moonlight radiated within the gear's mental space, swiftly condensing into a silver-haired girl in a simple dress—or more precisely, a silver-haired loli.

"Hikaru, what do you need me for?" said Esther, turning to glance at Ddraig's form. "A big dog? Did you adopt a new pet?"

"Hey, I'm not a dog! I'm a dragon, the legendary strongest one—no ordinary Dragon King compares to me, the Red Dragon Emperor— Wait, your power… Wh-what is this?!" Ddraig boasted but then sensed an aura rolling off Esther. Within the gear's mental space, it could gauge their relative levels. Instantly, it realized even at its peak, it couldn't match this small silver-haired girl. How was that even possible?!

In that moment, Ddraig became depressed.

~~~

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