But at that very moment, Rias realized something strange.
Akira—who had always been suspicious of others and constantly repeated how "he had to protect himself"—why had he so easily opened up and revealed his secret to Akeno?
Had their relationship… really progressed that far?
She glanced at Akeno, who had mostly recovered her composure—though a faint blush still lingered on her cheeks—and Rias couldn't help but feel as though she'd just uncovered something significant.
But along with that realization… came a faint sense of displeasure.
As a fellow woman, was she… inferior to Akeno? Was it her face? Her body? Or something else entirely?
Why was it that Akira remained so guarded around her, but lowered his defenses so easily with Akeno—even going so far as to reveal such a massive secret?
For the first time since childhood, Rias felt an emotion she had never directed toward Akeno Himejima. It wasn't just rivalry—it was a subtle, nagging sense of envy, mixed with a sting to her pride. It was far different from the open and fair competition she usually shared with Sona Sitri.
"By the way, Akeno," she asked, casually, though the undertone was anything but light, "what exactly is your relationship with Shin now?"
The question sounded harmless enough, but there was a clear implication behind it.
Akeno, however, didn't seem to catch it. Or more accurately, she was too caught up in her own thoughts to notice anything beneath the surface.
"Us? I guess you could say… we're friends now."
A gentle smile bloomed on Akeno's face. But to Rias, it felt like a dagger to the heart—sweet and sharp, aimed directly at lonely souls like hers.
"You two… don't tell me you're dating?"
"Dating? Rias, why would you even think that?"
"Well, you did come back looking like someone who just finished… intense exercise or something. Shaky legs, flushed face… did you really think I wouldn't notice?"
"Don't get the wrong idea! We're just friends—really!"
Akeno quickly waved her hands and denied it. But her slightly flustered reaction only made Rias even more suspicious.
Even so, Rias eventually chose to trust her. After all, they had grown up together. And she knew—Akeno wasn't the kind of girl who would give herself away so easily.
Meanwhile, after Akeno's departure, Akira finally left his apartment.
Yesterday, he had already dealt with Raynare, the Fallen Angel. But there were still others roaming around Kuoh City. And to Akira, they were—quite literally—walking experience points.
His target today was the old abandoned church near the edge of town. Though it had been deserted for years, the location was still easy to find—either via a map or by asking around.
Upon arriving at the vicinity, Akira began testing his newly enhanced detection abilities. He stepped onto the soil and tapped into the power of the earth beneath his feet, letting his senses spread through the terrain.
While he wasn't at the level of Enkidu—who could fully manipulate the land itself—Akira could now at least perform basic functions like energy detection and drawing power from the ground.
A gentle hum of mana vibrated beneath his soles.
Through the power of the earth, he sensed them clearly—four sources of magical energy inside the church.
Three of them radiated an aura similar to Raynare's—almost certainly more Fallen Angels.
The remaining one was far weaker. Most likely… a human. Based on the original story's flow, this had to be that crazy priest.
"Ddraig, let's see just how powerful the combination of your strength and my Noble Phantasm really is."
『I'm curious too, Partner.』
"In that case… let's begin."
A crimson gauntlet materialized on Akira's arm, and a pulse of power surged through his body, instantly doubling his strength.
But he didn't attack right away. Instead, he waited.
Five consecutive boosts later, Akira's magic power had reached 32 times its original strength—an absurd level of amplification.
Even he had trouble believing he'd achieved such a massive increase.
『That's enough, Partner. Any more and your body might not hold up.』
"Understood. Then… shine forth—Chains of Heaven!"
A massive pulse of magical energy exploded from Akira.
Dozens of radiant golden points of light appeared behind him. From each point, chains burst forth, slicing through the air like divine spears.
A moment later, the church—an old structure that had stood for decades—was reduced to rubble, blown apart by the sheer force of his attack.
From within the crumbling ruins, three figures emerged, soaring through the debris with desperate speed.
All of them bore black wings—Fallen Angels. Their bodies were bloodied, and both their wings and limbs showed heavy damage.
"You bastard! How dare you attack us!"
One of them, a burly middle-aged man dressed in a heavy coat and wearing a classic round hat, glared at Akira with fury.
His wings were nearly torn off, and his left arm and right leg had been badly injured.
Beside him stood Kalawarner and Mittelt—one a voluptuous woman, the other a petite girl—both of them wounded and visibly shaken.
"So you're still alive… what a shame," Akira muttered, clearly disappointed. "Looks like Chains of Heaven isn't the best tool for area-of-effect attacks."
The chains were, after all, a Noble Phantasm best suited for precise, anti-divine restraints—not wide-scale destruction.
The man—Dohnaseek—roared and conjured a spear of light, hurling it at Akira with all his remaining strength.
He had clearly forgotten—Akira had just reduced their hideout to dust and nearly killed them in one blow. The gap in power was unmistakable.
A single golden chain shot out and crushed the spear mid-flight. Without hesitation, it pierced through Dohnaseek's chest.
The disbelief and fear in his eyes lingered even after the life left his body.
Kalawarner and Mittelt didn't even get the chance to scream. The remaining chains shot forward, eliminating them instantly.
At this point, Akira—now at Level 5—was already on par with a high-class Fallen Angel. Meanwhile, Dohnaseek and the others were mere low-class foot soldiers.
[You have gained 1% Template Inheritance!]
[You have gained 1% Template Inheritance!]
[You have gained 1% Template Inheritance!]
A total of 3% added instantly.
However, one more prey still remained—hidden somewhere beneath the rubble…
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