Progenitor Devil Transformation

Thinking of it that way, there seemed little reason to feel so resentful.

"All right, everyone's finished eating. Time to get down to business."

Lind wiped his mouth, led his servants into the living room, and casually waved a hand toward the floor.

Hum!

A dark purple magic circle flashed and vanished.

The next second.

Issei Hyoudou appeared on the floor, frozen into an ice sculpture.

"Raynare, prepare to extract the Sacred Gear from his body."

"Yes, Master."

At his command, Raynare immediately got to work.

Lind stood nearby, watching the entire process.

He had to admit.

Whoever had devised this method was an absolute genius with a unique understanding of Sacred Gears.

There was probably only one minor issue.

Once a Sacred Gear was extracted, its owner would die on the spot.

Hum!

Under his gaze, brilliant light began to flicker.

Crimson light began to bloom from Issei Hyoudou's chest.

A moment later.

A crimson gauntlet inlaid with green gems, shaped like a dragon's claw, appeared in Raynare's hands.

"This is the Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet!" all three exclaimed.

The three fallen angels were utterly stunned, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

They had never imagined that the Sacred Gear inside this man would have such an illustrious origin.

"By the way, what is the Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet?"

Shiho Miyano asked curiously.

Very little of the knowledge she had recently acquired concerned Sacred Gears.

"The Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet is a Sacred Gear of the highest rank, known as a Longinus."

Raynare took a deep breath and explained, "If used properly, it can even give its wielder power surpassing gods and devils."

"That's right."

Lind agreed and beckoned lightly. The Boosted Gear turned into a streak of light and landed in his hand.

"Oh, and dispose of the body."

"Yes, Master."

The trio of fallen angels got to work.

Though there really was not much work involved.

They did not even need to touch the body. Their power of light reduced it to ashes.

The only troublesome part was cleaning up the traces left on the floor.

Lind ignored all that and examined the Boosted Gear in his hand.

A Longinus chose its own master.

Although he now had it in his possession, this was only the beginning.

A moment later.

Lind's magic began to spread as he followed the method Raynare had provided earlier, hoping to claim this Longinus.

But...

There was no response whatsoever.

Lind: "..."

His gaze grew dangerous, and a cold smile curled his lips.

Quite the attitude.

Boom!

Terrifying magic began to seethe.

His earlier approach had been relatively gentle.

Now, however, Lind intended to force it into submission.

Hum!

At last, it began to respond.

A moment later.

A dragon's roar seemed to echo from the depths of his soul.

Lind's eyes lit up. He closed them, allowing that unseen pull to guide him.

In a daze.

The world had changed.

At some point, everything around him had turned crimson, as though the color filled the entire world.

Looking closely, he saw that the crimson was a sea of rippling flames.

Yet strangely, the flames gave off no heat at all.

"What, you brought me in here, but you won't show yourself?"

Lind looked up and asked, a trace of coldness flashing through his eyes.

"Roar—!"

An earth-shaking dragon's roar suddenly rang out from the sky.

As the sound rose.

The entire space seemed to tremble.

An enormous creature was already circling overhead.

It was a giant dragon covered in crimson scales, radiating a terrifying pressure from every inch of his body.

The instant Lind saw him.

He was certain.

This was one of the legendary Two Heavenly Dragons.

The Red Dragon Emperor—Ddraig.

"Demon, abandon that idea. You are not worthy of becoming my master."

Ddraig bared his fangs and claws, his body moving through the air and stirring waves of flame.

"Hmph. I'm afraid that isn't for you to decide."

Lind snorted coldly. "Whatever catches my eye, I'll get my hands on it, no matter what."

"Even if I have to annihilate your will."

Ddraig froze for a moment, then burst into wild laughter.

"Interesting. You really are far too interesting."

"In all these countless years, you're the first person who has dared speak to me like that!"

"You actually intend to erase my existence and take complete control of the Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet?"

"Hahaha! If you can do it, then go ahead and try."

With every word Ddraig spoke, the draconic pressure radiating from him surged higher.

By the end, it shook heaven and earth, as though the entire space were trembling.

He was the battle-hungry Red Dragon Emperor.

Born for battle, willing to die in battle.

In the age of the ancient factions, if he had not offended the Demons, angels, and Fallen Angels all at once.

How could he have ended up like this?

And now this Demon dared make such outrageous claims.

As fury rose within him, the fighting spirit that had lain dormant for a thousand years erupted in full.

Lind looked up at the sky and merely smiled faintly. "In that case, let me send you on your final journey."

As his words fell, long black wings burst from his body, and terrifying magic spread like a tide.

Chapter 47: Progenitor Devil Transformation

"You're actually a Maou?"

Ddraig was slightly surprised, then sneered. "To think that during all these years I spent asleep, the Underworld produced an unfamiliar powerhouse like you."

"But even if you're a Maou, so what?"

His voice echoed for a long time, filled with Ddraig's absolute confidence.

As one of the legendary Two Heavenly Dragons.

He thought nothing of an ordinary Maou.

A moment later.

Ddraig attacked.

He opened his jaws, gathering the vast, magnificent power within his body in his mouth.

Hum!

Brilliant light blossomed, turning into a pillar of magic that seemed to span heaven and earth as it swept toward Lind.

"Hmph!"

Lind snorted coldly. The pitch-black Devil's Gun appeared in his hand, and he simply raised it slightly.

Devil's Gun: Infinite Lightning.

In an instant, the crimson flames filling the world seemed to vanish, replaced by endless blue light.

Under Ddraig's gaze.

Lind unleashed thousands of lightning strikes with a mere lift of his hand.

The sky before Ddraig seemed to turn into an ocean of lightning, engulfing his pillar of magic.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Countless deafening crashes instantly blended into one.

As their powers collided.

It was as though countless missiles had exploded at the point of impact.

An immense blast of wind abruptly spread, becoming an overwhelming shock wave that rolled out in every direction.

"How exactly did you do that?"

Ddraig's eyes widened, his voice full of bewilderment.

In that brief instant.

His opponent had cast lightning magic at least a thousand times.