When Sona directly invited him to join her peerage, Akira was honestly caught off guard.
"That's… pretty forward, huh? It's only our second eting. You don't even know who I really am, what kind of person I am, and yet you're already inviting to be your subordinate?" (Akira)
"I'm sorry, but I don't have any plans to beco a reincarnated devil. Living as an ordinary human is still pretty enjoyable for ." (Akira)
"A rejection, huh? That's fine. But if you ever change your mind, feel free to co see ." (Sona)
"Understood, Sona-kaichou." (Akira)
Sona didn't seem disappointed in the slightest.
Or rather, it was likely that the invitation had been made on impulse. If Akira had accepted right away, she probably would've grown suspicious.
Sona didn't dislike confident people—in fact, the more confident soone was, the more likely they had "sothing hidden."
"If you know who Kaichou really is, then you must be strong yourself, right? How about we have a quick spar?"
A spirited voice called out from the side—a girl with short pink hair and an intense, fiery aura.
"Who's she?"
"My na is Tomoe guri, Kaichou's Knight. Nice to et you."
"I'm Shin Akira. Likewise." (Akira)
"So? You up for a duel?"
Tomoe guri was practically bouncing with anticipation. As a swordswoman, she loved to fight—especially against strong, unfamiliar opponents. That was the only way to grow stronger.
"Tomoe-san, you're being too reckless. You can't just challenge soone to a fight like that."
"But Kaichou~!" (guri)
"That's enough."
Sona's tone sharpened just a bit—and guri fell silent imdiately.
Within the Student Council, Sona's authority was absolute. She wasn't just their president—she was their master.
"It's fine. If Tomoe-san is interested, I see no reason to refuse her. I just arrived, after all. It wouldn't be right to reject soone's goodwill." (Akira)
"Really!? Yay!" (guri)
guri lit up with excitent and even grabbed Akira's hand, dragging him out of the room at full speed.
Sona and Tsubaki exchanged glances—then gave a small, knowing smile.
Truth be told, Sona was also curious—just how strong was Shin Akira?
Thanks to guri's sheer energy, the group arrived at the kendo club's dojo. Aside from being a Student Council mber, guri was also the captain of Kuoh Academy's kendo club.
Both of them stepped onto the sparring platform. guri grabbed a bokken from the weapon rack, then turned to Akira with a clear expression that said: "Pick your weapon too."
"Uh… I don't know swordsmanship." (Akira)
"Oh really? Then let's go with hand-to-hand." (guri)
Without hesitation, guri set her bokken down, looking fully ready for a barehanded fight.
"No need. Feel free to use whatever weapon you like. I have my own." (Akira)
"Huh? Your own weapon? Are you a Sacred Gear user?" (guri)
"Sothing like that." (Akira)
"A Sacred Gear, huh…? No wonder Kaichou took an interest in you."
guri's eyes widened in admiration.
Sacred Gear users weren't unheard of, but humans who were born with one were exceedingly rare.
In fact, within Sona's entire peerage, only Shinra Tsubaki possessed a Sacred Gear—Mirror Alice.
Sona—who had just entered the dojo—was visibly surprised at Akira's casual admission. Now she understood why Rias had shown interest in him. If he truly was a Sacred Gear wielder, then with just a little training, he had the potential to beco a high-level combatant in the near future.
After all, Sacred Gears could perform miracles in battle. Their power ca from the will and determination of their user. In a desperate situation, they could awaken to incredible heights.
"In that case, I can't afford to go easy. You don't mind if I use a real blade, do you?"
guri grabbed a case sitting on a nearby table, opened it, and revealed a gleaming katana. Its blade shimred with a sharp, intimidating gleam—this was no ordinary weapon.
"Of course not. Go ahead." (Akira)
"Perfect! He's eager to cut loose too!" (guri)
Akira glanced at the katana in guri's hands, its cold glint catching his eye. Internally, he let out a small sigh.
"Why does Japanese always lump all swords under 'ken'? A katana and a sword are not the sa thing..."
"Well then… I'm coming at you!" (guri)
"Anyti." (Akira)
"Alright!" (guri)
Tap!
guri kicked off the floor, dashing straight at Akira at lightning speed.
Zing!
Behind Akira, a golden magic circle spun into existence. From it, chains of radiant gold shot out—Chain of Heaven had been summoned.
Clang!
The chains intercepted guri's blade with a loud clash of tal-on-tal.
Whoosh!
The battle wasn't over yet—more chains erged from various directions, swarming toward guri like hunting serpents.
Seeing that, guri planted one foot on the ground and twisted her body midair, performing a flawless backflip to evade them all.
She charged again with pinpoint accuracy—her second assault, fast and sharp.
But Akira didn't budge an inch.
Without moving from his spot, he calmly summoned and directed the golden chains, orchestrating their movents for both defense and attack.
It was only his second ti using the technique, but already, he controlled it like an extension of his own body.
Every chain responded perfectly to his thoughts—twisting, encircling, restraining, striking—just like additional arms and legs.
Truthfully, Akira hadn't accepted this duel out of politeness.
There were two reasons.
First, to test if defeating an opponent in a duel would increase his Template progress.
Second, to reaccustom himself to real combat situations.
Losing?
That thought hadn't even crossed his mind.
It was a kind of absolute confidence. Part of it ca from arrogance—as soone who knew this world's "script," he saw most of the people here as glorified NPCs.
The other part… ca from the Inherited Template of Enkidu.
Enkidu, the holy being molded from clay by the gods. Born from the will of Anu, King of the Sky, and shaped by Aruru, the Goddess of Creation.
A divine construct given a human form by a sacred priest—one who ca to understand humanity through the experience of love.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call Enkidu the gods' ultimate masterpiece. Though he referred to himself as rely a "weapon," no one could deny that he was a true hero—equal in stature to King Gilgash.
And now, Akira had inherited that Template... and with it, a fragnt of that divine essence.
After all, Enkidu was known as the Shadow of the King, standing beside the Golden King of Uruk.
— — —
Want to read more chapters or get early access?
Visit my Patreon page here:
[email protected]/FaaanzKun
There, you'll find 15 extra chapters ahead of WebNovel!
> Already caught up with the latest chapter on WebNovel?
Continue the journey early on Patreon for just:
$3.50/month
— — —
📅 Chapter Updates: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
😴 Update Break: Sunday
— — —
User Comments
0 comments from readers