Chapter 106 - Secret Revealed - Part 2
For a moment, the entire ORC fell silent.
"Mahiro-kun, did you just say you awakened a Longinus?" Rias asked, disbelief clear in her voice as she stared at him.
Anyone who wasn't a fresh into supernatural would've at least heard about how insane a Longinus was.
For someone like Rias, who grew up in a noble family, she knew exactly how serious this was.
In biblical mythology, aside from the constant war between Angels, Devils, and Fallen Angels, Longinus was one of the most dangerous things left behind.
Longinus is a weapon from the God of the Bible.
As the story goes, it's said to have the power to kill gods.
But, honestly, nobody's really confirmed that part yet.
What isn't up for debate is how strong Longinus is.
Every person who had one, unless they died early, was one of the top fifteen most powerful beings of their time.
Some of them could even take on a transcendent.
And when you compare that to the so-called immortality of the Phenex, it makes that power look like child's play.
Of course, the ones who could take on a transcendent were those who fully mastered their Longinus.
Even so, a newly awakened Longinus was way more powerful than most Sacred Gears, giving the user a huge power boost right from the start.
But Longinus wasn't something you just stumble upon--there are only thirteen in existence.
And even then, a lot of them vanished after their first appearance, becoming more like legends.
Now, with Mahiro straight-up claiming he had awakened a Longinus, Rias and the others were having a hard time processing it.
"Yeah," Mahiro confirmed with a grin, trying to put Rias at ease.
While whipping out his Longinus in the fight against Riser would've made a bigger impact, Mahiro didn't want to stress out Rias or the others unnecessarily.
"You're not just saying this to make me feel better, are you?" Rias's eyes widened, a bit of suspicion creeping in.
She was worried Mahiro might just be trying to calm her down, but from his perspective, she was just overthinking it.
"Do you really think I'd joke about something like this?"
Mahiro didn't know whether to laugh or be annoyed, so he just raised his right hand. With a simple thought, a red gauntlet appeared, covering his hand.
No words could explain this better than just showing it off.
"Do you recognize which Longinus this is?" Mahiro asked Rias with a casual smirk.
Everyone's eyes immediately locked onto Mahiro's hand.
"President, what Longinus is that?" Koneko asked, studying the gauntlet. She wasn't super familiar with Sacred Gears or Longinus, so she had no clue.
She'd only heard of Longinus in name and didn't know what they actually looked like.
"Rias, you recognize it, right?" Akeno asked, frowning as she stared at the gauntlet, before finally showing a look of realization.
Akeno clearly knew more about this stuff than Koneko.
"This color and shape... as far as I know, only one Longinus fits that description."
Rias locked her eyes on the red gauntlet, thinking for a moment before saying: "The Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet, or more commonly known as Boosted Gear."
"I didn't expect it, but yeah, it's definitely that," Akeno added, looking surprised herself.
"The Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet?" Yuuto said in shock. "The Longinus that supposedly doubles its host's power every ten seconds?"
The ability to double the user's power every ten seconds until they hit their limit--this is what people knew about the Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet.
"It looks pretty badass. Is it really as strong as they say?" Koneko leaned in, tapping the gauntlet before looking up at Mahiro with curiosity.
"It's decent. Besides the power boost, it's got a few other tricks. Overall, it's a solid piece of gear," Mahiro said with a grin.
"Mahiro-kun's strength was already on par with a High-Class, and with this Longinus, he could probably take on an Ultimate-Class," Rias said, her expression softening a bit, though she still looked worried. "But Riser's immortality is still a pain in the ass to deal with."
Compared to the Longinus, Riser's immortality was a more immediate problem.
Rias had seen that power up close.
No matter how strong an attack was, if it hit a him, it wouldn't be fatal--they'd heal instantly.
That's the kind of bullshit that let Riser dominate in the Rating Games, even when going up against stronger opponents.
His immortality was a broken ability.
"With the Boosted Gear, Mahiro-kun's chances against Riser just went up," Akeno said, flashing her usual charming smile as if the weight had finally lifted from the room.
The appearance of a Longinus really changed the mood in the club.
"Akeno, you've got it wrong. It's not just that my chances went up," Mahiro said, shaking his head with a confident grin. "It's a hundred percent chance of winning."
"A hundred percent?" Akeno's eyes lit up. "Mahiro, if you're saying that, you must have some kind of ace up your sleeve, right?"
She seemed to remember something, then suddenly asked, "Wait, didn't you mention earlier that you've awakened something else? Could that be your trump card?"
Mahiro continued, "Actually, I've mastered the Balance Breaker."
That statement hit like a bomb.
The Balance Breaker--the ultimate ability of a Sacred Gear.
A lot of hosts never even get to that point in their lives.
And yet...
Judging by Mahiro's tone, it hadn't been long since he awakened his Longinus.
Could he really have already mastered the Balance Breaker? Especially for a Longinus?
The Balance Breaker of a Longinus was supposed to be strong enough to rival beings above Ultimate-Class.
"Mahiro-kun, are you serious? Is it really the Balance Breaker?" Rias asked, visibly shaken.
"Do you want me to show you?" Mahiro smiled slightly.
"No, that won't be necessary," Rias sighed, clearly overwhelmed. She knew Mahiro wouldn't lie to her, but it was still a lot to take in.
Plus, Rias understood that using the Balance Breaker took a toll. With the fight against Riser coming up, she didn't want Mahiro wasting his energy on something unnecessary right now.
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