Azazel stepped away from the bedside, slipping both hands into the pockets of his lab coat as if all of this were nothing more than an experiment that had gone slightly off plan.
"For now, your condition isn't problematic," he said casually. "Except for one small detail—you've become a woman."
Vali clicked her tongue softly.
"For the time being," Azazel continued, "I suggest you rest longer. Your body, your soul, and your Sacred Gear all need time to adjust."
"Heh," Vali gave a thin smirk, her tone cynical. "And what if I don't?"
Azazel turned his head, a lazy smile appearing on his face.
"Suit yourself," he replied lightly. "Since when have you ever really listened to me?"
Before anyone could respond, a purple magic circle appeared beneath his feet. In an instant, Azazel's body vanished, leaving the room quiet once more.
"What a strange guy," Bikou muttered as he scratched his head. "Even though we're part of the Khaos Brigade too."
"Hmph," Arthur adjusted his glasses, his expression serious. "Or perhaps precisely because of that. It's possible he knew from the beginning… and allowed Vali to go this far."
Le Fay turned to him, her eyes narrowing. "You're speculating too much."
"I don't know," Vali interjected softly. She leaned back down, staring at the cracked ceiling. "Whatever he's thinking… Azazel has always been strange."
Her voice sounded tired, far removed from the arrogance she usually displayed.
For the first time, Vali's group had no plan.
But outside that rickety place, the world did not stop.
Elsewhere, factions within the Khaos Brigade began to move. They gathered resources, strengthened their ranks, and prepared large-scale rituals.
Because the next assault had already been decided.
And this time, an Aesir god would step onto the stage.
The war was not over.
It had merely… changed chapters.
...
On the other side, far from the clamor of the still-turbulent supernatural world, Jun remained in his simple wooden cabin.
Silent.
There was only the sound of wind brushing against the wooden walls and steady, regular breathing.
Jun sat cross-legged atop a thin mattress, his back straight, both hands resting on his knees. Qi flowed slowly within his body, circulating like a calm yet deep current. In front of him, Maw—the small blue slime—imitated his posture as well, though its body widened and shrank slightly in an irregular manner.
Several days had passed since the incident in Kuoh.
And throughout that time, Jun had not left the cabin even once.
He recovered himself, stabilized his qi. And—most importantly—calmed his mind.
When his eyelids finally opened, a long breath escaped his lips.
"Haah…" Jun exhaled deeply. "Using that technique is truly exhausting."
He lowered both hands, his shoulders loosening slightly.
"That domain…" he murmured. "I won't use it again unless I'm truly ready."
The image of the wooden gate, the black mist, and the figure beyond it surfaced once more in his mind. A chill ran down his spine just from recalling the pressure of that existence.
"Cheon Ma…" he said quietly.
Jun clenched his fist.
"Damn it," he continued. "I studied the Heavenly Demonic Art… yet I ended up connecting to the real Cheon Ma?"
He slowly shook his head.
"This makes no sense… unless I was special from the very beginning."
His gaze shifted to his chest.
"…Or this has something to do with the Red Core I once absorbed."
Jun clicked his tongue softly, then shook his head again—this time more firmly.
"No. Thinking about that too deeply will only drag me into new problems."
He rose from his seated position, standing on the cold wooden floor of the cabin.
"For now," he said to himself, "that technique must remain sealed."
Because one thing was already clear to him.
If he recklessly stepped any further without preparation, what awaited him would not be defeat—but death, at the hands of the true Cheon Ma.
Jun turned his head toward Maw.
The small slime gently wobbled, its surface softly shimmering under the dim light of the cabin.
"By the way," Jun said, his tone softening slightly, "now I understand why you misunderstood my request back then."
"Maw?~"
Maw trembled, as if it truly didn't understand, its body rounding slightly.
"You're still new," Jun continued with a faint smile. "And not very skilled yet at using your abilities."
"Maw…"
The slime deflated a little, as if feeling blamed.
Jun let out a small chuckle.
"Relax," he said. "That's not a bad thing."
He stretched his shoulders, his joints giving off soft sounds. An aura of resolve began to flow from Jun's body—not explosive, not wild, but dense and controlled, like steel forged again and again.
"All right," he said firmly. "Just for you…"
Jun looked at Maw. His eyes burned with clear intent—not anger, not hollow ambition, but awareness of his mistake and responsibility.
"We're going to train like mad starting now."
"Maw!!"
The small slime leaped up, its body trembling with excitement, scattering soft blue light into the cabin air. It clearly didn't fully understand what the word like mad meant, but it felt Jun's determination—and that was enough.
Jun smiled faintly, then his expression turned serious once more.
He walked to the window and gazed out at the silent forest shrouded in morning mist. His thoughts returned to the incident in Kuoh—to the chaos that unfolded in mere seconds.
"To avoid misfires like what happened with Vali…" he murmured softly.
His hand clenched.
He had indeed intended to reverse the effect of the Half Dimension technique.
He had only issued the command Reverse—to invert the condition of the art, to cancel the spatial distortion.
But the result…
Jun let out a long sigh.
"From the beginning," he continued inwardly, "I was too focused on the technique, not on the condition of the target."
He only realized it after everything was over.
What happened to Vali was not merely a misdirected command.
It was a reversal of the original condition.
And that original condition—hidden even from Divine Dividing and Albion themselves—was an ironic truth.
Vali, from the very beginning… was a woman.
And that truth would be revealed in the near future.
...
Summer was nearly here.
The air in Kuoh City began to change—warmer, brighter, carrying the scent of freedom that only arrives after the long pressure known as exams. The final semester had finally ended, and with it came the long-awaited vacation for many students, arriving without much announcement.
For Rias's group, that day felt a little different.
Issei walked side by side with Asia, their steps relaxed as they made their way home. Their school uniforms were still neat, but their bags felt lighter—not because their contents had lessened, but because the weight on their minds had been lifted.
"The final exams are finally over," Issei said with a long yawn.
"Yes," Asia replied with a gentle smile. "I'm glad we were able to get through them well."
They didn't go straight home.
At some point, it had become a small habit of theirs—to stop by the park for a bit before truly returning to their respective homes. Sitting for a moment, chatting about light things, enjoying the evening breeze.
And today, there was one more reason.
Hope.
Issei glanced around the park with a seemingly casual look, but Asia, who had known him long enough, could see something else behind it.
"Are you looking for someone?" Asia asked softly.
Issei paused for a moment, then scratched his cheek.
"Ah… you noticed, huh," he said with a small laugh. "I was just… hoping to run into Jun."
Asia nodded lightly. She knew that name. Everyone around Rias knew it, even if no one truly understood.
Jun.
Someone who had once been thought of as just an ordinary human. A friend who happened to be close to Rias and Akeno. A man who seemed laid-back, slightly mysterious, yet always appeared at strange times.
And then—
Everything changed.
Issei stopped walking.
The image of that battle resurfaced in his mind. The split sky. The pressure that crushed his breath. Jun's figure standing on equal footing—no, surpassing—Vali Lucifer.
Vali.
Just the name alone was enough to make Issei's chest feel tight.
"Asia," Issei said softly, without looking at her. "Do you think… I really deserve to be called the Sekiryuutei?"
Asia was startled by the tone of his voice.
"Issei-kun…?"
She gripped the edge of her skirt, then gathered her courage.
"You've changed a lot," she said honestly. "You fight hard. You protect everyone."
Issei smiled faintly, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.
"I know," he replied. "But after seeing that fight… I realized something."
He clenched his fist.
"Jun is just a normal human," he continued. "At least, that's what he says. But he could stand face-to-face with Vali… fight him directly."
Issei swallowed.
"If that were me… could I do the same?"
The summer breeze blew gently, rustling the leaves of the park trees. Children laughed in the distance, the world moving on as usual—as if the battles of dragons and devils had only been a nightmare that never truly happened.
Asia stepped a little closer.
"Issei-kun," she said gently. "You don't need to become like Jun."
Issei turned to her.
"You just need to be yourself," Asia continued. "Jun fights in his own way. You have your own path too."
Issei fell silent.
He knew it was true. Logically. In his heart, he was still struggling.
Rias and Akeno—the two people closest to Jun—even they had known nothing about his true identity before that day. Everyone had been deceived by his calm demeanor and relaxed attitude.
And now, after everything that had happened, Jun had vanished from sight once more.
Like someone who passed through only briefly… leaving behind traces that were hard to erase.
Issei looked up at the sky, now tinged with orange.
"I just want to be sure of one thing," he murmured. "If I keep moving forward… someday…"
He clenched his fist tighter.
"…I won't be left too far behind."
Asia smiled, then gave a small nod.
"I'll support you," she said simply.
//---AN---//
This is a brief overview of the story going forward. I was actually quite unsure about what items to add, considering the main character's development is progressing slowly, while his power level has stabilized relatively quickly and he hasn't faced any truly life-threatening situations yet.
Therefore, I decided not to focus too much on the gacha system for the time being. This decision was made to maintain the flow of the story and to support the main character's future power development.
So, if a dangerous event occurs and an item suddenly appears that seems perfect for that situation, don't be too surprised. It's because he already obtained the item from various previous rewards.
This also addresses various comments in previous comments.
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//---//
If you need more, please visit my Patr3on via the link below:
https://www.patr*eon.com/cw/Mr_Wan
Remove the quotation marks and there are around 40+ chapters available.