For some time now, Kasumigaoka Utaha had been considering the matter of reincarnating as a demon.
It was not that she was willing to become Leo's Retainer or servant, but the knowledge Leo transmitted to her had already clarified the existence of Sacred Gears and the situation their wielders might potentially face.
If it were merely an ordinary Sacred Gear, it would be fine, possessing only minor special abilities and little impact, but if the Sacred Gear's power was too immense, it would be difficult for an ordinary human to control it, almost inevitably leading to a loss of control.
At that point, the Sacred Gear wielder would face only one outcome: being eliminated as a dangerous element.
According to Leo, the Sacred Gear within Kasumigaoka Utaha was a Sacred Gear whose power was not weak.
In other words, Kasumigaoka Utaha was likely to lose control and thus be eliminated as a dangerous element.
Having learned this, how could Kasumigaoka Utaha possibly remain calm?
Thus, she began devising ways to save herself, and her solitary efforts to contact the Church during this time were precisely for this goal.
The people of the Church had not failed to notice that Kasumigaoka Utaha was a Sacred Gear wielder, but if even Leo could not determine what kind of Sacred Gear it was before it awakened or went out of control within Kasumigaoka Utaha, there was no need to mention the Church's personnel.
Leo could at least judge from the reaction of the devil chess piece that Kasumigaoka Utaha was a rare stock of potential, and because he had been paying attention to Kasumigaoka Utaha for a long time, he had also discovered moments when the Sacred Gear fluctuations within her body were intense; the Church personnel did not have these advantages.
What if Kasumigaoka Utaha was only the wielder of an ordinary Sacred Gear?
Then there would be no strong necessity to recruit her.
Thanks to this, although Kasumigaoka Utaha had interacted with Church personnel, the outcome was unfavorable; they were either speaking in riddles, adhering to the rules of the hidden world and unwilling to reveal too many secrets to Kasumigaoka Utaha, or they were openly and secretly trying to propagate their faith, intending to control Kasumigaoka Utaha first before researching the Sacred Gear within her.
If the person contacting the Church were someone confused about their future and overly desperate for supernatural power, they might truly be swayed by the Church's usual tactics.
However, Kasumigaoka Utaha had gained knowledge of the hidden world from Leo, which impartially clarified the essence of the Church, revealing both its good side and its evil side—such as various secret, illicit experiments—which prevented Kasumigaoka Utaha from ever fully trusting the Church.
Gradually, Kasumigaoka Utaha, who could not obtain clear benefits from the Church and could not access the hidden world through other channels, had no choice but to turn back and seek out Leo once more.
Although Leo was a demon, and Kasumigaoka Utaha did not choose to completely trust the knowledge he transmitted to her, this person had, after all, spent two full years with her, and she considered herself relatively reassured regarding Leo.
Thus, after careful consideration, Kasumigaoka Utaha decided to first observe what kind of life demons led before making her final decision.
That evening, Kasumigaoka Utaha spent time alone with two of Leo's Retainers consecutively, and she conversed with them.
When Yuuki Asuna showed her around the manor, Kasumigaoka Utaha subtly inquired about the reason she became a demon and whether she had experienced any unhappiness since then.
When Yukinoshita Yukino showed her the demons' work, Kasumigaoka Utaha likewise observed secretly while conversing with her, learning the reason why she became a demon.
It was only then that Kasumigaoka Utaha realized that both Yukinoshita Yukino and Yuuki Asuna had become his Subordinate Servants only after Leo revived them following their deaths.
In the beginning, they were both bewildered and lost, and they ultimately accepted the identity of Subordinate Servant out of a mindset that was half gratitude, half reluctant submission to reality.
But now, the two of them no longer followed Leo solely out of gratitude and reluctance; they were genuinely attracted by the life they currently led and everything they possessed, unconsciously changing their perspectives and trying to live and achieve previously unattainable goals through a different identity and method.
Kasumigaoka Utaha asked the two of them what their current aspirations were.
"I want freedom, I want to look toward the future, instead of living the kind of life where I could see the end of my life at a glance, like before."
This was Yuuki Asuna's statement.
"... I always felt that I was not as outstanding as my older sister and was not valued by my family. If I continue to pursue her on the same path as before, I might only ever see her back for the rest of my life, so I want to advance on a path that my sister cannot tread."
This was Yukinoshita Yukino's statement.
Both knew that Leo wanted to recruit Kasumigaoka Utaha as a Retainer, and they did not particularly object to her becoming their future companion; thus, to assist Leo, they chose to reveal their true feelings.
Otherwise, leaving Yuuki Asuna aside, given Yukinoshita Yukino's difficult personality, she would absolutely never reveal her heart so completely to someone she had just met.
Kasumigaoka Utaha was moved by the genuine words of the two, and after understanding the life of a demon and discovering that it was not as wretched as she had imagined, she made her decision.
Isn't it just abandoning her human status?
Isn't it just becoming a demon?
Isn't it just becoming a Subordinate Servant?
What is the big deal?
... Alright, the last point was still quite unacceptable. If the other party were a complete stranger, Kasumigaoka Utaha certainly would not have made this choice.
But since the other party was Leo, someone she knew the basics of, Kasumigaoka Utaha's resistance was partially diminished.
The remaining part was suppressed by her will to survive—the desire "not to be eliminated as a dangerous element who lost control"—and her curiosity—the desire "to access supernatural power and the transcendent world."
As a rising author who was recently still worrying about the continuation of her works, Kasumigaoka Utaha also held a desire for change, and she was not lacking in imagination or curiosity, which ultimately led her to make this decision.
To be honest, this decision was made somewhat impulsively.
At the very least, before coming here, Kasumigaoka Utaha had only intended to observe and had no plans to make a decision right away.
As for now... "Before I feel regret and want to back out, you should quickly get this done."
Kasumigaoka Utaha, adopting an all-or-nothing attitude, spoke words that were easily misunderstood.
... Alright."
Leo's mouth twitched, but his movements were swift.
He could also tell that Kasumigaoka Utaha was currently making the decision based on impulse, and it was truly uncertain whether she would regret and retract it later.
Immediately, Leo unfolded the Magic Circle, summoned the "Rook" piece, and pressed it onto Kasumigaoka Utaha's chest.
"Bang!"
Before Kasumigaoka Utaha could react, the devil chess piece shattered instantly, transforming into particles that merged into Kasumigaoka Utaha's body.
"Mmm..."
Kasumigaoka Utaha's expression shifted.
She felt a mysterious power erupting within her, and her body was changing in an unknown direction.
Leo immediately received a message.
[Trait: Familiarization, now taking effect...]
[Received Basic Feedback — Magic Power (Medium amount).]
[Received Advanced Feedback — Sacred Gear (Control).]
Instantly, the Magic Power within Leo's body surged as his blood boiled and his heartbeat accelerated.
The magnitude of the increase was still not as great as the time with Yukinoshita Yukino, but compared to the time with Yuuki Asuna, it was roughly the same.
This surging Magic Power almost instantly broke through the limit of a High-Class Devil, allowing Leo's Magic Power, which was already nearing the upper limit of his current rank, to successfully cross the invisible Barrier.
However, this Magic Power did not manage to directly reach the next level, stopping just before crossing into the next realm—the Highest-level Demon rank.
"No way... Why don't you just cross over completely!"
Leo, feeling the change in his Magic Power, almost cracked up.
But before he could recover from this awkward, in-between situation, scene after scene surfaced in his mind.
Just like the time with Yuuki Asuna, the advanced feedback from the "Familiarization" trait this time also activated the internal mechanism of "Blazing Heaven Thunder Prison," allowing the experience of its past wielders to use it to turn into memories and flow into Leo's mind.
Leo, having received this memory, gained greater insight and understanding of the power of "Blazing Heaven Thunder Prison," and his comprehension of the Sacred Gear gradually evolved from proficient use to complete control.
Yes, as of today, Leo had finally achieved complete control over "Blazing Heaven Thunder Prison," tentatively reaching the realm of masterful application.
The increase in Magic Power and the further control over the Sacred Gear led to another significant boost in Leo's strength.
This entire scene was witnessed by Miyamoto Musashi, who was secretly observing the area.
"Such strong Magic Power! Such strong Sacred Gear fluctuations!"
Miyamoto Musashi did not show herself; she continued watching the changes happening to Leo in secret, feeling astonished and excited.
"This Magic Power is already so close that just a tiny bit more could reach the level of a Highest-level Demon, and these Sacred Gear fluctuations..."
Miyamoto Musashi knew that Leo must have become much stronger.
She was already somewhat impatient to cross swords with Leo again.
"Snap!"
While changes were occurring in Leo, the changes in Kasumigaoka Utaha had already finished, and a pair of bat-like demon wings suddenly spread out behind her.
And then... the Sacred Gear that had been dormant inside Kasumigaoka Utaha actually awakened as well.
"Buzz!"
With a buzzing sound, a faint layer of light membrane appeared around Kasumigaoka Utaha's body.
The light membrane rapidly expanded outwards, growing larger while transforming into a tangible Barrier.
"This is..."
Yuuki Asuna was stunned.
"A Barrier?"
Yukinoshita Yukino, on the other hand, immediately recognized what the Barrier was.
There were Barriers in the basement of this manor, so Yukinoshita Yukino naturally would not fail to recognize it.
Leo's attention was also drawn by this scene, and after a moment, he understood.
"A Sacred Gear that creates Barriers?"
Information about this type of Sacred Gear immediately surfaced in Leo's mind.