Originally, Walburga had returned to the battlefield to reclaim the Longinus left behind by her master.
Unlike other types of Sacred Gears, Independent Avatar-type Gears remain in the world for a period after the host's death. During that time, anyone can recover them, and if they are compatible, they become the new wielder.
However, Walburga had found nothing but an empty battlefield. Left with no choice, she fled Kyoto. Later, hearing that the leader of the Khaos Brigade was the Infinite Dragon God Ophis, she led her master's subordinates to join them.
She thought she could do something grand using the names of the Dragon God and the Old Satans. She never expected her "backing" to be so utterly useless. Now that she was Rhode's prisoner, she felt that if she didn't surrender now, she wouldn't see tomorrow's sun.
"You're quite quick to surrender," Rhode noted. "I thought you'd have a bit more backbone."
As if! If I show 'backbone,' I'll probably be tortured for information.
Besides, she'd much rather offer her loyalty to the man in front of her than to the Three Factions. With him, there was room to negotiate. If she fell into the hands of the Great Powers, she'd be tortured and then spend the rest of her life in a hole.
Worst case scenario, she figured being "interrogated" by a handsome man was better than being broken by a sadistic executioner in a dungeon. As an expert in tormenting others, she knew exactly how many ways there were to make someone suffer.
Seeing that he couldn't get any more "fun" out of her, and given how quickly she had folded, Rhode lost interest in teasing her further.
He placed his hand on her forehead and injected a burst of "Qi" into her body. Having lived with a cat-spirit for so long, he had picked up a few minor spells.
"This energy will constantly interfere with your mana and life essence. If I don't adjust it periodically, your body will collapse and you'll die within three days. You catch my drift?"
Walburga was horrified.
Are you even a hero?! You're a literal devil! And you have the nerve to call ME a DC villain? This kind of evil method is reserved for the worst antagonists!
Rhode's move left her with a bitter expression. She had planned to play along and escape later. Now, that hope was dead.
Rhode had no qualms about using a curse to secure loyalty. Other people would have tortured a terrorist; he was just giving her a "periodic toxin." As long as she behaved, she'd be fine forever. Where else could you find someone as kind-hearted as him?
With Walburga dealt with, the incident was officially over.
As Rhode was about to leave, he heard the sound of muffled sobbing coming from the next room.
He pushed the door open and saw a blonde girl... no, wait, a blonde boy wearing a Kuoh Academy girl's uniform, curled up in the corner and weeping.
Tears fell like broken pearls, soaking his collar and skirt.
Hearing Rhode's footsteps, Gasper Vladi looked up with wet eyes. But the moment he saw a stranger, he shrank back into the corner as if he'd seen a monster, his little feet—clad in black tights—scrabbling desperately against the floor.
His wine-red eyes were brimming with tears, his delicate face was masked in terror, and his small body shook like a leaf.
The sight was more pitiful than a tragic heroine from a classic novel, and it almost triggered a subconscious urge to bully him even further.At the same time, as the boy shifted, the "Absolute Territory" between his skirt and black hosiery revealed skin as fair as white jade, with a hint of pink lingerie peeking through.
Rhode's "auto-aim" triggered instinctively.
Since transmigrating, his vision had been enhanced to its limit. Now, having recently acquired the Fiery Eyes: Silver Edition, every numerical value related to his sight had been vastly magnified.
But sometimes, having perfect eyesight is a curse.
With his "auto-aim" active, Rhode saw—with painful clarity—a massive bulge in that specific area.
Damn it! My eyes!
He instantly shut down the aiming system and whipped his gaze back to Gasper's face.
Looking at how adorable the person in front of him was, Rhode cursed a world that allowed "cross-dressing pros" to exist. Even though he knew full well that Gasper Vladi was Rias's cute subordinate and a biological male, seeing the real thing still made him think: This is just "drawing a girl and calling it a boy" taken to the extreme!
If the God of the Bible were still alive, Rhode would have wished for the extinction of such trap-like beings.
"Walburga, let me borrow you for a second."
Rhode grabbed the witch's shoulders, staring at her face and figure for a long moment to regain his composure.
Under Rhode's intense scrutiny, Walburga's heart fluttered. She was now Rhode's slave; as long as she didn't want to die, she had to obey any request. If he asked her to warm his bed, should she say yes... or should she say yes?
"Tsk. Your figure is average, and your face isn't even as cute as a cross-dresser. I need to go back and look at Lavinia to cleanse my eyes properly."
Just as Walburga was getting carried away by her imagination, Rhode's comment hit her like a bucket of ice water.
We were doing fine! Why the sudden personal attack?! There's a limit to how much you can bully a girl!
Walburga desperately wanted to punch him. No one had ever insulted her looks or her body before. But then she remembered the memory of being swatted down like a fly in their first exchange, and she immediately behaved herself.
Gasper was still crying. He didn't recognize Rhode, and seeing him with Walburga, he instinctively assumed Rhode was another terrorist here to snatch him.
"Stop crying. The situation is resolved. I'm a friend of your master, Rias."
Despite his words, Gasper's sobbing didn't cease.
"Are you even a man?!" Rhode snapped, his attitude less than stellar after the "bulge incident." Not that it was Gasper's fault, technically.
"I... I'm not a man... I'm... I'm a boy..."
Rhode was nearly driven to laughter by the absurdity. The kid was an expert at crying, but apparently, he was also an expert at talking back.
"You should know that because of you, many people outside were frozen by your Sacred Gear, including Rias, Akeno, and Koneko..."
"President... and everyone... sob... it's all my fault. It's all because of me! If I weren't here, none of this would have happened!"
Gasper began wailing even louder. However, he was quickly jolted out of it by a voice brimming with power and authority.
"What's with that look?! And what's with those tears?!"
"..."
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High School DxD : Reincarnated into the Multiverse, but it's High School DxD (320 Chapters – Ongoing)
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