After that entire meeting, Antares was back at the Hyoudou residence—more specifically, in the room he now considered his own. Moonlight streamed through the half-open window, illuminating his face and casting shadows on the walls. He sat at the edge of the bed, eyes fixed on his hands.
Two gauntlets.
Two completely different entities… and yet, both belonged to him.
In his left hand, pulsing softly with a crimson glow:
[Sacred Gear: Gauntlet of the Red Dragon Emperor]
[Information]: The legendary gauntlet housing the Red Dragon Emperor, Ddraig.[Unique Ability – Boosted Gear]: Allows the user to double their total power every ten seconds—be it physical strength, magical energy, or demonic force—until the absolute limit of their body is reached. A monstrous power, capable of destroying armies alone… but only if the bearer is worthy.
Antares stared at the gem embedded in the center of the gauntlet, which pulsed like a heart. He directed his demonic energy toward the jewel… and he could feel Ddraig's presence—dormant… but watching.
He then shifted his gaze to his right hand.
That one… was different.
There was no glow.
No warmth.
Only a suffocating silence and a sensation that something profane crawled beneath the surface of that black-and-red armor—like reality itself was trying not to look at it.
[Chaos Gear: Gauntlet of the Emperor of Shadows and Chaos]
[Information]: Information is sealed.[Unlock Requirements]: ???
It was like staring into the abyss.
The gauntlet felt alive—not in a biological sense, but as if it was made of pure instinct and destructive will. Its structure resembled the Boosted Gear, but it was more aggressive, reinforced, with black veins running like poison beneath the red surface. Cracks filled with pulsating purple energy throbbed in sync with his heart.
He turned it slowly, inspecting every line, every engraving that formed runes he didn't recognize… and yet, somehow, understood.
It was as if something—or someone—was inside it.
Not a dragon. Not a legendary beast.
But a memory. An echo. A fusion of powers that were never meant to coexist.
"Emperor of Shadows…" he murmured. "Ashborn… and… Chaos…"
The realization hit him like a sharpened blade. That gauntlet was a reflection of what he had become.It wasn't just a Sacred Gear. It was something older.Darker.An anomaly.An abomination that should never have existed.
And yet… it was now a part of him.
He tried to access more information, but the system gave him the same response:
[Information locked.][Unlock Required: ???]
He furrowed his brow, slowly closing his right hand.
"What the hell are you…?"
The two gauntlets seemed to repel and attract each other at the same time.Light and shadow.Order and chaos.
One created to save the world…The other, to consume it?He couldn't say for sure, but… Antares smiled faintly.
"My wish was to understand him… and so you threw me into a body that can barely survive on its own… gave me almost no power… after thousands of years of having it all… That was your plan all along…"
He thought of the smiling goddess.
He leaned back onto the bed, eyes still fixed on the ceiling, as the gauntlets slowly faded into particles of energy—like dust in the wind.
Two forces pulsed within him.Two natures in eternal conflict.
But only one will guided his destiny.
The will to dominate.The will to destroy.The will to win.
It was then that a sudden notification cut through the silence of the room like a blade:
[ALERT][Due to failure to complete the mission "Become Stronger," a punishment will be applied in 00:59…]
The warning flashed before Antares' eyes in a vivid red, pulsing like a cardiac alarm. He raised an eyebrow, sitting up slowly—confused and irritated.
"Punishment…?" he muttered, frowning.
The memories hit him like a bolt of lightning.
Not long ago, during his conversation with Rias, the system had fully unlocked. A new, more advanced interface had appeared, listing various details—along with this particular mission.
With it… came rules.Missions. Objectives. Limits.
But no one had mentioned punishments.
"What the hell do you mean, punishment?" he growled, already rising to his feet, annoyed.
The system pulsed again. The countdown continued.
[00:42…]
Antares opened the mental interface, quickly navigating through the tabs until he found the previous mission list. And there it was:
[Daily Mission [Class-S]:[Objectives: [Push-ups 0/100] [Sit-ups 0/100] [Squats 0/100] [Running: 0/10km]][Status: Incomplete.][Result: FAILURE.]
[A random penalty will be applied to the Player]
"You've got to be kidding me…" he snarled, clenching his fists.
A daily mission. Just one. Simple. And he ignored it.Because he was distracted.Because he was… still adjusting. But the system clearly didn't care. The screen now flashed a deep, aggressive red.
[00:20…]
Antares began pacing around the room, eyes darting as he searched for a way—any way—to cancel, override, reverse… but there was none.
The punishment was inevitable.
"What the hell kind of punishment is this?!" Antares snapped, rage boiling in his veins, his eyes burning with fury.
"Fine. Let this damned punishment come, then…" he growled, locking his gaze onto the merciless countdown.
00:10…
00:05…
00:03…
00:02…
00:01…
Then—silence.
The screen vanished.
For a single breath, everything was still.
And then… everything exploded.
No warning. No transition. No time to react.
The world twisted.
The ground vanished.The ceiling of the room was suddenly replaced by an endless blue sky—and Antares realized he was falling.
"WHAT THE—?!"
The wind screamed around him as he plummeted from the sky in freefall, his body spinning uncontrollably. Below, a scorching desert stretched to the horizon—golden, endless. Waves of heat shimmered from the sand like dancing illusions.
CRASH!
The impact was brutal.
He slammed into the ground like a meteor, sand erupting around him as a crater formed beneath his body. Even with his heightened reflexes, the force of the fall left him dazed. The sand scorched his skin. The air was dry, cutting, and every breath seared his lungs like fire.
Coughing, gasping, he rose to his knees. The system appeared again, now with a new message.
[Punishment Mission Activated][Name: Survive for 4 Hours][Description: You've been dropped into a hostile and unforgiving biome.][Survive the environment, local creatures, and mana storms.][Duration: 04:00:00 (real time)][Rewards: Partial penalty cancellation, +3 attribute points, +5 endurance][Failure: Death]
[Countdown Started: 03:59:59…]
"Motherfu—" he spat, choking on sand.
And he could already feel it.
His reflexes—slower.His mana—locked away, as if sealed in a lead box.His physical strength—halved.It was like fighting with invisible chains wrapped around every limb.
And the sun… that cursed sun burned as if it wanted to peel his skin off.
But still—he stood.
Even weakened.Even restricted.Even under punishment.
He stood.
"Alright… let's see what this stupid little game has in store for me…"
As if answering his defiance, the ground trembled.
The sand in front of him began to shift—no, vibrate.
Something enormous was slithering beneath the surface, displacing massive dunes as it closed in.
Antares clenched his fists. "Of course there's a damn monster in this cursed desert."
And then—the creature rose.
It was a Hell Sand Serpent—a monster straight out of a nightmare.
Golden scales shimmered like cursed treasure under the blazing sun, its eyes pitch black and venomous, dripping malice. Its fangs gleamed like polished blades, and its body stretched at least fifteen meters long. A noxious aura of mana radiated from it, so intense that even the sand around it hissed and melted on contact.
Antares raised his head, staring up at the beast as two gauntlets materialized around his hands.
"To be honest," he muttered, eyes narrowing as a system tag floated above the creature—
[Hell Sand Serpent – Rank E] —flashing in red.
"I'm not really in the mood for games right now…"
He exhaled sharply through his nose. His muscles ached. His mana was shackled. He wasn't at full strength.
But still—he raised his fists.
"I usually prefer swords," he said with a dry smirk, shifting into a stance.
"But looks like we don't get to choose today."
"Let's dance, desert freak."
*
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