Antares let out a heavy sigh, his body still sore from the fight. He looked at Rias, who was still clinging to his arm as if she feared he would disappear again.
"Can you... let go of me for a moment?"
Rias, however, didn't let go. Her grip remained firm, and her stubborn expression made it clear that she didn't intend to give in any time soon.
"You told your parents I was your wife. Now I'm taking over. You're not going anywhere."
Rias' eyes shone with something intense, almost possessive.
'This possessiveness... I like it.
Antares muttered this thought to himself. After all, he was a dragon, and being possessive was part of his nature. He admired those who had this trait, and this woman... He could no longer see her as just any girl.
"I think this is the first time I've seen the president so... worried."
Kiba commented, crossing his arms and watching as Rias kept her breasts pressed against Antares' arm, without the slightest sign of letting go.
"Ise... be careful."
Koneko murmured, looking away. Her voice had a strange tone, as if she was remembering something she'd rather not mention.
"President..."
Akeno caught Rias's eye, and it was then that she finally realized what she was doing. Her face turned red instantly, and she stood up abruptly, stepping back a little.
"Ise!"
"Yes?"
"What happened?!"
The urgency in her voice was clear.
"I've been sent to another dimension."
He answered casually, as if it were no big deal.
Akeno and Rias exchanged glances. Then Akeno raised his hands in surrender, sensing the tension in the air.
"I don't have the power to send people to another world!"
It was almost as if she was trying to prevent Rias from accusing her of something.
Antares realized that there was little escape from the conversation.
"Actually... I have something to tell you."
Immediately, all eyes turned to him.
"I kind of..." He hesitated, trying to find the right words. "I think it was my Sacred Gear."
Rias frowned, her eyes fixed on him.
"But Ise..."
"Ah, no, I'm not talking about the red gauntlet... Well, yes and no."
He raised his right arm and then, as if responding to his call, a second gauntlet appeared.
Silence filled the room.
Rias opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Akeno blinked a few times before muttering:
"You have..."
"Two?"
Rias finally completed the sentence, his expression a mixture of surprise and confusion.
Antares had initially intended to keep this information to himself. However, since returning from that dimension, his second Gear - or rather, his Chaos Gear - had physically manifested. Before, it had only existed as a hidden presence, invisible to others.
He knew that, sooner or later, he would have to show it. And considering that Rias Gremory was the most knowledgeable person he had access to at the moment, perhaps she could help him understand why he possessed two Gears.
Despite this, deep down he suspected that it was all just the System's doing, another one of its manipulations to strengthen him.
"Since when do you have these?"
Rias asked, still stunned by the revelation.
"Since I came back from the other dimension." It took Rias a few seconds to fully process what she was seeing. Her eyes went from the Boosted Gear to the new dark red gauntlet on Antares' arm, as if her brain refused to accept the reality in front of her.
"That... is possible. But..." She paused, trying to organize her thoughts before continuing.
"Having more than one Sacred Gear is extremely rare. Almost impossible, in fact."
Antares arched an eyebrow. "But you just said it's possible."
Rias nodded, crossing his arms.
"Yes, but the cases are so few that you can count on your fingers who can do something like this. There are a few exceptions in history, but they're usually people who were born with an extremely special power or are anomalies in the Sacred Gear system itself."
Akeno looked at Antares with a curious smile. "So you're an anomaly, Ise?"
Antares shrugged. "I already suspected that."
Rias sighed. "It's not something you see every day. Even among the most powerful supernatural beings, most only have one Gear. Sacred Gears are God's creations, and their system should limit each person to just one. The fact that you have two means that you have somehow broken that limitation."
Kiba frowned. "But how did that happen?"
"Good question." Rias stared at Antares intensely.
"Do you have any idea how you got that second Gear? Because, as far as we know, you only had Boosted Gear when you entered the school."
Antares looked at the gauntlet. He still didn't fully understand how it worked, but since returning from that dimension, he had felt its presence much more strongly. It wasn't just a weapon, but something that seemed to be intertwined with his very existence.
He let out a sigh. "I think it has to do with that other dimension. Ever since I came back from there, that thing has been with me."
Rias narrowed his eyes.
"So this isn't normal Sacred Gear... It doesn't make sense to just appear out of nowhere. If it was just a late awakening, fine, but you already had one Gear, and now you have another?" She looked at the black gauntlet once more.
"This needs to be investigated." Rias frowned, his sharp gaze analyzing every detail of the black gauntlet before asking, "Can you use any of its powers? Any power at all. If we have a clue, we can try to trace something similar in history."
Antares thought for a moment. He could mention the fact that the gauntlet apparently stored souls, but he preferred to keep that information to himself for now.
"No, for now it just... exists. It just looks like a piece of protective equipment. The weight and shape are identical to my first Sacred Gear, with no apparent difference."
Rias sighed, crossing his arms. "Ah... This is going to be complicated... But for now, keep it a secret, okay? We don't know what this Gear really is, so it's best to be cautious."
Antares nodded, feeling tiredness weighing on him again.
"I think I'd better go. I need to rest..." As he spoke, he noticed something subtle. Rias' constant touch wasn't just out of concern - she was healing him, even if unconsciously. The gentle warmth emanating from her was comforting.
"Yes, I'm going too." Rias stood up and then looked at him. "Do you want to go with me?"
Her tone was casual, but the sparkle in her eyes indicated that there was something more behind the invitation.
Antares let out a sigh and gave a half-smile. "Right."
Rias' face lit up slightly before she turned to Akeno. "Akeno, close everything up before you leave, okay?"
"I got it." The thunder priestess smiled, but her gaze lingered slightly on Antares, as if she were assessing something.
With that, Rias and Antares left the room and began walking through the silent corridors of the school. Neither of them spoke much, and the silence between them wasn't uncomfortable, but it carried something undefined in the air.
As soon as they left the building, the cold night enveloped them and the moon shone brightly in the sky. Without saying a word, Rias wrapped her arm around his, holding him tightly, as if to make sure he wouldn't disappear again.
Antares cast a sidelong glance at Rias, but didn't pull his arm away. She held onto him tightly, her fingers intertwined with his, as if to make sure he didn't disappear again.
This girl was definitely starting to get interesting.
The silence between the two of them went on for a few moments until Rias finally broke it.
"Boosted Gear." His voice sounded calm, but there was a hint of curiosity there. "Have you used its power?"
Antares didn't have to think long before answering.
"I had to kill undead in the portal. So yes, I've used Boost."
Rias frowned slightly, thoughtful.
"How many times did you manage to activate it?"
"I've lost count."
Her eyes sparkled with a mixture of surprise and maybe excitement.
"That's strange..." she muttered.
Antares arched an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Even talented Boosted Gear users take a while to be able to use multiple Boosts in a row. You've managed to exceed your natural limit in such a short time... That's not normal."
He shrugged. "Nothing about me is normal." Rias let out a light laugh, but didn't disagree. "Really... including the fact that you're not Hyoudou Issei, right?" Rias said, analyzing him.
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