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[Chains of Heaven]!
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A Divine Construct created by the gods to bind other gods, specifically designed to counter the—King of Heroes, Gilgamesh.
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Its power to bind increased in proportion to the target''s Divinity. However, against an ordinary human, it was nothing more than a sturdy chain.
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One of its most notable feats was when Gilgamesh and Enkidu used the—[Chains of Heaven] to capture the—Bull of Heaven, the strongest of the Divine Beasts.
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Enkidu also used it to halt the advance of Tiamat during the final battle in the Babylonia Singularity.
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"The [Chains of Heaven] is a formidable weapon."
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''When I fight in the future, I can just use this to restrain my enemies. Since this world is full of Gods and Devils, it''ll be especially effective. How wonderful—!'' I thought to myself, feeling quite pleased.
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....
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After spending some more time with the five girls, it was getting late. I noticed a marker on my—System Map.
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"I have some business to take care of, so I''m heading home first. I''ll come see you again when I have time."
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"What is it? Do you need any help?"
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The five girls had just officially become my girlfriends, and they were reluctant to part with me so soon.
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I kissed each of them on the cheek and told them I had important matters to attend to.
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They pouted, a little dejected, but ultimately waved me goodbye.
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....
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I left and ran to another nearby bridge, where I found—''her''. She was wearing her school uniform with black stockings, had a delicate, oval face, a straight nose, rosy lips, and fair skin.
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It was none other than—Aika Kiryuu!
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But I didn''t have time to admire her beauty right now. Kiryuu''s mental state seemed very unstable, as if she were about to jump into the river! I quickly rushed over to stop her!
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Using my abilities—I peered into her mind and saw a dark shadow.
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It was a black cat with a single vertical black line in its crimson eyes. It looked incredibly sinister.
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I was startled. ''A black cat? What does this mean?''
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Without overthinking it, I channeled my magic power into her, slowly suppressing the black cat in her mind, allowing her to regain consciousness.
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Kiryuu slowly came to, and seeing my smiling face close to hers, holding her hand, she let out a small ''yelp'' and quickly pulled her hand back, blushing.
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"You''re Hibari Kyoya? Wh-what are you doing? Where is this—?"
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I didn''t answer, instead waiting for Kiryuu to calm down before explaining what had just happened.
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....
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"Oh, I remember now. Thank you, Kyoya-kun."
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"Have you experienced anything strange or unusual lately? Or had any strange dreams?"
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Hearing my question, Kiryuu''s expression changed. The reason she had wanted to jump into the river was still a fresh and scary memory.
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Kiryuu remained silent for a full five minutes before finally speaking.
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"Kyoya-kun, for the past few days, whenever I fall asleep, I have the same nightmare. I dream of a strange black cat chasing me. Several times, I was so scared that I fell into the water and almost drowned."
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"A black cat."
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I frowned. I had a hunch about what was going on.
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....
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I told her I was worried and insisted on walking her home.
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"Huh? Kyoya-kun, we''re not that close. Why are you being so nice to me? Are you sure you don''t have ulterior motives?"
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"And I know about your close relationships with Rias-senpai and Akeno-senpai. There are even rumors that Koneko-chan has fallen victim to your charms! But someone like me—"
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"...."
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"You underestimate yourself. If you dressed up a bit, you''d definitely be the center of attention." I looked at her, a strange smile on my face.
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"Besides, wouldn''t it be nice to have an—''Experienced Friend''?"
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"To say something like that so calmly. Just what I''d expect from you, Kyoya-kun." Kiryuu rolled her eyes at me, then sighed.
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As we walked along the street, I decided to take her to a place with a nice night view, hoping the romantic atmosphere would help dispel the shadows in her heart.
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Kiryuu just looked at me, a strange expression on her face, and muttered, "Honestly, I already said I can go home by myself. You don''t have to worry about me."
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I didn''t respond, my gaze fixed on something ahead!
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She followed my gaze and felt her blood run cold.
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A black cat, nearly two meters tall, slowly emerged from the darkness. Its fangs were bared, and its eyes glowed green.
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Kiryuu turned pale, trembling as she stared at it. A deep sense of unease and terror welled up inside her. She stammered, "Th-this is the black cat from my dreams! Am I still dreaming?"
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Seeing the look of despair on her face, the black cat seemed to grin even wider, its expression becoming even more scary as it slowly approached them.
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But just then, I spoke, my voice surprisingly nonchalant. "Kiryuu, This ''thing'' has been haunting your dreams and nearly drove you to suicide, hasn''t it?"
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Hearing my words, Kiryuu was stunned. ''So that''s it. That''s why Kyoya-kun insisted on taking me home.''
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She felt a surge of guilt, realizing that she had put me in danger.
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Forcing herself to calm down, Kiryuu decided she needed to buy me some time to escape. "Kyoya-kun, Run—I''ll hold it off!"
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But I simply pulled her behind me and said, "Just stay back and watch."
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My eyes sharpened, crackling with blue energy. In that instant, I made my move.
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A thick bolt of blue lightning ripped through the night sky, like divine punishment, striking the black cat directly, instantly turning it into a charred crisp.
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It was dead beyond dead!
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"Uh...!" Staring at this unbelievable scene, Kiryuu was dumbstruck, then she excitedly asked, "Was that black cat one of those monsters from manga? And Kyoya-kun, you must be an exorcist or an Onmyouji, right?!"
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I just smiled at her reaction.
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....
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Then I explained to Kiryuu about the black cat, about this world, about the Three Factions, and about the various pantheons.
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Only then did she finally understand that the black cat was a creature called a Stray Devil, and that there were many beings in this world that existed only in legends.
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"Wow, so your lives are so exciting. I''m so envious!" Kiryuu exclaimed, stars in her eyes.
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Seeing Kiryuu''s envious expression, I continued to tempt her.
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"So, Kiryuu, do you want to become a Devil? you''ll have an eternal life and an exciting life like mine."
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"Hmm, become a Devil? That sounds kind of nice!" Kiryuu thought about it for a moment.
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"If you decide to become a Devil, I''ll give you a lavish gift!" I continued to entice her.
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"In that case, I''ve made up my mind! I want to become a Devil, too!" Kiryuu finally made her decision.
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Seeing that she wanted to become a Devil, I took out the purified—[Vritra''s Sacred Gears] that I had extracted from Saji.
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Then I explained all the information about the [Vritra''s Sacred Gears] to Kiryuu.
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After hearing the explanation, Kiryuu was completely stunned.
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She couldn''t believe that the gift I had mentioned would be so valuable.
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Before Kiryuu could react, I directly implanted the [Vritra''s Sacred Gears] into her body.
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Feeling the strange power within her, Kiryuu looked at me curiously. "Kyoya-kun, why are you so nice to me?"
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"Hmm, didn''t I already tell you? I''m interested in you, Kiryuu. Isn''t it normal to be nice to your ''future'' wife?" I said with a serious expression.
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"Uh..." Hearing my sudden confession, Kiryuu blushed, not knowing what to say.
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"Also, when you see Yura later, just tell her you want to meet Sona. She''ll take you to her. But don''t tell her that I gave you the [Vritra''s Sacred Gears]—Just say that I recommended you because I think you have great potential." I thought for a moment and instructed her.
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"Oh, and one more thing. Your friend Yura is my first girlfriend."
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"What?! That Yura! How dare she find a boyfriend without telling me! Just wait till I get my hands on her!" Hearing my words, Kiryuu was furious.
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"Alright, Kiryuu, it''s getting late. You should head home. I''ll be going now. Remember to go see Yura tomorrow." I said, preparing to leave.
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Just then, Kiryuu grabbed me and kissed me on the lips. Then, before I could react, she blushed and ran off towards her home.
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Seeing her dash off, I touched my lips and smiled.