The underground lab housed a vast array of magical beasts.
Beyond the weaker Serpent Wasps, yielding mostly White Entries, there were high-tier beasts like Bipedal Wyverns, dropping Blue Entries.
Fusing all selected entries, Roy gained 804 Blue Entries.
From defeating Magnus, he also scored a Red Entry.
[Mechanical Expert (Red): +2000% learning speed for electronics and mechanics. No malfunctions when using machinery.]
"Not bad," Roy said, a satisfied smile crossing his face.
One Red Entry, over 800 Blue—close to upgrading another Gold Entry.
Plus, Magnus's Longinus made the trip worthwhile.
"Speaking of, time to prep the ritual," Roy mused.
Thinking of Magnus, he found an open spot in the lab, setting up a magic array.
Unlike unique Sacred Gears like Incinerate Anthem, standard ones vanished with their host's death.
Preserving them required preemptive extraction.
With Boosted Gear experience, Roy knew the process.
In minutes, a massive magic array took shape in the lab.
Using teleportation magic, he summoned the sealed Magnus from outside.
Limbless and power-sealed, Magnus lay unconscious, heavily injured.
Placing him on the array, Roy unequipped his devil and Longinus Entries, casting holy magic.
Moments later, a large light orb rose from Magnus.
Roy beckoned, absorbing it.
[Detected foreign power. Convert to Gold Entry?]
[Conversion successful. Acquired Gold Entry: Dimension Lost]
[Dimension Lost (Gold): Manipulate steel, control machinery and electronics freely.]
Prompts chimed as Roy claimed his third Longinus.
Opening his storage space, he retrieved steel giant fragments—spoils from Magnus's defeat.
Activating Dimension Lost, the fragments melted into a black liquid metal, floating around him.
Toying with it to grasp its mechanics, Roy turned to Kiri. "Know what this metal is?"
Kiri studied it. "Looks familiar. It's from the [Divine Steel] project, overseen by the president."
"Know the details? Like how Divine Steel's made?" Roy asked.
Kiri shook her head. "MAR's departments operate independently. The president's projects are top-secret. Even as beast department head, I've got no access."
"That's a hassle," Roy said, thoughtful.
He valued the metal.
Even if he didn't use it, he could craft armor for Rias and the crew, boosting their strength.
"Lord Roy, if you want Divine Steel's production method, check the central chamber," Kiri suggested. "It's where Executive Director Radley works. It holds MAR's confidential data."
"Crack the chamber's security, and you'll likely find the info."
"But there's a catch: the system requires authorized personnel for verification. Fail, and it wipes all stored data."
"No worries, that won't happen," Roy said, grinning.
Multiple authorization locks?
Easy—hack it.
Equipping Mechanical Expert, Dimension Lost, and an Electronic Control Entry from the Five Supers, Roy extended his senses, probing MAR's systems.
First-time hacking, he tested mundane devices.
No resistance—his mind slipped into them effortlessly.
Code flooded his vision. With Dimension Lost and Electronic Control, he decoded it, learning fast.
In ten minutes, he went from novice to expert, cracking standard firewalls with ease.
Then, he targeted executive devices.
Five minutes later, he controlled 99% of MAR's systems.
Dimension Lost's mastery was now second nature.
Confident, he focused on the final targets: the president's office and the underground central chamber.
But a foreign signal caught his attention, bypassing the isolation barrier, exchanging data with a central chamber device.
"Interesting~," Roy murmured, tracing it.
---
Hundreds of kilometers from MAR, underground.
"Lady Radley, we're linked to the central chamber," a white-coated tech reported.
"Ten minutes to back up data. Then trigger self-destruct," Radley ordered.
"Yes!"
Techs hammered keyboards, remotely backing up files.
Radley stepped into an adjacent room, activating a device to contact the dimensional interlayer.
Seconds later, Shavliar's image appeared. "What's the situation?"
"Magnus is down," Radley said.
"What? So fast? Didn't he use the Divine Steel I gave him?"
"He did. Still got crushed," Radley replied, pulling up a brief clip.
"The Red Dragon Emperor's not just strong—his combat sense and perception are unreal."
"In Balance Breaker, Magnus fused with Divine Steel, moving freely within the steel giant."
"That fusion erases his presence, becoming part of the steel. Theoretically undetectable."
"But Roy, sensing this, faked Juggernaut Drive to force Magnus to burn mana in a big attack."
"It was a split second, but Roy pinpointed him, cutting him out before he could shift."
The clip showed Roy severing Magnus's limbs, sealing him.
Even Shavliar fell silent, his face darkening.
Magnus hadn't been careless.
Yet, in Balance Breaker with Divine Steel, he was powerless against Roy.
"The Red Dragon Emperor Roy… he's a major threat. We need him gone," Shavliar said.
"You'll handle it personally?" Radley asked.
"…No, too risky," Shavliar said, shaking his head.
As Takanotsume's leader and MAR's president, he'd enhanced himself with countless methods.
With Takanotsume's native power, he was a true Transcendent, rivaling major faction gods.
But Roy's Juggernaut Drive wasn't like past Red Dragon Emperors'—it was deadlier.
Add Gram's demonic edge, masterful Senjutsu, and magic.
At full power, Roy's strength was top 100, maybe top 10 globally.
Against such a fathomless monster, Shavliar wasn't 100% confident.
"We need allies," he said. "Radley, contact Cao Cao."
"His Twilight Holy Spear could tip the scales."
"Just Cao Cao? He's just human," Radley said skeptically.
Shavliar didn't argue, nodding. "Cao Cao alone isn't enough."
"But don't worry, I've got other allies in mind."
After instructions, Shavliar ended the call, eyeing a palace in the desert.
He and Radley weren't at MAR for a reason.
They were prepping for the Fourth Primogenitor, rallying forces.
Suzuki Ichiro was one target.
Others required in-person talks.
But Roy's brazen attack—storming MAR over a poaching attempt—caught them off guard.
They'd barely left when MAR was hit.
"Red Dragon Emperor, you'll pay," Shavliar muttered, approaching the palace.
A green-haired girl in knight armor appeared at the gate. "You must be Mr. Shavliar. I'm Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, the new Fortieth Espada. You can call me—"
"Cut the chatter. I don't care about lowlife like you. Take me to Aizen," Shavliar snapped.
Nelliel frowned, irritation flashing, but Aizen's orders held her back.
"…Follow me," she said, leading him into the palace.
---
Secret research facility.
After Shavliar's call, Radley contacted Cao Cao.
Minutes later, a spear-wielding figure appeared onscreen.
"Rare visitor," Cao Cao said, sizing her up. "MAR's famed executive director contacting a terrorist like me?"
"Cao Cao, let's work together," Radley said.
"Work together? On what?"
"The Red Dragon Emperor. Takanotsume's planning to eliminate him. We need—"
"Hold up!" Cao Cao cut in. "Repeat that. Eliminate who?"
"Red Dragon Emperor Roy. Why?" Radley asked, puzzled.
Cao Cao's expression shifted subtly, shaking his head. "Never mind, go on. What's the plan to take him out?"
"Simple. My brother Shavliar leads, assembling a team of threats to assassinate Roy," Radley said.
"I see. You want my Twilight Holy Spear," Cao Cao said.
"Yes. It holds the Biblical God's will, absolute against devils," Radley said. "Your help boosts our odds significantly."
"Who else is on the team?" Cao Cao asked.
Radley shook her head. "That's classified. We'll share on the mission day."
Cao Cao shrugged. "Not much trust for an alliance, huh?"
"It's to prevent leaks. Don't worry about sincerity," Radley said. "Join us, and Takanotsume will name you a permanent friend, sharing our intel and some tech."
"Sounds tempting," Cao Cao said.
"So you're in?" Radley asked.
"Nope, I'm out," Cao Cao said.
Radley blinked. "Why ask all that just to refuse?"
She squinted, studying him, then asked, "What's the reason?"
"If you think I'm doubting you, I can offer an advance—show you Takanotsume's cutting-edge tech," she added.
Cao Cao shook his head. "Not about rewards. Your plan just won't work."
Radley's face darkened. "Cao Cao, watch it. You're underestimating Takanotsume?"
Cao Cao laughed. "Yeah, I am. An organization that doesn't notice an enemy sneaking up? No clue where you get the guts to target the Red Dragon Emperor."
"Sneaking up? You mean the MAR attack? Roy got lucky—we weren't at HQ," Radley said.
"You're missing it. I mean sneaking up, literally," Cao Cao said.
Radley froze. "What?"
She turned.
A striking figure met her gaze.
"Impossible!" Radley's pupils shrank, disbelief etched on her face. "Why are you here?!"
"Followed the signal, obviously," Roy said, chuckling, activating Dimension Lost and Electronic Control.
Screens around them flickered on, Roy's image appearing.
"Get it? Want a rerun?"
Radley fell silent.
As MAR's executive director, her insight was sharp.
One glimpse of Roy's move, and she understood.
Roy could manipulate electronics.
"Well, well, quite a show," Cao Cao's voice piped up. "Takanotsume, high and mighty, brought to this?"
"Red Dragon Emperor, you're something else."
"Don't need you to tell me," Roy said, glancing at Cao Cao's screen, codes flashing in his eyes.
"Speaking of, didn't you send Siegfried and crew to attack me?"
"Been busy training, but it's time to settle that score."
"I'd love for you to come find me~," Cao Cao said leisurely, cutting the call.
"Quick on the draw," Roy muttered.
With Dimension Lost and Electronic Control, tracing signals was easy.
But Cao Cao, sharp as ever, disconnected before Roy could lock on.
Shifting focus, Roy eyed the terrified girl before him. "Ready to go?"
---
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