JACG Chapter 84 ( Practice) (Patreon)

The feeling of my Sacred Gear in my hand was both familiar and unfamiliar. It has been more than two years since I put my hands on this thing so it made sense that it would feel weird to me. The thing is only half of Star Blaster Star Burster felt odd to me. The gun might as well be something I have never held with the way it felt in my hands.

The sword on the other hand felt like it belonged in my hands. I did spend two years holding a sword in my hands almost constantly. The heavy weight of the thing and the cold feel of metal on my hand was something I was far more used to. It was a strange dichotomy that sent me through a loop for a moment.

I was confident if it came down to a fight my first instinct would not be to shoot the thing but to slash it with the blade. It was a habit I was going to have to get rid of. While the sword half of this thing was certainly good the gun is where this gear was supposed to shine. So my instincts were not going to be that helpful for the future.

It was not like I really knew how to use a sword anyway. The sword moves in SAO were not really meant to be used in a realistic situation. I did not actually use those moves often so I was better off than someone like Kirito but all I knew about the blade was self taught.

I stab the sword half into the ground and it almost sunk completely into the ground. For a moment I was worried if I let go of the thing it would send itself straight into the core of the planet. That would be a rather embarrassing moment of fear. I did say I was going to blow up planets but I was not really all that serious about that notion. So I would rather not have Rias livid at me for almost hitting the core of the planet with a blade that would never stop falling.

I knew that I could dissipate the sword back to my soul at a moments notice but it was still a thought that ran through my head. I shot Rias an embarrassed look as I could not exactly dissipate the blade without getting rid of the gun as well. So I planned on sticking it in the ground while I tested the gun but that was out of the question now.

She was looking at me analyzing the Gear that I have been hyping up for the longest time. While I have not done anything that interesting the look in her eyes was rather bright. I guess you don’t get to see a Longnius every day. Well at least not yet, in the future of her world, she was bound to see them far more often. I was not sure when things would pop off here but when it did things would go crazy.

She should be able to handle whatever is going to come for her. Unlike her marriage situation, sheer brute force was something that could solve most of the problems of the cannon. She said she was able to enter a state similar to her Brother and that thought sent a shiver down my spine. I may have the most bullshit cheat in the Chat Group but she was probably the person who was capable of dealing the most damage if that was true. Which I had no doubt that it was, she had no reason to lie to me about that after all.

I pulled out the blade from the ground and faced her. She shot me an intrigued look but she held her tongue for now. She was not sure what I was up to and she did not get a good reading on my embarrassed look.

“Hey, do you mind holding this for a bit? I want to practice using the rifle and I can’t do that while holding both parts.” I asked with my face going slightly red. She took in my words and shot me an amused look. She clearly found my embarrassment endearing but I was not that happy about this situation.

“No problem, I wanted to get my hands on a Longnius one of these days.” She shot out with a rather excited look on her face. She was not just trying to butter me up. I suppose Star Blaster Star Burster was something far more fascinating to her. To her she heard stories of these weapons for ages and while Sacred Gears were abundant Longnius was a completely different story.

I handed over the sword half to Rias and watched as she held the blade with a sense of fascination on her face. She honestly looked like a child visiting the candy store for the first time. The sight caused an amused smile to bloom on my face.

“Feel free to play around with it while I practice. The blade should be capable of cutting anything before it so be careful but other than that go wild.” I spoke out softly and she shot me an excited look. She almost immediately started swinging the sword around. The speed at which she was swinging it was rather concerning but I held my tongue. Fortuna should be able to make sure nothing too drastic happened.

I looked away from her as she started to chop boulders behind me. I looked forward to a mountain in the distance. This room may be fairly bland but it at least had plenty of rocks to blow up. The mountain before me being a good example. I raised the rifle and took aim.

I felt my heart speed up in anticipation. Ever since I got this thing I wanted to use it to blow something up. The description on the item was something that was too shocking to read after all.

I was not too sure how to operate with this thing. I was aware of the functions of the item but this thing had no ancient sprite to guide me. Everything that this thing could do was something I had to figure out for myself. So I did the only thing that made sense. I pulled the trigger and waited for the mountain before me to disintegrate.

The trigger was pulled and the rifle made a rather loud click. I was waiting for something to happen but as the moments passed I shot the rifle a confused look. The sound of Rias going wild behind me was the only sound in the room. I was expecting some sort of blast but nothing popped up.

I contemplated why that was before slapping my self for my stupid thoughts. This thing was not a standard rifle it shot out beams of energy not bullets that were stored in the rifle. That means the energy had to come from something naturally that source of energy had to come from me.

So I channeled a modest sum of Mana into the rifle. I figured I was doing the right thing as a bar on the rifle that I did not notice before started to fill up and light up. I was worried for a moment that my Mana was not compatible with the Sacred Gear as I had already learned that Demonic Power was a completely different source of energy. I supposed the humans of this world might have Mana similar to me but as far as I was aware they drew power from calculations and contracts that they formed with various factions.

I stopped channeling Mana as soon as the bar reached a quarter of the way to the end. The amount of Mana I pumped into this thing was a rather large sum. It was about the same amount of Mana I spent fighting Dumbledore which was rather shocking. That amount of Mana was capable of burning down a castle but it could barely fill a quarter of the reserves of the rifle before me.

I guess since my Mana was far more delicate it was not completely compatible with the Sacred Gear before me. That was a good thing to find out now as finding that out later in a middle of a fight would have been disastrous. If I wanted to bring the true potential of this weapon to the surface I needed to cultivate Demonic Power.

I was not exactly against the notion as more power was of course good for me. While I was more than satisfied with Mana some times you needed a missile instead of a surgical blade. So having that power was something I had to figure out. I was not willing to put my self into the mental state that required to have my reserves booming but I was willing to harvest Soul Energy from others.

I was capable of making contracts that would have people funneling Mana towards me already. I just needed to tweak the process enough that it would fit my needs. That was a matter of experimentation which should be quicker with Fortuna. I also could ask to see how Rias did contracts with mortals. I could use that method to grow my Demonic Power as well.

I took the time that was used to plan my further actions to take a break. While the Mana I used was not enough to reach the peak of what I was capable it still took a big chunk out of me. The sweat pouring down my back was a good sign of that.

Still, I wanted to blow shit up, and now was the perfect time to do so. I aimed the rifle again and prepared to shot it again. The rifle seemed to hum in my hands as I started to pull the trigger.

As I pulled the trigger I felt the energy inside of it connect with me. Before I could figure out anything about it the energy started to build rapidly. I should have been capable of choosing exactly how much energy was shot out of the rifle but with it rapidly expanding that was out of the question. It just kept building and building the bar on the side of the rifle flashing multiple colors as it started to fill up again as if it had a life of its own.

I knew I was quickly losing control of the situation so instead of trying to do damage control. I chose to let the entire reserve out of the rifle and let go of the trigger. That choice caused a massive beam of blue energy to shoot from the rifle at the mountain far away from me.

The kick from the rifle was rather drastic and I almost dropped it but my enchanted body barely handled it. It still almost hit my chest from the kick back. I should have expected some sort of kickback from the thing as it was a gun. I was going to have to further improve my physique if I wanted to eliminate that draw back.

The beam was about five feet in diameter. I felt like it would have driven a whole through me with no issues if I were the target of this thing. Luckily I was not and I got to see as the beam collided with the mountain.

While the beam itself was not that large the energy behind it was massive. So when it hit the mountain the blue light hit it and bloomed into a massive explosion. Watching as the light started to form a massive sphere of destruction at the mountain brought a small smile to my face.

While the blast was technically only a quarter of what the rifle was currently capable of it was still impressive. I thought with that energy it would be capable of erasing the top of the mountain but I was wrong about that.

The whole mountain was swallowed by the bright blue sphere of sheer destruction. Nothing was left as the beam finally dissipated. The ground between me and the mountain was glowing a bright red as the heat from the beam was truly something. I was even feeling it and I could tank artillery fire without flinching.

While this was not what I was expecting to happen I was more and more satisfied with the weapon in my hand. Sure it had problems but the amount of destruction it was capable of was something to praise. I was worried about what happened but it was to be expected.

The energy in the rifle went through some sort of feedback loop that boosted the energy in it endlessly. The problem with it was it built that energy far too quickly and if I did not let that blast loose like I did rifle might have reached its limit. The bar on the side of the rifle was clear it had a limit and while it might grow with willpower and determination It was still in a base state.

I should have expected something like this. The description on the item said it was a Longnius and I knew that they were bullshit. My rifle operated like the Boosted Gear but it had a limit while the Boosted Gear did not. So while I was capable of shooting out a beam that rapidly increased in power I could not reach the heights of the Red Dragon Emperor with out expanding my Gear myself.

Since I now knew about the feed back loop I did not need to build up my Demonic Power quite as urgently. I could input a small amount of Mana and it would reach untold heights in moments. It was probably better off with my Mana as I had a far better grasp of the delicate energy in comparison to the wild and powerful Demonic Power. I imagined that if I were to use that energy the growth of power would be something completely out of control.

If my gear had an ancient beat residing inside of it the beast would have been capable of helping me control this thing but that was not in the cards. Only the original Longnius had sprites as they were formed from beasts that held power equal to gods. While the current Start Blaster Star Burster was as powerful as them it evolved from a beast that could not reach the same peaks as those legends. So it was not capable of holding onto it’s mind after death.

“I can see why you needed practice with this thing,” Rias announced behind me which caused me to turn around startled. I did not expect her to suddenly appear behind me but I really should have. I did do something rather drastic so she was bound to pipe in after seeing the destruction I wrought. She shot me an amused look as she took joy in my startled state. 

“I’m glad I did, if I tried to shoot this guy at full power I might have ended up blowing off my arms,” I spoke out flatly. I was glad I was not capable of filling this guy up with just my Mana. If I did have it full before I pulled the trigger I might have ended up with this thing blowing up in my face.

“That was not the full power?” Rias asked with another facilitated look appearing on her face. I shot her a confused look as while what I did was impressive it was to be expected that a Longnius should be capable of much more. She must have seen my confusion as she gave me an exasperated look.

“Usually a Sacred Gear starts off at a base state that needs the user to fully awaken it before they can use all of its abilities properly.” She explained as she looked over at the rifle with sheer want. Hearing her explanation I got why she was surprised from the blast I sent. The Gear should have been a lot more basic considering the standard logic here. I examined my Sacred gear with a contemplative look on my face.

Was this just the base state of my Gear? Or was it already awakened since I got it from the Chat Group? The power coming from it might be from it being an evolved gear. There were many possibilities but that was something I could figure out later.

I was happy with how it operated right now and if it awakened to an even better state I would be even happier. Beyond it awakening I could also get it to reach a balance breaker state. I had no idea what would happen when it reached that state but I let out an ecstatic thought about what was to come.

“ Thats good to know. I might be in a different situation as I got it from the Chat Group but I don’t know if that is true.” I spoke out my thoughts to the girl before me. She took in my words and a flash of understanding popped on her face. She then shot a jealous look at the rifle in my hands as she held the sword part absentmindedly.

“Is there anything you would be willing to trade for your Sacred Gear?” Rias asked with some hope on her face. She was clearly not completely sure about what she was asking but she still wanted to try. Which I got if I did not have this thing myself I too would want to bargain for it.

“I’m not sure if you had anything I would be willing to trade for Rias. If you want a Sacred Gear that badly you could roll the Gacha.” I spoke out blandly as I already made my point clear. She had bullshit luck as well she should be capable of getting a Sacred Gear no problem. Hell, even Ashley got a Sacred Gear and she was just lucky not blessed by luck.

She shot me a pout before a strange look appeared in her eyes. She then looked away from me and started to go red rapidly. I could recognize what she was displaying now but why she was thinking that way right now I had no idea. 

“I really really want that name change.” She muttered out and I rolled my eyes. I knew why she was doing what she was doing but I did not agree with it. Sure she had a rather embarrassing name but the newcomers were bound to have something equally bad. It was a bonding experience for those who joined the Chat Group.

“There has to be something I could trade.” She spoke out quietly and fidgeted as she refused to meet my eyes again. The act had me raising my eyebrow and I was now even more confused about what was happening.

“I really can’t think of anything Rias-san. How about you offer stuff and we will see if I find your offer tempting.” I spoke out in compromise. I was not planning on trading with her no matter what she offered but I could not appear to be too obstinate.

Hearing my words she went even redder and started to fidget even more. The sight finally cleared my thoughts. I let my mouth hang open as I got why she was acting like that. She was thinking about a certain thing she was only capable of trading.

God, ecchi universes really were a different breed. Or maybe Rias' world was close enough to a hentai that she would let her think such thoughts. Or maybe she had fallen far too quickly for her own good.

Before she could offer what was on her mind another message popped up in front of me.

[NTR Victim: When are you coming back!? I need that rabbit Prince!]

The message was clear to the two of us and Rias was knocked out of the thoughts going through her mind. She looked at the message with a guilty look on her face. She then looked thoroughly chastised and grew a determined look on her face. I guess she needed a reminder that I was in a relationship.

[Overdramatic Fool: Sorry Ashley, I did not want to waste my points for no reason. I wanted to practice a little bit before I went back.]

[NTR Victim: Damn you and your rational explanation! ]

[Khajit Has Information If You Have Coin: You never change Ashley. Lol]

[NTR Victim: Damn straight.]

[Khajit Has Information If You Have Coin: Hey Prince take all the time you need. Better yet spend a couple of days at Rias world. Give a girl a chance at getting enough points to travel.]

[NTR Victim: Don’t listen to her Prince, we shall feast on rabbit today and it will be glorious!]

[The Best Oppai In The Underworld: Why are you guys so willing to eat this cute thing! Mochi-chan is adorable!]

[Khajit Has Information If You Have Coin: You just don’t get it Rias a Ragout Rabbit tastes divine. There is no other way to describe it.]

[NTR Victim: I don’t care how adorable the dumb thing is. It could be the most cute thing in the world and I would murder it in cold bold if I knew it tasted like that!]

[Grade A Bottom: There has to be a line. You can’t mean you would eat ANYTHING that tasted like the rabbit. What if it was a human that tasted like that.]

[NTR Victim: You really don’t want the answer to that question.]

[Khajit Has Information If You Have Coin: That is really fucking concerning.]

[The Best Oppai In The Underworld: I’m sure she does not mean that….I hope so.]

[I Was A Hunter But I Took An Arrow To The Heel: I have seen some terrible things but this one really takes the cake.]

[Grade A Bottom: Birds of a feather if she hangs out with Prince-san it’s to be expected.]

[Overdramatic Fool: I feel like I should defend her….Yet I don’t think I could justify this one.]

[NTR Victim: It’s just a little cannibalism you guys are bing babies.]

[Khajit Has Information If You Have Coin: Ashley no eating people.]

[Grade A Bottom: If we are taking votes I also want her not to eat me.]

[I Was A Hunter But I Took An Arrow To The Heel: Being eaten was not on my list either.]

[The Best Oppai In The Underworld: ……Are you sure she has positive points Prince-san?]

[Overdramatic Fool: She really does even if she has the strangest takes.]

[NTR Victim: Bah, you guys don’t get it. It’s not like I said I would eat people I only said that if they tasted like Ragout Rabiit I would eat them.]

[Overdramatic Fool: I’m not sure if that makes things better Ashley.]

[Khajit Has Information If You Have Coin: It does not.]

[Grade A Bottom: Can confirm it does not.]

[I Was A Hunter But I Took An Arrow To The Heel: I can’t even imagine how it would make it better.]

[The Best Oppai In The Underworld: Can we not talk about eating people.]

[Overdramatic Fool: Agreed.]

[Grade A Bottom: I may have brought it up but I already regret that.]

[Khajit Has Information If You Have Coin: Going to scrub this conversation from my mind.]

[I Was A Hunter But I Took An Arrow To The Heel: Can we move past this that quickly?]

[Overdramatic Fool: Yes.]

[Grade A Bottom: Yes.]

[Khajit Has Information If You Have Coin: Yes.]

[The Best Oppai In The Underworld: Yes. ]

[NTR Victim: Major overreaction. You guys try getting staved for months and not thinking about eating someone at least once.]

[Overdramatic Fool: Alright that cuts it I’m coming back to cuddle you Ashley.]

[NTR Victim:....thank you.]

[Grade A Bottom: That went on for months!?!]

[I Was A Hunter But I Took An Arrow To The Heel: I don’t advocate for cannibalism but I understand Ashley. Sorry for whatever happened to you.]

[The Best Oppai In The Underworld: You get through it and are stronger for it Ashley!]

[Khajit Has Information If You Have Coin: She was starved for months!? Who the fuck did that to my friend!!]

[A Chat mission is being generated.]

[The Best Oppai In The Underworld: DIBS!!!!!!!!]