Beyond Critical - Chapter 24.2 (Patreon)

A roaring voice of glee and jubilation echoed through the forest. The deep expanse of woodland was lit up by shining light of crimson and green.

'The principles of domination, huh?' Kaito chewed on his lip, arms crossed as he leaned against one of the trees, his eyes trained on his 'student' for the day.

Behind him, just at the corner of the tree and peering out over his shoulder was Asia, taking refuge from the onslaught of magical, or rather dragonic power building up.

With Ddraig to help facilitate the process, Hyoudou sacrificing his arm and lungs to the Red Dragon Emperor was a simple matter.

And even right now, even with his subpar sensory abilities, Kaito could feel as the wielder of Boosted Gear's power sky rocketed.

Almost approaching the same amount of magical power he had.

When he first sought out to fight Satanael and help Irina, before he himself sacrificed his organs and transformed them into that of a dragons.

As it was, he was only paying half a mind to Hyoudou.

His mind was on the fact that was revealed to him by Ddraig.

The Principles of Domination.

It was amazing, he'd somehow luckily got his hands on such a power. And just from the bare basics of the power Ddraig explained to him, he should be over the moon.

…Yet-

'Is that why I've had such trouble with my emotions lately?' he grimaced in thought, fingers that were crossed over his biceps digging in so tightly he almost pierced his skin and drew blood.

Why he'd been so much more angry, so much more lustful, so much more impatient. Why his temper was hair trigger thin.

…Was it why the girls around him had been so, submissive? Yanagi had bowed to the harem thing way to easily. Akeno had submitted to him in all of one meeting. Even Serafall had been caught up with him to a degree before she shook it off.

Was it why he simply couldn't stand the sight of Hyoudou now? Before, he'd disliked him, quite a bit actually, even been jealous of him to a degree for his luck with the Boosted Gear. But he'd never hated him enough to do what he did those weeks back, even if Hyoudou was the one to throw the first punch.

Was it why things had changed for him so much?

'I only wanted to get strong enough to protect myself and people I care about, and then continue with my life and become a pro football player on the world stage.' a shuddering breath escaped Kaito.

When…did that suddenly change to wanting to get stronger? Gain all these benefits? Become a high class devil for a peerage of his own?

And worst of all…when did he start to enjoy such a thing?

"Alright, the transformation is complete, the connection has been boosted!" Ddraig's voice suddenly echoed from Issei's right arm, "Pseudo Balance Breaker activate, Welsh Dragon Balance Breaker!"

The Boosted Gear shone with an intense crimson light that blotted Hyoudou entirely from view, before it shifted entirely into a blinding green and swarmed over his body.

"Boosted Gear Balance Breaker: Scale Mail!" Hyoudou's voice shouted from within the light, before it shattered apart in glass to reveal Hyoudou, covered from head to toe in a shining crimson red armour with gleaming green gems on the arms, knees and chest, golden tusks erupting from the jaw of the helmet, a long jagged spiky ended tail dangling from behind the head, and blinding green eyes peeking out from the visor.

Kaito dismissed his heavy thoughts for the moment and pushed off of the tree, "So this is the legendary Scale Mail huh?" he mused aloud.

He had to admit, it was pretty cool looking.

"Yes, this is my full power now Kaito!" Issei pumped his fists into the air and roared out proudly, "Yes, with this, what was I even thinking? I'm such a fool for letting myself be led astray! With this power, I can even beat you!"

He lowered his arms and pointed at Kaito, pointing one metallic clawed finger at him, "Fight me Kaito!" he demanded, his legs crouching down a bit to push off.

'Has the power gone to his head?' Kaito wondered idly. He could somewhat understand that, after all, it wasn't like he wasn't guilty of such a thing either.

"Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!" Ddraig's voice suddenly erupted with chant after chant, the green gems on the scale mail lighting up with green energy.

"I'm the manly one now!" Hyoudou roared and exploded forward in a blur of speed, far faster than he was previously capable of.

The difference right now between him and Kaito when they fought weeks ago, if such a thing could even be called a fight, was like night and day.

His blurring charge-

Came to a complete halt only a moment later though.

Why?

Because of Kaito's fist, encapsulated with the crimson red energy of his dragon aura alone, punching straight through the chest of the scale mail.

It shattered into pieces like the glass of a window, returning Hyoudou back to normal.

Wide eyed, mouth agape Hyoudou fell back staring into Kaito's eyes, an odd look in his own, halfway between unconsciousness, mystified awe and something else Kaito couldn't place, "…Damn…So manly…." Hyoudou snorted to himself.

Before he landed flat on his back unconscious.

"Issei-san!" Asia gasped in worry, rushing out from behind the tree to kneel by the unconscious boys side, her Twilight Healing blinking into existence upon her fingers, before light green power shimmered from her hands and covered his body.

Not that there was any need.

Kaito had went easy on him.

With the Scail Mail and those boosts he had suddenly taken. Speed wise, Kaito judged him to have reached around the same speed Kaito himself was capable of a few weeks ago with his Touki and Dragon aura.

That was without his own Sacred Gears though.

The younger teen stared at the unconscious Boosted Gear wielder for a moment, hand still outstretched in a fist-

Before pulling it back and holding his fist up and opening it. Revealing the gleaming deep green gem within his palm. The same gem that had been previously in centre of the Scale Mail.

This one gem, was basically the entire reason why he'd actually decided to take part in this farce of a training trip.

Beyond learning the basics of how to use devil magic, which only took him a single night…even while very distracted, there was nothing to gain for him from this trip.

Except this.

'Thanks for the idea Hyoudou.' he dipped his head this one time in respect to the older boy.

In the other timeline, Hyoudou had shattered the Scale Mail of the White Dragon Emperor and wielder of Divine Dividing, Vali Lucifer. And through stealing one of the gems that were left behind by the broken Sacred Gear for all of a moment, Hyoudou was able to steal part of the Divine Dividing's power.

At great cost to himself mind you, because Divine Dividing and Boosted Gear were complete opposites.

His Twice Critical though, his original un-mutated Twice Critical, was a completely different matter though. It after all, was simply a weaker version of the Boosted Gear, and was made from Ddraig's body.

And Ddraig had even said it himself, Kaito had inherited his flesh.

He should have a massive compatibility with a part of the Boosted Gear.

All that left, was the desire to make it work. Sacred Gears responded to the wishes, emotions and desire of the user.

'I can't deny it.' he thought, eyeing the gem as if transfixed.

Perhaps it was his true nature all along?

Power.

He wanted it.

He always had.

From the very beginning when he chose his path as a child, he'd vowed to become the best. To become self sufficient, rich, famous, powerful. He'd vowed to become the best football player in the world and make his name echo through the hall of fame for all time.

The addition of his other selves soul, memories, his very life and how he lived. Had merely brought what was already there to the true surface.

Perhaps that was why he was born with a dragon based Sacred Gear in the first place.

He was more greedy than anyone else.

Now that he'd taken to a higher stage. Why should he not aim for the apex? To become the very best.

Like no one ever was.

"I laugh before the infinite and chase after the dream." almost instinctually the words slipped from his mouth. And something, rushed through him, making his hair stand on end and a shudder run down his spine.

It was Ddraig's juggernaut drive chant.

Only a little different.

It started from Ddraig's, and then it became his own.

What did it mean though?

He'd felt something change as he spoke it. But, he didn't know what. He didn't even really feel different either, the feeling had already passed.

But…he kind of felt like he'd passed a milestone of some sort?

That left only one thing for him to do.

He held up the hand holding the glimmering green gem from the Boosted Gear, and in a flash of light a familiar ebony black and golden gauntlet formed around his arm as his Twice Critical appeared.

'I'll taking this power as well!' Kaito declared with a mental roar, his fingers clasping around the gem once more forming a fist.

He drew deep on the fragment of Ddraig's power within the Twice Critical, the golden gem on his gauntlet lighting up with blinding power. Beams of green shone from between his fingers, before gold overcame it.

"Oooooooh!" Kaito felt a roar leave his lips, his dragon aura bursting into existence around his body almost instinctually and compressing around his arm like armour, or a glove.

Pushing, pushing and pushing.

Compressing, crushing, crashing.

Devouring.

And then it happened.

The gem disappeared, the weight of it fading away as it was subsumed within his original Twice Critical.

And something clicked.

Golden light burst into existence around his left arm as a second gauntlet identical to the first formed. it was like his other Twice Critical returned to its original form before mutating.

But that wasn't it.

He could feel it.

A connection between his original Twice Critical and this one appearing on his left hand.

They were the same.

They were both his original Twice Critical. His Twice Critical had evolved, becoming another subspecies.

"Boost!"

"Boost!"

Ddraig's voice echoed from both gauntlets.

Twin boosts.

With his wings, that brought his total boosts right now up to three.

But that wasn't all.

Instinctually, he could feel something else. Another power. Another ability. More than one actually.

Two.

He could hear their names whispering in his ear. Slotting into his brain. It was like remembering something after a long time and having a realisation.

An epiphany.

Penetrate.

And-

"Let me try this out," Kaito grinned and held his hand up, pointing it at Asia, "Transfer." he commanded.

Light erupted from his gauntlet and washed over Asia, covering her in an aura of light, and the green magical aura of her Twilight Healing, swelled massively in size.

'Interesting.' he noted idly. He felt much of the power he'd boosted with, disappear as it was transferred.

Maybe about eighty percent of it?

A sudden moan broke him from his thoughts and he looked over just in time to see Asia tilt her head back, and a euphoric moan erupt from her pretty little lips that would have given Akeno's from last night a rival, her cheeks flushing a dark red, "Ah~ Why do I feel so good?" she panted out, pulling her hands away from Hyoudou and running her hands frantically over her body.

…Oh, wait.

He'd just transferred his power to her.

Power of his that had been doubled twice.

An amount of power that thanks to him becoming a devil and then taking in the King Piece, and with those boosts-

Would be if not on the Ultimate Class level, nearly there.

The standard power ranking that actual gods lay on.

And he'd just transferred that to a girl who had never even come close to such power in her life and actually by his estimates, was around Irina's level magic wise.

Meaning, he'd given her access to more than ten times that of the power she actually had.

…Oops?