Riser's Power Growth—
Later that night, after his meeting with Rias's peerage, Riser sat alone in his private chamber, the moonlight pouring in through the arched windows. He stood shirtless, his upper body wrapped in soft flames as his fingers traced faint glowing circuits beneath his skin—remnants of his Sacred Gear Assimilation Drive.
The system's cold voice echoed in his mind.
[Sacred Gear Scan Complete: Longinus-Class Detected – Boosted Gear (Status: Linked – Dormant)][Evolution Progress: 14% – Hidden Flame Core adapting to Dragon Factor...][New Option Unlocked: Flame Drive – Burst Overclock Mode][Next Objective: Initiate Contact with Target – Gasper Vladi (Gear Status: Obscured, requires closer proximity)]
Riser exhaled slowly, flames curling off his breath.
"Boosted Gear is evolving faster than expected," he murmured. "Even Ddraig hasn't noticed yet… I wonder how long that'll last."
He raised his hand and summoned a small sphere of flickering red and gold energy—a hybrid aura, not purely demonic, not entirely draconic. It pulsed like a heartbeat in his palm.
The Sacred Gear Assimilation Drive wasn't just stealing powers. It was rewriting them, fusing them with his bloodline, binding them to his will as if they had always been part of him. A twisted alchemy—reconstruction through flame.
This was no longer the original Boosted Gear. It was becoming something else entirely.
He snapped his fingers, and the flame-ball transformed into a small, emerald-red scale—Ddraig's essence condensed into something real. He let it dissolve into his palm.
[Flame-Boosted Core Stabilized. Temporary Stat Boosts: +20% Strength, +40% Mana Recovery, +25% Flame Affinity][Warning: Power readings now exceed standard High-Class Devil thresholds.]
Riser smiled. Good.
Strategic Thinking, Not Raw Power
Unlike the past version of himself, who would flaunt his power for attention or arrogance, Riser didn't reveal this new form to anyone—not yet. Every move he made was deliberate, every new technique kept hidden until the moment it was needed. Surprise would be his greatest weapon.
He knew others were watching. Azazel. Sirzechs. Even the Grigori had started whispering about fluctuations in Kuoh's magical field.
Let them watch.
He'd feed them just enough to think they understood.
He walked to the corner of the room where a magic circle hummed softly. With a wave of his hand, he activated a training simulation—creating multiple projections of high-level Sacred Gear users from known records.
Saji's [Absorption Line]. Xenovia's [Durandal]. Issei's [Boosted Gear]. Gasper's [Forbidden Balor View].
He faced them all.
And in a flash of phoenix flame and silence—they were gone.
No explosions. No theatrics.
Just cold, calculated obliteration.
Refined Combat Style
Where once he fought like a raging fire, now Riser moved like a controlled blaze—tight, deliberate, and terrifyingly efficient. His sword, once ceremonial, had evolved into a weapon fused with his flame. It extended and retracted with his will, shaped to counter whatever Sacred Gear he fought against.
The System observed it all.
[Flame Adaptation Protocols: 62% Complete.][Combat Style Shift Recognized: From Arrogant Duellist → Tactical Executor][Sacred Gear Compatibility: High. Initiate search for next Longinus-class target?]
Riser paused, then smirked.
"Not yet. Let me finish devouring what I've already taken."
A Quiet Visitor
The flames dimmed as someone approached his door.
"Riser?" came a quiet voice—Asia's.
He closed the system window and pulled on his robe.
"Come in."
Asia stepped inside, her expression calm but curious. "I… sensed something. It felt warm, but different. Are you okay?"
He gave her a reassuring smile. "Just training. Making sure I'm prepared for what's coming."
Asia nodded. She trusted him. Entirely. But as she looked into his eyes, she saw something there—depth, not darkness. A man who had seen death and come back stronger.
"You're changing," she whispered.
"I have to," he said simply. "This world rewards the cruel… and punishes the weak. I intend to become something greater."
Instead of fear, Asia stepped closer.
"I don't think you're cruel, Riser. Just… lonely."
His eyes widened a fraction—but only for a second.
"…Maybe," he said.
But he didn't pull away.
And in the flicker of candlelight, as flames gently curled in the air between them, Riser Phenex—the Flameborn Sovereign—took another step toward destiny.