After forty-five minutes, Roy completed the technique, making the final magic circle into Issei's body.
He exhaled, relieved.
The time-intensive spell demanded intense focus, but his practice paid off.
Every magic circle was etched flawlessly in one go.
Roy felt a surge of satisfaction.
The second step, the Sacred Gear integration technique, was far simpler.
After a brief pause, Roy traced a magic circle with his fingers, which swiftly merged into his body.
"One last step," Roy said, tamping down his excitement.
He activated the extraction technique within Issei's body.
A faint glow emanated from Issei as the technique took hold.
"Ugh—!" Issei, unconscious, groaned in pain, his body twitching.
A Sacred Gear, intertwined with its host's, was like a piece of their body.
Extracting it was akin to carving out flesh—agonizing.
Noticing Issei stirring, Roy delivered a light tap to keep him under.
The groans and tremors stopped instantly.
A vivid red light overwhelmed the faint glow, flooding the room.
From Issei's body emerged a fierce, crimson gauntlet, hovering in the air—the Boosted Gear.
After days of effort, Roy had secured the Longinus.
His hard work had paid off.
Without hesitation, Roy grasped the Boosted Gear in his palm.
The integration technique activated, and the gauntlet erupted in dazzling light, enveloping him.
The massive crimson armor fused into his arm, vanishing beneath his skin.
"Huh? Just integrating it boosts my strength?"
The Longinus enhanced his base power immediately.
It wasn't a dramatic leap, but the increase was undeniable.
Replicated Abilities: Hell Fire (C), Kendo Talent (C)
Replicated Items: Boosted Gear [NOT REPLICATION] (B+), Evil Piece: Knights
Dimensional Points: 375,793
"Another level up," Roy confirmed via the system interface.
"Sacred Gears are something else," he said, pleased.
The mere fusion had elevated his strength.
If he use Boosted Gear's power, he could rival an Ultimate-Class Devil.
"In a way, Issei really was the weakest host ever," Roy glanced at the unconscious Issei sprawl on the floor.
Despite Issei's eventual rise, his early weakness was glaring.
Unlike past hosts, he only awakened the Boosted Gear after becoming a Devil, drawing less attention from the Three Factions' powerhouses compared to his predecessors.
Issei's breathing grew faint.
For hosts, a Sacred Gear was tied to their life force—its removal often meant death, especially for unawakened hosts with no defenses.
Roy retrieved the Evil Piece: Knight, replicated from Kiba.
It was unclaimed, lacking a King piece to anchor it, rendering its speed-enhancing traits inert.
Roy hadn't replicated it to build a peerage but to restore Issei's fading vitality, preventing his death.
He made a magic circle on Issei's body, then embedded the Knight piece into him, using it to reincarnate him as a devil.
The piece fused, transforming Issei into a low-class Devil.
His weakening life force stabilized, growing robust as the conversion completed.
Roy had no grudge against Issei; he'd only targeted the Boosted Gear.
Not one for needless cruelty, Roy chose to spare him.
"This is all I can do for now."
"If I find a way later, I'll try to restore your human side," Roy murmured.
Issei might adapt to Devil life—or meet an untimely end.
That was beyond Roy's control.
After erasing all traces of the ritual, Roy double-checked for oversights.
Satisfied, he slipped out, leaving no evidence behind.
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200 Stones = 1 chapter
400 Stones = 2 chapter