At the same time...
In the guest room next to the master bedroom, Asia was kneeling on the floor, her hands clasped together in front of her chest as she prayed devoutly.
She was still wearing her nun's habit and hadn't changed into the beautiful clothes she had bought earlier that day.
It wasn't that she didn't like those clothes, but she was simply accustomed to dressing this way.
Of course, what she was even more accustomed to was the act she was currently engaged in—prayer.
Prayer was something Asia had done every day throughout her past life.
Even though she had been expelled from the Church, branded as a witch, and labeled a heretic by the Church's followers, she still persisted in her daily prayers.
This was naturally because her faith remained unshaken.
Despite the way the Church had treated her, and despite the fact that God had not saved her in her time of need, Asia's faith in the Lord was still deeply rooted in her heart.
It was less of an obsession or a belief and more something she could no longer part with.
Her faith was deeply engraved in her mind.
Her devotion had been maintained over the past decade.
To abandon it now was something Asia simply couldn't do.
So, she continued to persist, continued to hold on, and still harbored hope that one day, the Lord would bestow His grace and guide her.
Thus, Asia prayed devoutly, over and over again, allowing the pure aura around her to grow increasingly evident.
Suddenly—
"Hum—"
An indescribable wave of energy spread rapidly across the heavens and the earth, like a tidal wave.
It was an ancient mystery.
It was the supreme presence.
It was holy radiance.
It was solemn authority.
It was as if something long forgotten had returned, as if a great being had descended. The entire world seemed to sing in celebration of its arrival, and a profound, almost mystical sensation welled up in Asia's heart.
"T-This is...?!"
Asia's eyes snapped open in shock, and she stood up, her expression a mix of astonishment and excitement.
She didn't know what she was feeling.
But she knew it was something she had longed for, something she had pursued, something she had believed in.
"It's this way!"
As if guided by divine inspiration, Asia ran toward the door.
She ran through the hallway, down the stairs, and finally onto the open-air balcony, stepping outside.
And there, she saw it.
"God" was there.
"————"
The mysterious energy that had filled the heavens and the earth began to recede, and with it, the ancient mystery faded away.
Kaiser stood there, the holy spear in his hand gradually dimming its radiance and returning to its usual appearance.
In front of him, Raynare had manifested a pair of jet-black, crow-like wings, but she was now slumped on the ground, her arms hanging limply at her sides.
Her condition was strange—her expression was blank, her eyes vacant, as if she had lost her soul. It was as though she had been struck by an invisible attack and had collapsed, completely unresponsive.
Seeing her like this, Kaiser showed a satisfied expression.
"Finally, it's complete—my own unique Balance Breaker."
His plan had succeeded.
His development had succeeded.
Though there were some limitations, he had still managed to achieve the Balance Breaker he had envisioned, unlocking the legendary power.
The True Longinus, the first and strongest Longinus, had indeed proven to possess nearly infinite potential, just as he had expected.
This holy spear, capable of awakening various miracles, was undoubtedly the most malleable of all Sacred Gears, allowing him to successfully develop the Balance Breaker power he had imagined.
"With this Balance Breaker, there are only a few enemies left in this world that I need to fear, right?"
Kaiser muttered this to himself as he turned his gaze from Raynare to the entrance of the open-air balcony.
Asia stood there in a daze, her eyes fixed on the holy spear in Kaiser's hand.
She was entranced.
She was overwhelmed.
It was as if the Lord she believed in had appeared before her, causing the former saint to completely lose her composure.
"Lord..."
The girl clasped her hands in front of her chest in a posture of prayer, tears streaming down her face.
They were tears of emotion.
Seeing this, Kaiser thought to himself that this was bad, and he quickly retracted the holy spear into his body.
"Ah..."
Asia immediately snapped out of her trance, letting out a sound of loss.
"Why did you come here, Asia?" Kaiser smiled at her and asked, "Did I disturb your rest?"
He was clearly feigning ignorance.
"Kaiser-san!"
Asia didn't respond to his question. Instead, she looked at him with excitement, and after a long pause, she finally spoke.
"Y-You... are you the incarnation of the Lord?"
The girl had actually said such a thing.
"Huh?"
Kaiser was stunned.
But Asia only grew more excited, and the way she looked at him changed.
"Kaiser-san must be the incarnation of the Lord, right?"
"I... I saw it just now!"
"That spear...!"
As Asia became increasingly incoherent, Kaiser quickly stopped her.
"That's the True Longinus. As a nun from the Church, you should know about its existence, right?" Kaiser explained, "I'm a Sacred Gear user like you. My Sacred Gear is that spear."
"So, I'm not the incarnation of the Lord. I'm just a human who received a Sacred Gear, like you."
"Can you calm down first, please?"
Hearing this, Asia showed no signs of calming down.
"No, Kaiser-san must be the incarnation of the Lord," the girl declared firmly. "I truly saw it just now—the manifestation of the Lord's will."
Kaiser was at a loss for words.
This was something he couldn't deny.
The holy spear indeed housed the will of God, containing the miracles left behind by Him.
This miracle would only manifest when using a power deeper than the Balance Breaker, but the divine will within the spear had just descended.
As mentioned before, Balance Breakers of Sacred Gears could generally be divided into three types: the first being an evolution that enhances the original power, the second being a descent into madness where the user and the Sacred Gear merge into one, and the third being a sub-species that doesn't fit into either category.
The original Balance Breaker of the True Longinus belonged to the first type, an evolutionary Balance Breaker.
But the unique Balance Breaker Kaiser had developed encompassed all three types.
In this case, regardless of the third type, the characteristics of the first two types had clearly been displayed just now.
Perhaps this was why, when activating the Balance Breaker, Kaiser was surprised to find that the divine will that had been quietly dormant within the spear... had manifested.
He wasn't the incarnation of God, but he had indeed summoned the divine will.
This was why Asia had become so emotional.
"You should calm down first."
Seeing the way Asia was looking at him with increasingly fervent eyes, as if she had transformed from a devout believer into an extreme fanatic, Kaiser clapped his hands, trying to snap her out of it.
But Asia remained unresponsive, simply staring at Kaiser as if the absolute truth was right before her, as if her lifelong pursuit was right in front of her. She refused to look away.
"This is a bit bad..."
Kaiser smiled wryly.
Those who gazed upon the holy spear with devout faith would have their minds taken away.
This characteristic of the holy spear seemed to have grown stronger after Kaiser used the Balance Breaker, revealing its true form and touching upon the evolutionary and maddened aspects.
Gazing upon the spear in that state was no different from gazing upon the true God.
This was something Kaiser had learned through his Unique Authority after successfully using the Balance Breaker.
The effect of the Authority allowed Kaiser to fully master the Balance Breaker immediately after developing it, understanding all its functions.
Now, it seemed that Asia had been completely captivated by the holy spear, seeing him as the true incarnation of God.
"Asia."
Kaiser could only grab Asia's shoulders and shake her firmly.
But instead of snapping her out of it, this caused Asia to kneel before him and begin praying.
"Lord, please forgive me for my sins."
"I saved a devil, saved an enemy of God. This must be an unforgivable crime."
"So, I have no complaints about my current treatment. I only hope that the Lord will bestow His gaze upon me and guide me, telling me what I should do in the future."
"Ah, Almighty Lord..."
As Asia spoke, she began reciting scripture.
It seemed she was truly repenting, truly seeking forgiveness.
Originally, given Asia's kindness, she shouldn't have regretted saving a devil. But under the influence of the divine will, it seemed her perspective had shifted, and she now believed she had indeed done wrong.
As for this, Kaiser really wanted to give her a thumbs-up.
As someone who knew the truth, he was well aware of just how despicable the devil Asia had saved was. If Asia hadn't felt any regret for saving such scum, he would have been displeased.
This was much better.
Why save such trash?
That guy was just waste, someone who deserved to be ground to dust.
...Oh, he had already been ground to dust.
Never mind.
As Kaiser was somewhat evasively thinking about this, Raynare suddenly plopped down on her knees beside him.
"I... I know I was wrong too! Please forgive me... forgive me..."
Raynare was trembling, her gaze at Kaiser no longer filled with the previous mix of fear and malice. Instead, she looked like a sinner who had seen a god, filled with terror and anguish.
"I'm a Fallen Angel... I've sinned... I'm a Fallen Angel... I've sinned..."
The female Fallen Angel continued to mutter like this, trembling as if she had lost her mind.
Kaiser could only look at the two women kneeling before him and sigh.
"I hope they can return to normal soon..."