"Why are you here?"
Glancing at the cat-eared girl on the sofa, Cain took off his coat and tossed it onto the nearby coat rack: "I don't think I told you I was coming to Kuoh."
"I went to your house to hang out yesterday."
Kuroka revealed a smug look: "After finding you weren't home, I inquired about your whereabouts. They told me."
As an honored guest personally invited by Cain and also Cain's teacher Senjutsu, Kuroka had a pretty good relationship with the Cain family.
She basically didn't spend much time figuring out that Cain had gone to Kuoh Town from the butler, even obtaining the residence and the key.
Guh~! A strange noise arose. Kuroka, who had been smug, suddenly drooped her face, clutching her stomach: "Cain, I just raided your fridge, but it was all ingredients."
"Because I bought this house last week. Don't even think about snacks."
"Eh? Then what should we do?"
"Let's go out and find something to eat."
"So troublesome. I don't want to go out, Nyaa.", Kuroka resisted with her face: "Besides, this is the territory of devils, right? It will be very troublesome if I get discovered outside."
"Then why did you run over here?"
"Of course, to hang out with you, Nyaa."
"I think you came to freeload a meal."
Cain sighed and got up, walking to the refrigerator.
He understood the personality of this lazy nekomata.
With the conversation having reached this point, the other party simply didn't want to move.
Taking out the frozen fish from the refrigerator, Cain quickly began preparing the ingredients, and a fragrance quietly spread.
"Eh? Cain, did your cooking skills improve?"
Kuroka had arrived behind Cain at some unknown time, pressing her voluptuous chest against his back, giving him a soft touch.
"Could it be that you secretly practiced your cooking skills to please me?"
"Stop making up scenes for yourself. My improved cooking has nothing to do with you."
"Being too concerned about face over things like this means you won't find a girlfriend, Nyaa~!"
"Eat" Cain stuffed the freshly pan-fried fish into Kuroka's mouth.
"Delicious!" Kuroka chewed a couple of times, her tail swinging behind her stopped abruptly, and a light appeared in her eyes.
Although she had a premonition based on Cain's movements just now, this taste was even more delicious than expected.
"Cain! Give me another one!"
"Go eat at the table."
Pressing down on Nekomata's restless little hand, the two sat down at the dining table.
In fact, Cain wasn't very hungry.
Kuroka's arrival was not part of his plan.
He had already stopped by a roadside shop to eat dinner before returning home.
After taking a few simple bites, the entire plate of fried fish was basically eaten by Kuroka.
"Ah~ I can't anymore, I can't anymore. My stomach is stuffed full by Cain, Nyaa. Cain is amazing."
"Go wash the dishes.", Cain ignored Kuroka's strange remark and motioned for her to get to work.
"Sigh, Cain, you've become so boring. The you from when we were little was much more interesting.", Kuroka reminisced about the past.
Back then, she had just defected from the Underworld and become an exiled devil.
To ensure her safety, she traveled east to China.
This was the jurisdiction of the Eastern Gods; devils dared not pursue and cause trouble here.
It was at that time that Kuroka encountered Cain practicing ancient martial arts in a deep mountain forest.
Out of mischievousness, she used Senjutsu to create an illusion, disguising herself as a deity.
Cain was greatly startled by her appearance back then; she still remembered the shock in his eyes.
It was because of that encounter that Kuroka was invited by Cain to become an honored guest and Senjutsu teacher of the his family, and the two gradually became familiar.
"Speaking of which, Cain, your aura has changed so much. Did that plan succeed, Nyaa?"
"It succeeded."
"I knew it! Cain, you suddenly became so fragrant! Quickly summon the Sacred gear and let me see!"
Quickly cleaning the plates using Senjutsu, Kuroka leaned curiously next to Cain.
She knew something about Cain's plundering plan; or rather, she was the one who actively pushed the plan forward.
The ritual to plunder sacred gear was something Cain asked her to exchange with people from the Fallen Angel faction.
Buzz~! A faint magical fluctuation arose, and a crimson gauntlet appeared on Cain's arm.
"This is the boosted gear. It's my first time seeing the real thing, Nyaa."
Kuroka curiously reached out and poked it a couple of times. It was hard, but she could feel the immense power contained within.
"The boosted gear can be infinitely strengthen you Cain. Now you'll be able to reach the heavens!"
"That's called soaring to the sky."
"Such small details don't matter."
Kuroka shifted her gaze from sacred gear to Cain.
Unlike other yokai, nekomata's have a tradition of coupling with strong individuals to give birth to offspring using the other party's genes.
And as a rare species among nekomata, Kuroka, whose true form is a nekoshou, also possessed this custom.
"Cain, I remember you're already an adult, right?"
"Yeah"
"Then it's time to get rid of your virginity.", Kuroka subconsciously licked her lips, a seductive smile appearing on her face: "Don't let the good things go to outsiders. Let me help you out."
By becoming the host of the Red Dragon Emperor, the body will gradually dragonize under the influence of the divine artifact, possessing dragon genes.
Immense strength and dragon genes, this was an unprecedented temptation for Kuroka.
Coupled with her good relationship with Cain, Kuroka immediately reached out towards his waist, her eyes burning with palpable desire.
Slap~! A crisp sound suddenly rang out. Cain slapped away her restless little hand, his expression calm.
"For the first time, at least be a bit more formal. Go take a shower first."
"Such a small thing doesn't matter!", Kuroka's wicked intentions hadn't died down, and she raised her hand again: "Cleaning the body or whatever can be solved with one senjutsu spell. I pay close attention to hygiene, Nyaa!"
Slap~! "Sigh, fine. Then I'll go take a quick shower."
Kuroka quietly retracted her little hand.
However, just then, her eyes spun, and she came up with a new idea. She raised her hand and undid the buttons on her clothes.
A rustling sound began, and a perfectly flawless delicate body appeared in the living room.
Kuroka took cat-like steps, her slender figure outlining a tempting curve. She held strawberries in both hands and brought them to Cain's mouth.
"Cain, you..."
Slap~! "Damn it! You just wait, Nyaa!"
Kuroka angrily walked towards the bathroom.
If she didn't drain this guy tonight, she would take his surname!
..."Alright, time for serious business."
Temporarily driving away the troublesome person, Cain looked at the crimson gauntlet on his right arm.
"Ddraig, I need to do some testing, so I'm going to seal your soul for a while."
{"No problem, partner."}
Ddraig's voice rose in Cain's mind.
Having heard the conversation between Cain and Kuroka, it clearly understood what was about to happen.
Under Cain's guidance, Ddraig's consciousness was temporarily sealed, forcefully entering a sleep state.
However, what Ddraig didn't know was that after Cain put it to sleep, he didn't return to his room to organize the layout to prepare for what was next.
On the contrary, he leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and also entered an energy-saving state.
His consciousness slowly sank, and DXD Cain soon arrived at the Mist Plaza.
That's right, showering was just an excuse; this was the real reason he drove Kuroka away.
He wanted to test whether the power of boosted gear could be shared with the other Cains.
But what DXD Cain didn't expect was that the moment he stepped into the Mist Plaza, the Mist Plaza underwent an unprecedented change.
Vast the mist billowed up, transforming into a vortex that surrounded him. Some the mist merged into DXD Cain's body during this process, covering the surface of the boosted gear.
Subconsciously, he understood the intent of this the mist.
This the mist sensed the foreign object within his soul and was asking him if he wanted to clear it away?
After a divine artifact is bound, it establishes a soul connection with the host, becoming completely integrated.
It was just like how Jujutsu Cain consumed a Sukuna's Finger, establishing a connection between his soul and Sukuna's soul.
In the judgment of the Mist Plaza, the soul of Ddraig within DXD Cain's soul was a foreign object.
As long as DXD Cain had the thought, he could crush the soul of Ddraig and clear away this foreign object without affecting the divine artifact.
However, Cain wasn't that heartless.
Although the time they spent together wasn't long, Ddraig's attitude towards him was very friendly.
The other party wasn't like Sukuna, who liked to play tricks and try to take over someone else's body to cause trouble.
Having been sealed in the divine artifact for countless years, Ddraig's mentality had long since settled down. For him, just having someone to chat with was already very satisfying.
"No, there is no need to clear out the foreign object."
DXD Cain gave his reply, saving Ddraig.
However, what he didn't expect was that the surrounding the mist did not dissipate because of this.
As if sensing DXD Cain's thoughts, a new will emerged from the the mist again.
"Do you wish to modify the Sacred Gear?"
"Modify? How to modify? What are the prerequisites for modification?" DXD Cain asked.
"Do you wish to modify the Sacred Gear?"
The the mist did not reply, repeating the inquiry just as before.
"Do you possess self-will? What will the Sacred Gear become after modification?"
DXD Cain did not give up and changed his question.
From the memories of the other Cains, it was clear that the Mist Plaza was a very special place.
In the past, besides crushing Sukuna's soul, which allowed the Cains to understand that the Mist Plaza possessed the power to protect souls, no other effects had been uncovered to this day.
Since new reactions had finally appeared this time, they naturally had to probe carefully.
But until the other Cains arrived, the the mist remained like a stuck program, repeatedly asking, "Do you wish to modify the Sacred Gear?" with no other response.
"The abilities of the Sacred Gear cannot be shared."
"But after you use the boost of the Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet to strengthen yourself, I can gain the strengthening as well."
DanMachi Cain ignored the the mist anomaly and first tested the effect of the Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet.
Upon touching DXD Cain, he failed to acquire the doubling ability of the Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet, likely because the doubling power originated from Ddraig, not DXD Cain.
However, after testing, DanMachi Cain discovered that after DXD Cain used the doubling ability to strengthen himself, he could temporarily gain the power of the other's strengthening until it was canceled.
"This is great," Demon Slayer Cain's eyes lit up after hearing this: "It can be operated, allowing instantaneous acquisition of power amplified to the limit. It's even more useful than the normal Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet."
Chef Cain nodded: "The only drawback is needing DXD Cain's help. It's better suited for preparation before a battle rather than use during combat."
One-Punch Cain thought for a moment: "If we can stall the enemy, preparation during the fight is also possible."
With Super-speed Regeneration and Reverse Cursed Technique, their physical body restoration speed was astonishingly fast; as long as a portion of the torso remained, they could recover.
At that time, with the Spirit Devouring Barrier weakening the enemy, coupled with the power amplified by DXD Cain, he could even fight against a Dragon-level Monster, perhaps even win.
The only issue was how to enter the Mist Space during combat to call DXD Cain.
"I tried to split a portion of my consciousness to enter the Mist Space while the other part controlled my body to move."
"However, doing so creates a feeling of soul displacement, and the two perspectives shake violently. It requires repeated attempts."
Jujutsu Cain provided a solution.
After resolving Sukuna and Mahito using the Mist Space, he became the most dedicated among the Cains regarding the development of the Mist Space.
In his free time, he conducted many tests on the Mist Space and was very professional in this area.
"Since dual focus is possible, the key to this combat plan lies with me in the DXD World."
DanMachi Cain looked toward DXD Cain: "If you feel a signal coming into your mind, you must arrive extremely quickly."
DXD Cain considered it: "As long as I'm not especially busy, cooperating shouldn't be a problem. But the best scenario is still giving me a heads-up before the fight."
DanMachi Cain nodded: "No problem."
One-Punch Cain echoed: "+1."
Excluding DanMachi Cain and One-Punch Cain, the other Cains had no reaction.
In fact, among the numerous Cains, only these two might need to use the doubling power.
As for the others, their power in their base state was already sufficient, making the doubling unnecessary.
"We've discussed the combat plan enough. Now it's time to discuss the main business, right?" DXD Cain pointed to the side: "Should we utilize the the mist to modify the Sacred Gear? I'm unsure if modifying it will cause the Sacred Gear to lose its original abilities."
As the domain master of the Mist Plaza, Jujutsu Cain stepped forward again: "I personally suggest accepting the modification. The power of this Mist Plaza is immense, and the chance to excavate the essence of this power is more important to us than anything else."
Chef Cain put his hands behind his head: "I don't care. You combat-oriented guys can make the decision."
Prince of Tennis Cain nodded: "Me too."
One-Punch Cain: "Abstain from voting."
DanMachi Cain: "Then let's modify it. Having the opportunity to understand the power of the Mist Plaza is a good thing for us."
Seeing that the other Cains were not prepared to participate, DanMachi Cain chose Jujutsu Cain's suggestion.
The Cains had no objections to this; they were also curious about the power of the Mist Plaza.
"Since that's the case, we accept it then."
DXD Cain wasted no more time, sending his consciousness to the surrounding the mist to convey the command: "Help me modify the Sacred Gear."
...
Re@d adv@nce ch@pters on p@t
guilt_free_daoist
Jo!n d!sc0rd I!nk in synops!s.
GIVE ME YOU POWER STONES.