“Target the essence directly. My earlier thinking was stuck in a dead end. I overlooked the core nature of the Kryptonian bloodline.”
That night, after dinner and a shower, Sorata did not follow through on his afternoon plan to draw two EVA manga samples.
Instead, he lay flat on his bed.
Earlier, during a conversation with Shiina, she had casually mentioned “directly targeting the essence.” That phrase sparked something in him.
In that instant, he understood why his attempts over the past two days to deduce the second stage of bloodline fusion had repeatedly failed.
The root problem lay in the nature of the Kryptonian bloodline itself.
It was composed of Superman genetic cells capable of rapid evolution.
Under constant sunlight, those cells absorbed solar energy and evolved at an astonishing rate.
In his previous projections, to compensate for Kryptonian weaknesses such as low resistance to magic and insufficient damage against mystical forces, Sorata had tried fusing in divine level bloodline abilities containing powerful innate laws.
But the higher the rank of a divine bloodline, the stronger its exclusivity.
When such bloodlines clashed with Kryptonian genes, which focused purely on physical evolution and did not store excess energy, the conflict became even more violent.
Moreover, the Kryptonian bloodline at its initial stage was only Transcendent Rank 4.
Even though it possessed Grand Law level God Fiend potential, it was inherently suppressed when facing higher divine bloodlines.
Fusion was simply impossible.
“In fact, I only need to find special bloodlines at ordinary Transcendent rank. Their abilities should lean toward physical modification and reinforcement. I can fuse fragments of their law information into the second stage Kryptonian genes and let them evolve together with the cells.”
“With the rapid evolution speed of Kryptonian cells, those low level bloodline fragments should eventually be assimilated and become innate abilities.”
With that thought, Sorata began searching through his memory for suitable physical type Transcendent bloodlines.
He analyzed and extracted the fragments of law information he required.
“The Titanium Steel Giant at Transcendent Rank 4. Upon reaching adulthood, it gains a Titanium Steel Body. Its physique becomes dozens of times harder than diamond. It can form an invisible field that defends against cosmic radiation and resists extreme heat and cold.”
“I can extract the genetic law fragments related to the Titanium Steel Body and defensive field and integrate them into the Kryptonian bloodline.”
“Superman’s strength is pure evolutionary enhancement. It is not an essential transformation. Otherwise, he would not be harmed by ordinary objects once exposed to Kryptonite.”
“Defense can be solved this way. But while raw power is sufficient for physical attacks, there is still a major flaw in dealing damage against magic and mystical forces. That must be addressed.”
“For bloodlines of the same category, light or fire aligned ones are most suitable. Their abilities must integrate into bodily instinct to fuse naturally with the Kryptonian genes.”
“The Hellfire of the low level Balrog. The True Sun Fire of the Three Eyed Fire Crow. The innate light energy manipulation of the Light Wingman…”
Fragments of Transcendent level bloodline information surfaced in his mind one after another.
His thoughts moved quickly, filtering and discarding.
By seven the next morning, Sorata’s mental power was once again exhausted.
He dragged himself out of bed listlessly, washed up, and went downstairs, where he encountered the unusually energetic Misaki.
“Hi, Kohai. What’s wrong with you?”
She stared at his pale face and sluggish expression.
After a moment, her eyes lit up in sudden understanding.
“Ah, I get it. Young people have needs, but you have to show restraint. Doing it too often damages the body.”
“And if you really need to, you can go to little Shiina. She definitely won’t refuse.”
She even gave him a mysterious wink.
Sorata shook his head.
“As expected of Senpai. But I’m not as thirsty as Senpai Mitaka. I’m going to wake Shiina up.”
He went upstairs and stopped outside Shiina’s room.
“Shiina, I’m coming in.”
He opened the door and walked inside.
The room was still messy, though slightly better than before.
Shiina lay asleep on the bed, dressed in white floral pajamas.
Her sleeping posture was quiet, but the top buttons were undone, revealing far too much.
“Shiina, wake up.”
“Mmm… good morning, Sorata.”
She sat up, rubbed her eyes, then climbed off the bed and began changing clothes directly in front of him.
Nothing unexpected happened today.
After combing her hair and supervising her washing up, they went downstairs at seven thirty.
Sengoku Chihiro was already at the table, drinking beer.
“It looks like you’ve adapted to taking care of Shiina, Kanda. Keep up the good work.”
“Pushing a guardian’s responsibility onto a student. Sensei, do you have no shame?”
At that moment, Misaki came downstairs with her backpack.
“Kohai, ask little Nanami if she has time after school. I need her help dubbing my animation.”
“Okay.”
Lacking energy, Sorata did not bother preparing breakfast or lunch boxes.
He and Shiina bought bread on the way and ate while walking to school.
At the school gate, however, four figures caught his attention.
“President, Senpais, I’m heading to the first year department.”
A petite girl with short white hair and a kitten like appearance spoke politely to the red haired beauty among them.
Rias Gremory nodded lightly.
“Ara ara, since you just transferred to Suiko, Koneko chan, remember to build good relationships with your classmates.”
Himejima Akeno smiled gently, covering her mouth.
The handsome blond boy beside them, Kiba Yuuto, gave a slight nod.
His cold expression suggested he was not particularly talkative.
The three older students possessed striking appearances.
The two girls were beautiful with mature figures, while the boy was tall and handsome.
Simply standing there, they drew attention from passing students.
Sorata, a few steps away, observed them.
They noticed him as well.
Himejima Akeno stepped forward with a polite smile.
“Hello. I’m Himejima Akeno, a second year transfer student in the general course. This is our Occult Research Club President, Rias Gremory, and our member, Kiba Yuuto. Please take care of us.”
Rias and Kiba gave slight nods.
Since they were polite, Sorata responded with a courteous smile.
“Kanda Sorata, second year general course. This is Shiina from the second year art course.”
As he introduced them, a rare trace of alertness appeared in Shiina’s usually calm eyes.
She looked at the elegant red haired girl and the charming Akeno.
After brief introductions, both sides exchanged polite smiles and parted ways.
“Interesting.”
Sorata narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched their backs.
Though they suppressed their auras to resemble ordinary humans, he did not need to probe with mental power.
With his eyesight alone, he could tell they were not human.
Their names and the faint devilish aura around them gave away their identities, leaving him puzzled.
This was Suimei University Affiliated High School, not Kuoh Academy.
Why would figures from High School DxD appear here?
At his side, Shiina glanced at him and spoke calmly.
“Sorata, l l.”
Sorata blinked in confusion.
He turned to her blankly.
How had he suddenly become l l?