There were no words that could describe the absolute emotional pain that the Shirayamas felt at the sight of Tsugumi's horribly mangled body being held on display for them. Demon Subaru giggled and used his claws which pierced the skull to move its lips, mockingly stating, "Am I not invited to dinner? How rude! You should treat grandma better!"

Hajime tightly clenched his fists and bit his lip before he could explode in a flurry of insults. He had already gotten accustomed to that fiend's sadistic sense of humor, but the same could not be said for his parents. Aki was already covering her sobs with her palms and Takuma had grown pale and was rendered speechless, almost as if he had seen a ghost. A thousand different thoughts raced through the man's head, he remembered Tsugumi's first smile, the lullabies she softly sang, to him there was no greater truth than her motherly love. And now there she was, a mere decaying flesh husk. He erupted in an anguished scream of sorrow, unlike anything his son had ever seen from someone who was a typically reserved man. Takuma ran towards the barrier, unable to contain his anger. Sayo grabbed him from behind, her arms around his torso, and she struggled to keep him in place.

"Mister Shirayama, I beg of you, don't do anything rash!"

"Let go of me, Sayo! This bastard will pay for what he did to my mother!"

"I know all too well how you are feeling in this moment, but this is exactly what Shishima wants! If someone on the inside were to disturb the circle of salt, then our protections will be for naught and he will be free to pounce on all of us!"

"Do you expect me to stand back and have this piece of shit defile my mother's dead body?!"

"No, what I want is for you to calm down, take your wife and hide somewhere. Right now Shishima wishes to threaten your own safety for the mere reason that you are Hajime's parents. He will use any dirty trick to appeal to your emotions, so please do not fall for this!"

"But my mother..."

"...is unfortunately dead, as your son previously said. Please, try to get used to this. The sooner you reach acceptance, the harder it will be for this demon to trick us."

"I can't, she was my mother for fuck's sake!"

"Do you want the same to happen to your wife and son?" Takuma finally stopped struggling upon hearing that question. With a relieved sigh, Sayo let go of him and continued, "Thank you, I know how hard it must be for you right now."

As the priestess escorted the traumatized father back to his family, Demon Subaru touched the barrier with his palm and had the unpleasant surprise of his skin getting burnt. There was no doubt, the one who had erected it had strong spiritual powers. If he were to try and break it down, he would end up both wounded and tired, thus giving his enemies a great advantage over him. Still, he had mainly returned to have a rematch against Hajime, and this time around there would be no interference that would rob ultimate victory from his claws. As he watched Takuma and Aki run back inside the mansion, he made the red fog dissipate and revealed Demon Edo, who dragged the unconscious Jack and Lori by the backs of their necks like they were dead weights.

The expected reaction soon came from the blond, "Jack? Lori? What have you done to them?!"

"Nothing, they merely lost a duel against my loyal servant. If you don't want them to end up like grandma dearest, then I suggest you come out."

"There's no way I'm falling for your tricks again, Shishima!"

"Tricks? Oh no, my friend, there are no tricks. All I humbly ask is that we have another duel. It's not too much for you, now is it?"

"As if I'll risk my life facing you right now. Forget it!"

"You would rather risk their lives instead? But I thought they were your friends. What a horrible person you are, Hajime!"

Demon Edo joined his master's side and dropped the two unconscious youngsters at his feet. Demon Subaru brought his sneaker above Jack's head. As he witnessed it, Hajime struggled to think of a solution to that critical situation. Gazing at Sayo, he saw that she was also tensed up. As if to test the waters, she replied, "Like you would actually murder those two, your own bargaining chip!"

"Oh, I don't think you get it, priestess. I am not the one who is at a disadvantage here..." Demon Subaru heavily stepped on Jack's head, the weight of his leg pressing the cowboy's skull against the concrete road. "...he is. Worry not, I can make an example of him and then his girlfriend will follow."

"No, wait, you've made your point clear!" the blond intervened, taking out a deck from his bathrobe. "I will face you if that is your wish, just don't harm my friends!"

"Aha, I knew you would be willing to cooperate." The fiend stepped off of the unconscious one's head, after which his cohort picked up the couple and dragged them a few feet away. "Their safety entirely depends on your actions from this point onward."

Sayo joined Hajime as he walked towards the barrier, whispering, "I will lower the protections enough only for you to go out. Worry not, you will not be totally unprotected." Unseen by all, she slid a small bag filled with sacred salt into the youth's pocket. "Use it carefully."

"I will. Wish me luck..."

"Good luck. I will stand behind and maintain the barrier, in case he tries any tricks."

The priestess used her sandal to interrupt the circle by pulling a fistful of salt inward, thereby creating a small opening. Before Hajime could react, she shoved him out, after which she moved the salt back in its place, closing the barrier once more. As much as she hated placing her partner in danger, there was nothing else they could do as long as there were hostages involved.

"At last." Demon Subaru took a few steps until he and Hajime were face to face. "Our rematch can finally take place. I must confess, although victory was mine, the climax was utterly unsatisfying, wouldn't you agree?"

"You mean you're not happy that you didn't get to gut me like a pig."

"Something among those lines. But hey, worry not, we can finally correct that! I have waited a long time for this."

"Will you drop the cheap melodramatics already? Our first duel was literally last night!" Hajime snapped back at him.

"Indeed, and I stand corrected: you are a fine playmate. Despite the outcome, I was left hungering for more. You've provided me much more entertainment than the countless mortals I've murdered. Then again, I wouldn't expect less from the spawn of Shirayama."

"What is your grudge against my family? Is it because of my grandmother and what she did to you fifty years ago? If that is the reason, then isn't taking her life already enough? How much more will you torment us? We've wronged you in no way whatsoever!"

"Hajime, Hajime, you're a smart boy, but you lack vision when it comes to the greater picture. Yes, my revenge has been achieved, but if I also bring Tsugumi Shirayama's bloodline to an end, I will have completed said revenge in a poetic manner. Besides, you've proven to be such a fun toy, I won't discard you until I've fully exhausted you!"

"How many times must I repeat myself? I am not your personal toy, you sick fuck! I'm a thinking and feeling human being, I have my own will, dreams and goals, and none of them include entertaining your spoiled royal ass!"

"Yet you rushed out to face me at the mere sign that your friends were endangered, no different from a dancing monkey. This misguided sense of justice and care for others are your greatest weaknesses, Hajime. All I have to do is threaten one of your loved ones and then I have you right where I want you. Keh, I believe this is no different from Pavlovian conditioning."

"First you capture Jack and Lori, then you come to terrorize my family, now you have the gall to compare me to a domesticated animal?!" Hajime gripped his deck, which glowed with a bright golden aura as he made two dueling tables arise from the ground.

"Ho, I'm glad to see you are as eager to face off. If I knew that all it took was to verbally state harsh truths which are plain to see, I would have done so from the beginning." Demon Subaru giggled as he placed his deck on the table. "Then again, putting up my little horror show is way more fun!"

"Shishima, this match is not for your entertainment, it is to send a message: You leave my family out of this, or else I will personally exorcise you out of existence!"

"Bold claim for a piece of meat with no spiritual powers whatsoever! Still, your determination is part of the reason why you are so fun to toy with. Enough talking, let us begin!"

Ten blue rectangular shields appeared, five for each player, thus marking the start of their duel.

"I summon BloodRayne, Start Dash." A humanoid with cowboy features and a giant reptile skeleton on its right arm appeared by Demon Subaru's side.

"I cast Faerie Life," Hajime said and put the top card of his deck into the mana zone.

"Nature cards? That's new, let's see your hand - I summon Jenny, the Dismantling Doll." The white-haired doll in a dark red dress who was wielding a razor weapon appeared, forcing the young blond to reveal his hand: Pixie Life, Defense Armor, Absolute Fear, Savark DG and Puchohenza, Mia Moja. "So you've switched to Light Nature, ey? Very well, I discard Defense Armor. And now... BloodRayne, break his shield!"

"What?" Hajime gasped as he saw the humanoid rush at him and break a shield with the skeleton on its arm. "B-but your deck is a control deck!"

Demon Subaru maliciously smiled. "Your move."

Sayo crossed her arms as she witnessed the match outside. Although she and Hajime had worked on rebuilding his deck into a more refined strategy which involved ramping mana into his big Light finishers, they both did not take into account the possibility that his opponent would opt for a rush. Having in mind the fact that Demon Subaru's deck was a Darkness control, such a possibility never occurred to either of them.

"I cast Lifeplan Charger." Hajime checked the top five cards of his deck. "I take Kirazeus Savark into my hand, put the other cards to the bottom of my deck and put this spell into my mana zone."

"I summon Ninjariban, Dragon Edge and bring out Greene, Dragon Soul Ruins." A blue ninja plushie appeared alongside a green ruined building, the latter causing the top card of Demon Subaru's deck to go into his mana zone. "BloodRayne, break his shield! Jenny, break another shield!" One by one, the two creatures ran through the opposing shields, each of them bringing down one.

"Your little rushing plan stops here, Shishima! My turn, I cast Dragon's Sign and bring out Kirazeus Savark!" A golden circular gate appeared and out of it emerged a slender serpentine dragon made of gold and dark purple crystal, its wings made of sharp golden spears, a red eye glowing on its chest and a sword of light in its sharp claws. "With his effect I send BloodRayne face up on one of your shields. Also, Kirazeus Savark gains blocker until the end start of my next turn!"

"Ah, you're finally picking up the pace! I was starting to get worried that you've grown weaker, Hajime. Anyway, I summon Bochiborof, Aloof Fighter." The long haired purple wolf plushie appeared into the battle zone, causing Hellborof, Supreme Dragon Edge, Upheaval and a strange new card fall into his owner's graveyard. "Keh, I return Rousseau Montes / Monte Scale Sign into my hand."

"Wait a minute, what is that card?" asked a surprised Hajime.

"This is a Twinpact card. It is both a creature and a spell. Basically the main card is a creature, but the spell side is placed on the lower half of the card. Rousseau Montes is a 2 mana 1000 powered Mafi Gang. When I put him into the battle zone, I choose and discard a card of mine while I also randomly discard one of yours. Monte Scale Sign is a 5 mana spell which puts a creature which costs 7 or less from my graveyard into the battle zone."

"A card that is both a creature and a spell..." Sayo mused to herself as she watched the duel.

"Ninjariban, break his shield! Jenny, break his final shield!" Demon Subaru ordered, and soon enough his opponent was rendered defenseless.

"Although I've got no shield triggers, I am far from done! I cast Hyperspatial Faerie Hole, ramp one and bring out Victorious Gaial Kaiser. Then I cast Faerie Life and ramp again. Victorious Gaial Kaiser is a speed attacker, so I attack and... Revolution Change into Puchohenza, Mia Moja!" Hajime ordered and the red armored dragon wielding two flaming orange swords rushed in the battle zone and then turned around and hi fived with a golden armored warrior riding a lion, disappearing and letting the other creature take his place. "Final Revolution, I send all creatures weaker than Puchohenza to our mana zones!" The warrior aimed his bow and arrow at all of the opposing creatures and shot each of them, making them disappear. "With Kirazeus Savark's effect, I burn BloodRayne off of your shield and he won't leave the battle zone. Go, Puchohenza, triple break his shields!" The lion roared and ran straight into Demon Subaru's shields, taking them down. "Kirazeus Savark, Dragon Double Break his final shields!" Two new shields appeared by Hajime's side as the dragon made of crystals slashed off the last two opposing shields.

Demon Subaru lowered his head and began to cackle loudly, unnerving the blond one.

"Kehehehe, yes, this is just the kind of excitement I was craving for! Shield trigger, I summon Death Hands, Misfortune Emperor and destroy Puchohenza!" A horned knightly figure with a red cape and a large scythe appeared and immediately rushed at the lion-riding warrior, cutting it in half with its blade. "My turn, I summon Rousseau Montes, discard Bochiborof and random discard a card from your hand." A four-armed humanoid decked in an elegant purple and golden robe, donning a red mask and wielding a contract book and a scale appeared in the battle zone, causing Hajime to discard Savark DG. "Then I also cast Monte Scale Sign and revive Hellborof, Supreme Dragon Edge, which also brings out Welcome Hell, Supreme Devil King Palace!" A purple wolf plush toy with dragon wings and horns, wearing short pants, a black coat, brown boxing gloves with blue spikes and an orange mask covering the upper part of its face appeared in the battle zone, wielding a red bone scythe, followed by a winged demonic palace, as Ninjariban, Dragon Edge and Mad Demon Excellency / Demon Hand fell into their owner's graveyard. "With Welcome Hell's effect I revive Ninjariban, which also brings out Reddull, Dragon Soul Castle." The blue ninja plushie reappeared, bringing forth a red Japanese-styled castle with burning swords coming out of its edges. "Reddull gives speed attacker to Hellborof, so I attack with him and revive Bochiborof!" The long haired purple wolf plushie reappeared, causing Honenbe, Skeletal Guardian, Inferno Sign and Falconer, Lightfang Ninja to land into the owner's graveyard, the latter card returning into his hand. "Hellborof, break his final shields!"

Hajime took cover as the plushie slashed away his remaining shields. As he checked the cards, he immediately revealed one of them and said, "Shield trigger, I cast Dragon's Sign and bring out a second Kirazeus Savark who receives blocker until the start of my next turn!"

"I end my turn and Dragsolution! I destroy Rousseau Montes, Death Hands, Ninjariban and Bochiborof to flip Welcome Hell into Deathgoros, Supreme Devil Corrupt King!" The floating palace fired a beam upon Demon Subaru's creatures, eradicating them, after which its upper side cracked open to reveal a demonic dragon wielding a bone scythe. "When he is Dragsolutioned, Deathgoros destroys two of your creatures, so I also bring down both of your Kirazeus Savark!" The Demon Command Dragon gave an ominous ghostly growl, after which it slashed both crystal dragons with its scythe.

Hajime's sight started getting blurry. His mind was beginning to slip. Despite the relaxing bath he had enjoyed just a few hours prior, he still felt overwhelmingly fatigued. It was as if each stressful moment he had endured on that week was creeping back into his head. Although he had managed to build a new deck, he was not yet mentally prepared to deal with his foe again that soon.

"I summon Codeking Number Nine, now you can't cast any spells!" the blond said as a dragon in a white armor and wielding a white sword appeared by his side, its glowing blue eyes staring at the opponent and his creatures.

"All of that bravado was for nothing in the end. Keh, how anticlimactic..." Demon Subaru shook his head in disappointment. "Might as well bring an end to this duel with style – I summon Rousseau Montes, discard Uroborof, Dragon Edge and random discard you again!" Pixie Life landed into the opposing graveyard. "Then I evolve Rousseau Montes into Black Psycho, Revenge and discard your two remaining cards!" The Mafi Gang transformed into a dark purple jester demon wielding a sword and shield, forcing Hajime to discard Condemning Thunder's Judgment and Falconer, Lightfang Ninja. "Deathgoros, attack and revive Death Hands, which destroys Number Nine. Now go, Deathgoros, todomeda!"

Before he knew it, the young one was hit by the bone scythe and thrown into the air. During those solemn moments, his thoughts went to all of his loved ones, both alive and dead, and he could not help but feel the great shame of having disappointed them all. It seemed that no matter how hard he tried to get better, no matter how much help he got, in the end Hajime Shirayama was destined to be a failure of a man...

Before he could crash on the ground, Sayo quickly opened the barrier and jumped out, grabbing her fallen comrade and landing between the two dueling tables.

"Oh no, you are not rescuing him this time!" Demon Subaru angrily growled at her.

Not uttering a single word, she took out three ofudas and tossed them past the hooded one. The paper talismans landed on Demon Edo and the hidden Demon Sora and Bochiborof who were biding their time inside the fog. The corrupted duelists both screamed in agony as the items burnt their flesh, while the plushie was simply knocked out by the paper's sudden collision with his face.

Since the duel had finished, the creatures vanished. With his servants all defeated, Demon Subaru was once more left alone to deal with the meddling priestess. Giving out a terrifying roar, the fiend jumped at her like a predatory beast, claws and fangs ready to sink into her meat.

Sayo reached her hand into Hajime's pocket and tossed a handful of sacred salt into hooded one's face. Taken aback by the sudden pain, he shrieked and collapsed on his back, both hands gripped tightly around his cheeks. Seizing her opportunity, she tossed Hajime back behind the barrier's safety, then she ran and picked up the unconscious Jack and Lori. Once she was sure that the humans and their decks were out of harm's way, she turned to face Demon Subaru, who had gotten back on his feet and had cast a murderous glare upon her.

"Leave now if you know what is good for you, daiyoukai!" she coldly demanded.

"Who are you? No modern human should be capable of such feats!" he reasoned, struggling to endure the pain in his skin.

The hauntingly familiar scent of flowers once more assaulted his nostrils. Coupled with the physical damage caused by the salt, Demon Subaru was beginning to feel nauseated. Everything around him began spinning, the perfume taking him back to days long gone...


The next thing Shishima knew was the rustling sound of grass. It prompted him to jump awake, claws ready, fangs barred, eyes glowing red, he was prepared to kill whatever threat would hunt him down in his sleep. But there was no threat. He was back in the palace gardens, beneath a cherry tree, a large lake in front of him, crimson water lilies carelessly floating on its crystal clear surface. By his side was the same lioness he had seen a few moments before losing his consciousness, and now that he had a better look at her, he saw that they shared the same kind of fur and eye color, but she lacked horns and wings, showcasing her low class status. A rich mane of multicolored flowers grew out of her scalp and covered her otherwise luscious body. Stunned by his aggressive reaction, she was quick to bow down on her fours, forehead pressed against the soil.

"My prince, I apologize for disturbing your sleep!"

Shishima inspected his body and saw that the deep cut on his wing and shoulder had been bandaged. As he looked at their surroundings, he recalled having crashed into a bush, but there was none in sight. Did she drag him all the way there just so she could heal his wounds? Why did she not alert any of the palace staff instead? Up in the clear night sky, he saw that the red moon had already risen, and that very high above there were small flickers, indicating that the war was still going on. Without him. What a terrible revelation – one day the world would keep on going without him. Maybe they were all expendable in the end.

Turning his sight back to the surprise rescuer, he noticed that she had brought him a bowl of water and a piece of grilled meat. She shyly pushed the food in his direction and backed down as to not invade his personal space, her head lowered in an act of utter modesty.

"Your kindness is wasted on me," Shishima coldly refused. "I don't need your help to get back on my feet."

"The fall you had still took a toll on your body, I insist that you feed to regain your strength," she replied in the same polite vein.

The lioness also sat on the grass, a few feet away from him, and she pulled out a flute from her flower mane which she began to play while admiring the night sky. The melody was simple in structure, its tempo slow and its sound calm and soothing, with a hint of sadness. As he listened, Shishima felt more at ease, and in a strange way, the pain in his wounds lessened.

Once the sky got covered by clouds and filled with the first light of day, the prince took off the bandages and got on his feet. Sniffing the area which had been cut, he felt the scent of a strange ointment, it was a mixture of mint and aloe. That medicine and her flute playing may have helped him heal way faster than usual. He chuckled. For the first time, someone other than his father or the army's medical staff had looked after him, and on such a personal level too. Still, he had to make sure that nobody would ever find out about what had transpired on that night, for if his weaknesses were ever exposed to the public…

"Why did you get up so early, my prince?" her voice interrupted his thoughts and he turned to see his benefactor holding a bowl with more medicinal herbs.

"I don't need anything from you anymore," he dismissed her and stretched both his arms and wings to prove his point.

She sighed and stared down in disappointment. As he was on the verge of leaving, he noticed that her cheeks were swollen. That was odd, the other night he could swear that she had no wound on her face.

"Are you hurt?" he casually asked. She looked at him with wide eyes, taken aback by his question. "I'm merely curious," he added in his usual dismissive manner.

A warm smile grew on the lioness's face, a single bloody tear falling out of her right eye.

"Please, sit down," she invited him and he obliged. "I am sorry for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Nekohana."

Later that day, Shishima returned to the palace and was reunited with his father and mentor in the throne chamber. Strangely enough, there were no guards or slaves inside, it was only the three of them, and the atmosphere was rather somber, as if some terrible event had occurred. After closing the doors behind, he asked, "How did the battle go?"

"We lost, which means we cannot further advance into Purgatory's boundaries," Akushishi answered and got up from his throne. "My son, I was worried when I saw you struck and falling out of the sky. If I were not occupied with battling, I would have come for you in a heartbeat. Maybe you should take a break from the war, at least for a year."

"Me take a year-long break?!" the prince asked in shock, approaching the other two. "That is preposterous, father! This would only render me weaker than the average soldier!"

"Being king does not imply only physical, but also mental strength. Maybe you should accommodate yourself with the royal lifestyle for a change," the owl suggested.

Shishima stomped his foot in protest. "You are doing this to pamper me!"

Fukurokuju calmly retorted, "Quite the opposite."

"If you keep obsessing over war and conquest, you risk becoming that which your mother wished you to be," Akushishi explained in his fatherly manner. "Please, be at ease for a while, you deserve it."

Unable to think of a comeback, the young one gave a sigh of defeat. "Very well, I will take a break, if only to please you two…"

Although he still disliked the idea of not being out there on the frontlines and doing his part for the Twilight Kingdom, a break did mean that he had more time to study all of the manuscripts he preserved on his shelves. Once he was dismissed, he went straight to his room to organize the books and parchments, picking a couple for his upcoming reading session.

When night fell once more, Shishima returned to the palace gardens and sat under the same cherry tree, admiring the lake. Lost in nature's beauty, he recalled the conversation he had with Nekohana earlier in the morning. She had revealed to him that she was a mere gardener, living in the lowest level of the capital palace, the daughter of a low class youkai couple. The reason she had a flower mane and knew so much in regards to herbs was because one of her mother's ancestors was a plant youkai. Her family situation was far from being the most pleasant. She had been raised solely by her mother, as her father focused more on his military career. A few centuries ago, while exploring the surrounding desert, a Purgatory angel appeared out of nowhere and pursued the two lionesses. Her mother died trying to protect her, and because of this her father loathed her, pinning the entire blame of his wife's death on his daughter. Due to the growing abuse, she spent her nights working in the gardens, it was a refuge from the constant pain she had to endure in her own home. And recently, to make matters worse, her father had arranged for her to marry none other than general Rufu, out of sheer ambition of rising in the military ranks. She refused, what else could she do? The wolf was a few million years older and highly lecherous, she felt his lustful gaze pierce her every time she met him, and it downright terrified her. Her constant refusal of going through with the marriage only worsened the beatings she received, as evidenced by the swollen cheeks she had on that morning. Truly she was a desperate being to be pitied.

Shishima looked at his own reflection in the water. Abusive selfish parents, how he hated those beings. Usually he would not have been swayed by the plights of a weak commoner, but he kept thinking of all those years of torture his mother had subjected him through. Was he really able to escape Koushishi's clutches on his own? No, someone who cared had lent him a helping hand when he needed it the most. Looking at his own clawed hand, he clenched it tight. Midnight had passed and Nekohana had not been in the garden all day for her duties. Right then and there, his decision was made.

Spreading his wings, he flew straight to the royal guard tower where he was greeted with military salutes by those working on the night shift.

"Prince Shishima, to what do we owe the honor of your visit?" asked the captain, a goat youkai in formal uniform.

"I need a few of your soldiers to join me on a small quest," Shishima answered, his tone authoritative and demanding.

"Of course, right away! Did something serious happen?"

"It's a… personal matter."

"I understand."

Once he had a dozen of soldiers by his side, they entered the palace and went down its long series of stairs. The building was almost like a skyscraper, with tens of levels, each of them almost city-like and denoting the status its inhabitants had in society. As such, none were surprised when they saw how unclean and disorganized the bottommost level was. The prince used his nose to track down their destination. Nekohana had a very distinct scent for a lioness, she always smelled of flowers and water, rather than the usual cadaver stench their kin reeked of. He brought them to a wooden apartment door from which they could hear cracking noises and shouts. Shishima motioned for the soldiers to be quiet and prepared, then he pressed his ear against the door and listened.

"How many times are you going to make me do this, Nekohana?" the drunken lion youkai asked after he punched his daughter in the gut, kneeling her. "You keep disobeying me and sneaking off once I fall asleep, after everything I've done for you! I've given you a roof over your head, I've fed you, and this is how you repay me?" he grabbed her scalp tightly and pulled her face right next to his. "By running away from your responsibilities? By rejecting a great male like general Rufu? By screwing me over at every turn, you little whore?!" he shoved her head against the wall. "You're nothing like your mother, if anything, you should've died right there in the desert!" he spat while repeatedly knocking her head on those cold bricks. "You're good at nothing, you will leave no contribution to our society, your very existence is a blight on our land!"

Although the prince had not endured the same kind of verbal abuse, he could still feel the pain emanating from her, it felt so achingly familiar. At that moment, Shishima had had enough. He gave the signal and the door was knocked open, startling them both.

"I don't believe it, this is Yottakari's apartment!" one of the soldiers exclaimed, recognizing his comrade.

"Woah, is that his daughter?" another asked as they all saw him holding the young lioness's bloody head in his hands.

"Guys? What's the meaning of this?" Yottakari asked, dropping Nekohana on the cold floor, who gave a pained cough, curling in the fetal position.

"Guards, arrest him in this instant!" Shishima ordered, barely containing his anger.

"You can't arrest me, what are the charges?"

"Your daughter told me the other night that you arranged her marriage with general Rufu against her will. In case you were unaware, arranged marriages are a rite that humans partake in for petty advantages between their weak families. Do we need our glorious kingdom to be tainted by the disgusting traditions of mortals?"

The drunkard was stupefied by what he had heard. He glared back at Nekohana, intent on harming her even more for ratting him out. She twitched and hid her face out of fear, expecting the worst to happen. Before he could even lay another finger on her, Yottakari found himself bound by the chains of his comrades. He shook against them and protested, "Hey, let go of me, she's my daughter, I can do with her as I please!"

"Oh, I'm afraid that will no longer be the case." Shishima leaned closer to him. "From this day forth, she will be my personal servant. If I ever see you again anywhere near her, I will have you banished from the army. Is that understood?" The only answer he received was a growl of frustration. "Good. Now get this filth out of my sight!"

The soldiers nodded and dragged their comrade away, leaving him alone with the harmed gardener. Shishima kneeled to her level and gently placed a palm on her head, using a healing spell. It was not much, but at least he managed to close the wound and ease some of the pain away. Once she gathered the courage to look back up, she was surprised to see the prince right before her. And then she realized – he actually came to rescue her. Despite his cold attitude on the previous night, maybe somewhere inside he did care. No words were necessary in that moment. She grabbed his hand and allowed him to help her up, then both went away, towards a new and better life for her, and perhaps for him too.


The loud noise of police sirens coming from afar awoke Demon Subaru. The night sky had returned to normal and the barrier protecting the Shirayama mansion was gone. Most likely his illusions had been interrupted while he had been knocked out. Bochiborof, Demon Edo and Demon Sora all lay on the ground next to him, those accursed ofudas still attached to their bodies. Although Hajime and his family were theoretically at his mercy, he had been weakened by the encounter with the priestess. Faced with the choice of heading in to finish the job or running away before he would be discovered by the authorities, he opted for the latter. Opening a portal directly connected to Sagakin, he tossed each of his minions inside, as well as Tsugumi's corpse. Before stepping in himself, Demon Subaru gave the mansion one final look.

That damned Sayo had to interfere and ruin everything yet again. One way or another, he would find a way to deal with Hajime's guardian angel before their next duel. Even though he had won for a second time, without the proper message to reinforce his dominance, those victories rang hollow in his blackened heart. Thus he stepped inside the portal, which closed at just a few moments before the first police vehicles arrived at the scene.