Strike the Blazer White Dragon

by Gaevontracey24

Born from the lineage of Dark Knight Sparda & Hiryu Royal Family , just how much potential would he have as a Generation Hybrid With the Divine Dividing? OC Fic switching Ddraig with Albion.

11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

…" – Speaking

'… …' – Thoughts

"… …" – Spoke Mentally/Telepathically

...

A thick darkness spread beyond the acrylic glass window. The deep sea at night… The silence and the chill were enough to make breathing difficult, as the boat's titanium alloy hull pressed upon one's skin bit by bit.

The floodlights illuminated only the remains of plankton, which resembled fallen snow.

The survey submarine Isrus continued to descend toward the ocean floor, beyond the reach of sunlight.

"What's our depth?" The captain, dressed in a blue diving suit, spoke with a tone of annoyance. Assigned to a civilian submarine surveying company, he was a veteran boasting nearly a decade of experience beneath the waves.

Normally, he had a buoyant personality with a never-ending stream of wisecracks, but this day, he was in a very bad mood. The aura he gave off could be called angry, even savage.

The young helmsman, visibly cowed by his captain's demeanor, replied in a businesslike tone, "We've exceeded four thousand meters. Twenty-five hundred meters until maximum depth."

"…Is that thing really down here?" The captain snorted, clearly unamused. Their company had been hired to survey the bottommost depths of the open sea east of Itogami Island, over nine thousand meters below sea level. At that point, the only submarines capable of submerging that deep could be counted on a single hand. It was, in a sense, ground that humankind was forbidden to tread.

"What's the basis for this rumor that we'll find what's left of some… biological weapon from the Age of the Gods around there? A legend with no basis in fact, right?" the captain asked.

"Who's to say? Maybe someone saved a merman from around these parts?"

"…A merman?" "Ha-ha, I'm kidding. But the client is a corporation from the Demon Sanctuary this time around, so I figured it wouldn't be that strange if someone knows somebody along those lines."

"You have a point. Besides, I'm glad someone's hiring us, even if it's for a stupid survey like this," the captain spat, following it with a deep sigh. The Isrus's job was to locate traces of a biological weapon constructed in ancient times. That totally absurd detail was the cause of the captain's foul mood.

In the first place, the survey submarine Isrus was built to survey animal and plant life at the bottom of the ocean and to chart the path of their evolution. Locating a curio that may or may not exist was clearly not its intended purpose.

"I don't think it's anything worth spending that kind of money to look for it anyway. Rumor has it that the Nalakuvera, left behind by that Deva bunch, got smashed pretty easily by the Island Guard and all."

"You mean the ones the Black Death Emperor Front brought to Itogami Island? Well, others say it was actually the Fifth Primogenitor Vanishing Dragon who wiped those out… If that's the case, maybe we shouldn't put the Nalakuvera down too much… Hmm?" The helmsman abruptly raised an eyebrow, seeming at a loss as he gazed into the search monitor. The captain looked at him with a dubious expression.

"What is it?"

"An irregularity in the terrain data… Can you tell what this is?" The monitor the helmsman pointed his finger toward displayed a CG representation of the ocean floor. A 3-D image was reproducing terrain data obtained from past surveys, and a pixelated wire-frame image was superimposed over it, updated by data from the Isrus's sonar in real time. Normally, the two sets of data would be one and the same, but there was an odd disparity. At the bottom of the sea, there was a faint bulge over a span of several kilometers.

"It doesn't look like a sonar error from a thermocline. Has the ocean floor had any abnormal rises?"

"No…there's no sign of volcanic activity in this maritime area. More than that, this shape… It looks like some kind of creature, doesn't it…?"

"A creature?" Seeing the face of the navigator go pale, the captain glared at him. "That's ridiculous," he murmured. However, even in that span of time, the sonar analysis imaged on the monitor shifted in irregular ways from moment to moment. It certainly did resemble some kind of creature crawling along the ocean floor, like an alligator or a snake several kilometers in length—or perhaps a giant dragon.

"Like hell it is… That's too big to be a living thing… That'd make it…a real monster, straight out of myth, wouldn't it…?!" The captain earnestly spoke those words for his own benefit.

Suddenly, the helmsman beside him shrieked. In the next moment, the submarine was assailed by a ferocious torrent resembling the blast of an explosion. It was a brutal push deep in the sea, with all the water pressure of four thousand meters beneath the surface—

The ragged vortex emerging from near the ocean's floor raged about, toying with the Isrus like a tree leaf. The pressurized shell protecting the pilot house audibly groaned from the intense creaking. Even without checking, the origin of the vortex was clear. It was the monster. The giant monster, submerged down to the ocean floor, had slightly moved its body. That was all it took to send an incredible shock wave rippling through the surrounding area.

"B…biological demonic energy pulse confirmed! It's…it's alive…!" The helmsman desperately clung to his seat as he shouted. It was a gargantuan, oceanic creature reaching several kilometers in length. Its very existence was absurd by any rational standard. Yet, the reality of it had arrived before their eyes, scattering overwhelming destruction and terror all about.

"Turn…! Evasive maneuvers! Raise her up!" the captain shouted at the top of his lungs. However, with the hull of the Isrus battered about underwater, the crew had lost all sense of which way was up.

However, with the hull of the Isrus battered about underwater, the crew had lost all sense of which way was up. They'd already cut the emergency ballasts, but it was unlikely to have much effect amid the raging whirlpool.

The next moment, the Isrus stopped, almost as if it was sandwiched by some kind of giant object. With an unsettling vibration, the hull began to crack. The pressurized shell gave off a strange sound.

"W-we're past the pressure limit! She's being crushed—"

"At this depth…?!" The helmsman's cry made the captain gasp. The Isrus still had plenty of room to spare before it reached its maximum depth; the pressurized shell was built with the safety of the crew in mind, able to comfortably withstand water pressure at a depth of ten thousand meters. And yet, some kind of immense force was crushing the Isrus.

"C-captain!"

"Don't tell me…" The floodlights illuminating the exterior of the hull cracked, plunging the surrounding area into darkness. However, something rose into the final flickers—a row of countless teeth, each resembling a boulder… The submarine was caught in the maw of the titanic beast.

"Don't tell me…that thing's going to eat us…?!" the captain murmured in shock. The words had barely left his lips when the pressurized shell shattered. There was not even time to feel the cold seawater as his mind plunged into the depths of darkness.

.

'Twas the night of the new moon— The girls continued to run through the mazelike subterranean tunnels. One girl was very small in stature. She gave off a fairly mature impression for her age, but there was no hiding her childlike face. She was probably still in elementary school, eleven or twelve at most. She wore only a blue two-piece swimsuit with a loose parka. She wasn't even wearing beach sandals; running barefoot must have been painful.

"Can you still run?" The girl leading her by the hand was tall and some sixteen or seventeen years old.

She had long, slender limbs and a refined face. Her long, lightbrown hair was worn up in a ponytail.

Her right hand was gripping a silver-colored long sword with a thick blade.

They'd run a fair distance, but she showed no sign of being out of breath; perhaps she'd had some kind of special training.

"Yes…but…" The little girl in the swimsuit gave a fainthearted reply as she came to a stop. A shutter made out of silver-colored metal bars obstructed their path. Overcoming the stout metal bars, built to prevent demon beasts from escaping, was beyond what the upper-body strength of two seemingly helpless girls could overcome. But the ponytailed girl smiled pleasantly as she gazed calmly at the solid shutter.

"Don't worry. I will get you out of here. It's my job, after all," she said, raising the silver long sword high. Without fanfare, she swung it down at the shutter blocking their advance. Her swordsmanship was elegant—like a dance. There appeared to be no strength put into it. That was all it took to completely sever multiple bars right before their eyes. The gap created in the shutter was not all that large, but it was enough for them to slip through. With a sway of her ponytail, she quietly lowered her sword.

"Who…are you?" the elementary school student in the swimsuit asked with a look of surprise on her youthful face. The girl with the ponytail was passing through the gap in the shutter when she looked back, smiling somewhat proudly.

"—Sayaka Kirasaka. A Shamanic War Dancer of the Lion King Agency." "Shamanic War Dancer?"

"I'm from a special agency for stopping large-scale sorcerous disasters and sorcerous terrorism… Well, it might be easier to say I'm a magical girl fighting for justice." Sayaka puffed up her chest with a smug look as she spoke in a theatrical tone. The young girl gazed at Sayaka with a neutral expression, sighing in a way that somehow seemed indifferent.

"Magical girl, she says… Haah…"

"Wh-what?! Was that a sigh just now?!"

"Er, more importantly, the guards have spotted us." She pointed that out, acting as if it took a fool of an adult to treat her like a child. Sayaka groaned, getting down in the dumps for a moment before lifting her face, her spirits apparently rebounded. She turned toward the guards and poised her long, silver sword parallel to the ground.

"I-it's all right. Just move back a little." Sayaka took a single step forward as the long sword in her hands changed forms.

The silver edges split front and back, turning 180 degrees as they pulled apart to form a modern recurve bow. This was the true form of the Lion King Agency's prototype transformable suppression weapon, Der Freischötz. Sayaka took an extendable dart out of the holster under her skirt, lengthening it into an arrow.

"Lustrous Scale!" She drew the recurve bow's drawstring and unleashed an arrow. This was no normal arrow, but a whistling arrow that made a great roar. It was a special cursed arrow that implemented a high-density spell chant beyond the capacity of a human's lungs and larynx— Against normal human opponents, that explosive level of sound itself was menace enough.

The shock wave released by the roar reverberated through the narrow tunnel, causing the ambushing guards to faint as if mowed down by a scythe. The cursed arrow sailed straight and true, punching through the door at the tunnel's exit.

"Incredible…" The girl in the bathing suit let out a voice of admiration at the might of the cursed arrow that had soared before her eyes. Her honest reaction made Sayaka look relieved somehow as she said: "Well, that's to be expected. I told you, I'm a magical girl."

"Huh? But wasn't that just a ritual spell? Though I do think it is quite incredible…"

"Ughhh." The cold tone of the elementary schooler's reply made Sayaka curl her back and groan on the spot. Then the Lion King agent's expression suddenly snapped back to seriousness.

"Can you swim…?" Beyond the tunnel's exit was a narrow waterway about ten meters wide. It was a canal for tourists that stretched throughout the man-made isle. Crossing it meant getting out of the facility. Fortunately, the canal's current was gentle, so swimming across it was far from impossible. The danger was probably minimal compared to busting through the front gate of the facility.

Fortunately, the canal's current was gentle, so swimming across it was far from impossible. The danger was probably minimal compared to busting through the front gate of the facility.

"I'm an excellent swimmer. I can go without stopping for about fifty meters," the bathing suit–clad girl replied proudly. Sayaka nodded in visible relief. She took out a thin piece of metal. In her palm, it changed shape into a small bird—a shikigami, granted the breath of false life through a ritual spell.

"I'm glad. So I'm sorry, but you go on ahead. Once you finish crossing the canal, this little one will guide you until you reach a safe place."

"…What about you?"

"Don't worry, I'll catch up soon enough." Sayaka returned her recurve bow to sword form and gave her a strong smile. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she took a photo out of her breast pocket.

The photo looked like it'd had a rough time, like its owner had once ripped it apart, only to carefully piece it back together again with cellophane tape.

"…But if you can't link back up with me, go meet this man."

"Mr.…Ayato Hiryu?" The elementary schooler accepted the photo from Sayaka, dubiously tilting her head. The photo showed a teenage boy in a high school uniform. The back side had a fairly detailed profile, information purportedly required for assassination.

"Yeah. He's an Genius, indecent, the type of pervert to put his hands on all kinds of girls at the drop of a hat—did I mention he's an Genius?—but, w-well, you could say he does have number of good points…"

"—Is he your lover?" The girl's voice was somber in response to Sayaka's apologetic explanation. That instant, Sayaka's face turned beet-red as she forcefully shook her head.

"L—?! Lov…?! N-no, it's not like that yet…!"

"…Yet?" "It…it's not like that, he's just an extra—rather, it's the cute-like-an-angel girl that's watching him who'll probably be a big help to you, so—!"

"Is that so…? Er, this may be none of my business, but I think you should try being honest about your own feelings once in a while…"

"I said it's not like that! A-anyway, hurry on now!" Sayaka, heavily flustered by the elementary schooler's coolheaded advice, pushed her toward the canal.

The girl in the swimsuit sighed without a word. After checking the water temperature with the tip of her toe, she seemed to harden her resolve, diving into the canal.

Apparently, the kid's claim—that she was an expert swimmer—was no mere boast. With a steady breaststroke, she made her way to the opposite side.

"…Now, then." For a time, Sayaka watched from behind as the girl left. Then, she raised her sword and shifted her gaze behind her. She heard someone's footsteps from the canal Sayaka and the girl had traversed. It was no doubt someone trying to bring the girl back. However, she only sensed a single pursuer. The regular click of heels sounded oddly unhurried.

"A Shamanic War Dancer of the Lion King Agency, lectured by an elementary schooler. A sorry sight, yes?" At last, the pursuer, with a faint giggle, was revealed. The figure turned out to be a young woman, probably the same age as Sayaka. Her hair was long and black, worn in an old style. The high school uniform she wore was also black. Even in the dark, it was clear that she was beautiful, but somehow, she gave off a cold impression; she had a look in her eye like she was sneering at the world.

"That's just her misunderstanding…! Wait, you heard that?!" Sayaka howled with blatant hostility. The black-haired girl looked back at her and broke into laughter. "I do not believe a trespasser has any right to complain about eavesdropping… Is that not so?"

"I don't think a criminal has any right to talk about trespassing, yes?" Sayaka pointed the tip of her sword at the girl as she spoke. The girl with black hair held no weapon. Even so, her eyebrows did not even twitch as she walked toward the sword-wielding Sayaka. Come at me anytime, her demeanor seemed to say, taunting Sayaka.

"You have great timing. I was just thinking about asking you people what Kusuki-Elysée was doing confining a little girl like that anyway." Sayaka kept her sword aimed at eye height as she quietly assessed the distance. One more step.

The instant the black-haired girl started to stride forward, Sayaka's attack would reach her—the attack of Lustrous Scale, which ripped space itself, shredding any defense—

"The Lion King Agency's Der Freischötz…the prototype suppression weapon, infused with a pseudo-spatial-severing ritual. Certainly, it is a powerful holy weapon, but—" The black-haired girl suddenly came to a halt, smiling elegantly. The next moment, the girl leaped off from the floor with the sound of a small tap, vanishing from sight.

"Huh?!" It was the black-haired girl who had launched an attack first. In a splitsecond, she'd crept into Sayaka's flank, launching an incredible knee strike that contrasted with her calm demeanor. Sayaka managed to barely block the attack with both hands. Naturally, she did not use her sword. Having allowed her opponent to get so close, the superior reach of her weapon had been completely nullified.

"Type Six cannot attack from this range, can it?" The black-haired girl whispered into Sayaka's ear. Sayaka gritted her teeth, saying nothing in reply. She couldn't use Lustrous Scale's ability with an enemy nestled up against her, for the rip in space was so powerful it would injure the caster, Sayaka herself.

"Urk! In that case—!" Sayaka slipped through her opponent's flurry of attacks and drew out several charms. They were thin metal plates for creating combat shikigami. However, before she could blow ritual energy into them, her opponent attacked Sayaka's left hand with a karate chop. The blow made Sayaka's wrist go numb, sending the charms fluttering as they danced in the air.

"Shamanic War Dancers are used for curses and assassinations. You are at a disadvantage in simple close combat, are you not?" The girl was very talkative for someone launching a string of quick-hitting attacks. She gave off an air of someone testing a friendly opponent in mock combat, prompting for answers, rather than simply having fun. Sayaka felt like her combat abilities were being assessed.

"—That's not set in stone! Distort!" Sayaka parried the girl's blows as she drew in ritual energy and released it. All at once, the charms danced away from Sayaka's hand and changed into birds of prey. They were metal raptors with talons and beaks as sharp as knives.

"Activating at a distance via a compressed chant… I see, to be expected…!" Under assault from the shikigami, the black-haired girl leaped backward. Naturally, even she couldn't get close to Sayaka while facing six shikigami simultaneously. In that opening, Sayaka returned Lustrous Scale to its recurve bow form. She hated to admit it, but her opponent had the edge in melee combat. While the shikigami kept the black-haired girl busy, she'd use the shock wave of a cursed arrow to put her out of action. Even if she put up a magical defense, it'd take a Natsuki Minamiya–class witch or a vampire primogenitor to withstand a direct hit from Lustrous Scale. Surely, the black-haired girl, lacking a weapon in her hands, could not fend off Sayaka's attack. This ends now—, thought Sayaka, drawing the bow. The next moment, the black-haired girl's entire body released an earsplitting cry.

"—Flaming Thunder!" The shikigami attacking the girl were blown back like they'd been slammed with an invisible hammer. She'd used high-density ritual energy much like a bullet, shooting down the shikigami all at once.

"Wha…?!" Sayaka instantly released her cursed arrow, but the black-haired girl had already whirled around Sayaka's rear. Having lost its target, the cursed arrow exploded, collapsing the tunnel's walls. The Shamanic War Dancer's expression twisted in unease. The cursed arrow's explosion was not the reason for her disquiet, though; it was the combat technique the black-haired girl had used to shoot the shikigami out of the air.

Sayaka knew the true nature of that technique, hence her confusion. There was no mistaking that the black-haired girl had used the Eight Thundergods' School—transforming amplified ritual energy into physical attack power. It was a ritual-style martial art for anti-demonic combat, developed to enable one to quell a demon with one's bare hands. It was an extremely specialized ritual martial art. As far as Sayaka knew, only a precious few people were able to employ those techniques: Sword Shamans of the Lion King Agency. The Eight Thundergods' School techniques were Sword Shaman techniques through and through.

"That technique… Don't tell me, it's the same as Yukina's…?!" Sayaka returned Lustrous Scale to its sword form and drove it horizontally toward her back. However, the black-haired girl was faster. With her back still turned, she pushed her body weight onto Sayaka. Normally, no attack existed that could strike an opponent with both bodies pressed together like that. But—

"—Clapping Thunder!" The explosive impact unleashed at point-blank range sent Sayaka's tall physique flying. The black-haired girl had transformed ritual energy into physical attack power to ram her at point-blank range. Sayaka, her internal organs heavily shaken, was unable to even scream as she tumbled across the ground.

"…Why can…you use…Sword Shaman techniques…?!" Sayaka wrung her voice out in spite of labored breaths. The black-haired girl gave no reply, silently looking down at Sayaka, who was on her hands and knees. In the attacker's hand was a silver long sword— Lustrous Scale. No one except Sayaka could employ its pseudo-spatial severing, but in this circumstance, such a thing was hardly necessary. The girl could slay Sayaka with a simple downward swing of the sword.

"Are you a…Sword Shaman, too?" Sayaka asked in a broken voice. No, the girl's body language said with a shake of her head. "I am the Sword Shaman's shadow—a Priestess of the Six Blades," she corrected in a casual manner. Before Sayaka could hear those words, her consciousness had faded away in the darkness.

.

Countless demon beasts were swimming around in a giant water tank several times the area of an Olympic-sized swimming pool. Sleeping near the bottom of the water were monstrous fish from southern Asia known as makara.

They had frog-like bodies and wings like a flying fish, probably making them water leapers. Besides those, there were littleknown demon beasts resembling octopi and eels frolicking inside the water tank in numbers too great to count. This was the giant water tank in Demon Beast Park—Blue Elysium's most famous sightseeing destination.

"Wowww…" Shizuku Kurogane's eyes glittered as she leaned her petite figure over the walkway's railing. Her long hair, bound up to look like a short bob, swayed to and fro in a regular rhythm.

"It really is huge. That's the biggest demon beast aquarium in the world for you… Er, is that a horse? A horse merman?" This stated, Nagisa pointed to a mysterious creature with the upper body of a horse and the lower body of a fish. It had a silver fin instead of a mane; wet from the water, it glimmered and sparkled. It was a beautiful demon beast that looked positively divine.

"That's a hippocampus, a type of seahorse native to the coasts of the North Sea Empire. It's the first time I've seen one in the flesh, though." Right next to Shizuku, Yukina explained.

"Those eyes are so cute, huh… I wanna try feeding it, too…," Shizuku murmured in a wistful tone. At the edge of the water tank, demon beast trainers in wet suits were feeding the hippocampus. They were teaching them tricks for when the attraction would open for real in the coming year. Rumor had it that Demon Beast Park had been constructed with the aim of using the entry fees for visitors to defray the enormous costs of keeping the demon beasts for research. Apparently, the world's first Hippocampus Show was expected to be their shining jewel for attracting guests, which would account for the zeal in the trainers' instructing.

Like vampires and beast men, demon beasts had sufficient intelligence to come to a mutual understanding with human beings, but unlike demons with rights guaranteed by the Holy Ground Treaty, their protections lagged behind. In the wider world, many demon beasts were still thought of as dangerous monsters, with overhunting and incidents of slaughter never really ending.

Also, the reality of it was that many demon beasts possessed high combat capabilities, and the species that would attack people were far from few. If facilities such as Demon Beast Park spread, and research into their ecology advanced further, perhaps humankind might be able to peacefully coexist with them, but a path to equality seemed unthinkable. As Yukina indulged in such sentiments, Shizuku, right beside her, let out joyful cries as the hippocampus juggled beach balls like street performers juggling beanbags. Yukina looked on in silence.

"—Yukina? Something wrong?" Shizuku, noticing Yukina's seemingly dubious gaze, hmm'd and cocked her head as she asked. Yukina smiled and shook her head. "Nah, I was just wondering…you're not scared of the hippocampus?"

"Aw, geez…! Big Bro, right? None of his business to go telling you that!" Shizuku raised both hands high as if to put her anger on display, exhaling hard. "…None of his business?"

"About my demonophobia. You probably heard I got hospitalized because of an incident, right?"

As a Sword Shaman of the Lion King Agency, Yukina was well versed in a wide variety of demon beasts, but naturally, even she hadn't had a chance to see rare marine demon beasts on the verge of extinction up close like that. Though she retained her cool head, she couldn't conceal her excitement for the extraordinary experience.

"Yeah." Yukina nodded meekly. Nagisa Akatsuki had been gravely injured in a terror incident involving demons; ever since, she'd had an extreme fear of contact with demons. Actually, it had been Asagi who'd told her about it rather than Ayato, but that didn't matter. Several times over, Yukina had herself witnessed the sight of Nagisa going into a panic when encountering demons. It was rather surprising that Nagisa had believed her demonophobia had remained a secret for all that time.

"I don't mean to discriminate, but I am still a little scared. Of vampires and beast men and stuff," Nagisa confessed in a crestfallen, forlorn tone. However, looking back at Yukina's worried face, she immediately broke into a cheerful smile.

"But I'm fine with demon beasts. Fear of men doesn't make you scared of male puppies, right? I like animals. I even like reptiles. But I'm not good with bugs. So if there's any sea spiders or stuff, I think I'll pass."

"Bugs…?" Yukina began to brood over whether she should point out that spiders are not actually insects. Shizuku peered straight at Yukina's face with deep interest. "Hey, hey, do you actually have Ayato and Asagi on your mind?"

"Well…a little. I feel bad for her and senpai for it to be just us having fun like this." A thin, pained smile came over Yukina. About an hour prior, Ayato and Asagi had run off to part-time work wearing Blue Elysium shirts. With Yaze,Stella Rias,Mio & the Others running off, claiming they had to help with their family businesses, Yukina and Shizuku, left behind, had no option but to visit Demon Beast Park all by themselves. And while that was all in good fun, Yukina did feel fairly guilty about it, particularly from her standpoint as Ayato's observer.

"Oh, you mean that…?" But Shizuku seemed deflated as she listlessly hung her head. Apparently, Yukina's reaction hadn't been quite the one she was looking for. "Ah?"

"Well, I mean, there's nothing we can do to help with the work. Like Yaze said and all, we're still in middle school… And anyway, that's not even what I mean. I mean, you know, Asagi."

"What about Aiba?" Yukina's eyes blinked as she inquired. Shizuku's expression became grave, apparently on purpose. "In other words, um, Yukina, what do you think of Asagi, anyway?"

"Umm… She's a very good-looking person, she's very brave, and she's kind." Those were Yukina's honest feelings. After all, Asagi had saved Yukina's life twice over. The first time was when they'd been kidnapped by the Black Death Emperor Front. The second time was during Yukina's battle with Meiga Itogami. Under circumstances that would leave a normal person paralyzed with fear, Asagi had devised a program to destroy the Nalakuvera the first time, hacking a facility's security pods to save Yukina the second.

A Sword Shaman of the Lion King Agency had been saved by a high school girl with no combat training whatsoever. After that, Yukina paid Asagi respect and caution in equal measure. And then…

"Yukina, I love you!"

"…Eh?!" Yukina was left bewildered by Nagisa's sudden hug, having no idea what was going on. Nagisa seemed very excited, somehow, as she strongly squeezed Yukina with both arms.

"Yukina, you're incredible. I figured you would feel that way. You get it. Yeah, Asagi's smart, kind, and really cool. I tell everyone, but they don't really get it."

"…They don't really get it?"

"That's right. No one praises Asagi for anything besides her looks. Especially the boys in our class! Like, 'She seems so erotic,' 'I want her to teach me this move or that move,' 'She looks like she dates for money'… Ugh, boys!" Shizuku seemed to grow more annoyed the more she remembered, almost as if she was angry on her own behalf. Yukina was beside herself, gazing at Shizuku for a while, but…

"You really like Aiba, don't you?" The pleasant smile accompanying Yukina's statement made Shizuku seem to blush as she nodded a little.

To Nagisa, having been hospitalized for long periods since arriving on Itogami Island, Asagi was a precious friend near to her in age, one of the very few people in the outside world she was truly connected to. If anything, even without that, it was natural for Shizuku to look up to someone with both brains and beauty like Asagi.

"It'd sure be nice to have Asagi as my real older sister, huh… If you put aside it being a waste for her to pair up with Ayato,"Shizuku murmured in a tone that sounded too serious to dismiss as a joke. Yukina nearly went

"I suppose so" but thought better of saying such a rude thing about her friend's older brother. "Er…um, that's…," the Sword Shaman stuttered. "But that goes the same for you!"

"…It does?" Yukina's thoughts froze for a moment as the conversation suddenly pointed toward her. "Well, I definitely like Asagi, but my position is neutral, soooo I'm cheering you on, too, Yukina! That's why I wanted to ask about your honest feelings and stuff. But maybe it's better not to ask. Wow, now I'm worried…"

"Er, I think you are misunderstanding a few things here. You see, I—" Offering a meandering excuse, Yukina began to protest Shizuku, who was clutching her head in anguish. She couldn't exactly tell her No, I'm only observing your older brother. But Shizuku paid no heed to Yukina's inner conflict. "Although, I'm a little reluctant to call you Big Sis, Yukina… You're a bit flaky…"

"F-flaky…?" Yukina was somewhat struck by her friend's unexpectedly poor assessment. She never expected that Nagisa, of all people, would see her that way. It was a shock to Yukina, who meant to be an ever-reliable person. I really need to refute that, thought Yukina, hastening to open her mouth. The next moment— A violent tremor, as if caused by a bomb, shot from beneath their feet to above their heads, loudly shaking the subfloat. Feeling as if her footing might fall out from under her, Yukina instantly grasped onto the walkway's railing.

"This is…?!"

"What…was that just now?" When Yukina looked, she saw Shizuku clinging to a post much like Yukina was doing. But that was the one and only change. The surface of the subfloat was not shaking. Nor were there waves on the surface of the water. The other visitors to Demon Beast Park continued their sightseeing with smiles. Yukina and Shizuku were the only ones that'd noticed something was wrong.

Only they, both powerful spirit mediums, had detected the invisible shock wave. Probably, it was a surge of demonic energy—furthermore, someone was releasing such explosive demonic energy to rock the entirety of Blue Elysium. It can't be, thought Yukina as Ayato immediately came to mind.

If one of the Fifth Primogenitor's Beast Vassals was running amok, as had happened several times before, that would explain such a large-scale outbreak of demonic energy. However, Yukina sensed that the demonic energy clearly had different characteristics than Kojou's. Besides that, she had a sense that the source of the demonic energy was not within Blue Elysium itself. It seemed to be coming from somewhere farther away—far away from the subfloat, down at the bottom of the sea.

Put another way, even from such a distance, the demonic energy felt like it was on the same scale as one of the Fifth Primogenitor's Beast Vassals. If that was the case— Did that make the being giving off that surge of demonic energy an even greater monster than the Fifth Primogenitor…? A chill ran up Yukina's spine as she arrived at that possibility. Then, Yukina's thoughts were dragged back to reality by Shizuku's frightful shriek.

"Yukina…the demon beasts are…!" Falling into a state of terror, the demon beasts lost their heads and raged under the waves. The monstrous makara fish slammed into the side of the water tank, creating an unnerving crack in the reinforced glass. The hippocampus, near the surface of the water, thrashed about, knocking the hip of a trainer and sending him tumbling.

But it was not their intention to attack; they were simply afraid. The demon beasts, even more sensitive to demonic energy than spirit mediums like Yukina and Nagisa, had sensed that powerful wave of energy, and were now in a hurry to flee the area—

"Urk…" Yukina uneasily bit her lip. Even knowing the circumstances, she had no way to subdue the demon beasts at the moment. Yukina didn't have Snowdrift Wolf on hand, and either way, it was impossible for her to subdue every demon beast inside the tank single-handedly. Besides, she was reluctant to kill demon beasts just because they were afraid.

At some point, though, the water tank would break, and the interior of Blue Elysium would doubtless incur immense damage in the process. Likely, it wasn't just the demon beasts in the marine feeding area; those in open areas on the surface must have also been in a panic. If they rampaged outside of Demon Beast Park, even ordinary visitors would be put in danger. What should I do? thought Yukina, stricken with despair. Then…

"—Calm thyselves." The quiet voice that came out of Nagisa's lips was haunting. Simultaneously, an explosive wave of demonic energy seemed to chill Yukina's body to the core. Overwhelmed by the vast demonic energy, the raging demon beasts went silent all at once. Prisoners of fear, plunging their hearts into despair instead rendered them tranquil. The light filling Nagisa's eyes was as calm and emotionless as a sheet of ice.

The supernatural aura that came with it was far beyond an ordinary human's. Someone with mighty demonic energy was possessing Nagisa. Someone with power that rivaled a Beast Vassal of the Fourth Primogenitor — "You are…?" Yukina desperately kept her overpowering sense of awe in check, staring at Nagisa as she posed the question. However, right before Yukina's eyes, all the strength in Shizuku's body vanished, like a marionette whose strings had been cut.

The possession had suddenly been lifted, seemingly out of fear of putting too much strain on Nagisa's body. "Wah…?!" Having lost her balance, Nagisa was in danger of falling, but Yukina caught her at the last moment. Nagisa shook her head, apparently unaware of what had just occurred to her. "Ow, ow, ow…er? The cute hippocampus and all the others…?"

"They've…?" Yukina fell silent, not sure what she ought to tell Nagisa. In her place, they both heard a quiet voice from behind, one neither recognized. It was a refined voice, but one that felt distant, cold, abrupt.

"It would seem they have already calmed down." Yukina, having sensed no presence prior to hearing the voice, looked back in surprise. The voice came from a young woman. She was sitting alone on a bench at the edge of the walkway. The girl was pretty, and her long black hair, worn in an old-fashioned style, suited her well. Her uniform had a black foundation; it came from a well-known private school in Itogami City. She was holding a single-lens reflex camera atop her neat lap. A black cylinder, probably a case for carrying a tripod, was propped against the wall.

"—Am I wrong?" With Yukina looking back in surprise, the black-haired girl tilted her head. Even though she'd surely seen the demon beasts in a panic up close, she

seemed extremely relaxed—to the point that her calm was unnatural.

"No…you are correct." Yukina nodded, still at a loss. Though it wasn't easy to get a read on the girl before her eyes, she wasn't sensing any hostile intent. She simply seemed to be observing Yukina and Nagisa. Almost like she was observing a diminutive, rare animal that strayed into her garden— Seemingly amused by Yukina's bewilderment, the girl asked, "That was scary just now, wasn't it?" Yukina continued holding Shizuku as she nodded vaguely. "

Er, and you are?"

"A photo."

"…Eh?"

"May I…take your photo?" The black-haired girl gently turned her camera lens toward Yukina and Shizuku. Nervous at the girl's sudden request, Yukina put a hand over her eyes, almost like a celebrity brushing paparazzi aside. "No…ah, right now this is…private time, you see…"

"Is that so? A pity." Hearing Yukina's ambiguous excuse, the black-haired girl visibly exhaled slightly. She got to her feet, picking up the tripod case in the process. The corners of her lips rose, as if to say Farewell.

"We shall meet again. Probably, anyway. If possible, I would be happy if it were on amicable terms?" Leaving those final words behind, the black-haired girl turned her back to them.

Yukina bit her lip at the girl's words, which seemed to imply something. Still being supported by Yukina, Nagisa voiced her feelings of admiration.

"That person…she's so pretty. And older than us, huh…?" A spontaneous, strained smile came over Yukina at her friend's unconcerned demeanor. But Shizuku's next words caused Yukina's breath to catch, for Yukina herself had subconsciously realized the same thing…

"—She comes off a little…well, like you, Yukina."

(Few Days Later)

The girl, now out of the office room, descended a set of stairs on her way was a Spartan corridor of bare concrete. On either side were rows of small rooms with thick, metal doors. These were medical rooms for isolating wounded demon beasts.

However, it was not a demon beast confined in this particular room, but a tall girl with a ponytail. Sayaka Kirasaka seemed to be sulking as she sat cross-legged on top of a simple, cheap bed, both of her hands still manacled.

There were minor scars on her arms and legs, but there were no blatant wounds beyond that. She was simply in a very sour mood. The black-haired girl operated a digital panel to unlock the door and let herself in.

"—You are awake?" Then, her brows furrowed as she turned her gaze to the floor. Two men in white gowns were out cold below Sayaka's bed.

"…And they are?" the girl asked, bewildered. Sayaka's lips twisted in visible scorn as she said,

"No idea. They probably thought they'd feel me up or something while I was knocked out. This is why I hate men…!"

"I see." The girl sighed. Apparently, Kusuki-Elysée researchers had found Sayaka while she was asleep and had entered the room without permission. It was her fault for not keeping better watch. The researchers didn't know who or what Sayaka Kirasaka was—not for Sayaka's safety, but for their own.

"…Did you kill them?" the dark-haired girl inquired, crouching down beside the collapsed men. Sayaka gave a cold shrug of her shoulders.

"Of course not. But if you don't slap a dispel on them soon, it might leave some mental aftereffects."

"Setting their wicked acts aside, this was most reckless. To think one would attempt to touch a Shamanic War Dancer of the Lion King Agency, an expert in curses and assassination, even while she has lost consciousness—" The girl stopped to sigh.

Excellent priestesses, Shamanic War Dancers were also spell casters and assassins.

This remained true even when they were sleeping. Shamanic War Dancers subconsciously covered themselves in powerful curses as they slept.

Anyone touching them with ill intent would find that rebounding upon them, magnified many times over. Only a spell caster of equal or superior rank could touch Sayaka's body—save perhaps someone for whom Sayaka had opened her heart.

"Looks like you know all about us, Miss Six Blades of the Bureau of Astrology. Thanks to that, you had me fooled good.

"Mm-hmm," continued Sayaka, glaring at the girl with cold eyes full of abuse.

"You're an Attack Mage manipulating the flow of yin and yang dealing with sorcerous disasters, huh? That's why you use the Eight Thundergods' School. Six Blades of the Bureau of Astrology and Sword Shamans of the Lion King Agency are two peas in a pod, after all."

"…Yes, I suppose so." The girl did not deny Sayaka's assertion. Like the Lion King Agency, the Bureau of Astrology was a special government agency. And the girl Sayaka had called Six Blades was a federal Attack Mage, just like Sword Shamans and Shamanic War Dancers.

However, unlike the Lion King Agency's objective of halting man-made sorcerous disasters and sorcerous terrorism, the Bureau of Astrology's mission was to prevent naturally occurring sorcerous disasters.

To generalize broadly, Sword Shamans were experts in anti-demonic combat, and Six Blades were experts in anti–demon beast combat, to the point that some called them Black Sword Shamans.

"I am Kiriha Kisaki." The black-haired girl quietly introduced herself. Then, she pulled out a small remote control and used it to unlock the manacles binding Sayaka. "I had not intended to deceive you, but I suppose I should apologize to you, Sayaka Kirasaka."

"…What game are you playing here?" Sayaka grew suspicious as she rubbed her now-free wrists. Before the doubtful Sayaka, Kiriha tendered a long silver sword—Lustrous Scale.

"I am not your enemy. Surely you have realized it?"

"That you're working under government orders, too?" Sayaka grimaced as she accepted the sword, snatching it out of Kiriha's hand. Sayaka was under orders to secure and protect Yume, confined by Kusuki Elysée.

But Kiriha had cooperated with Kusuki-Elysée and impeded Sayaka's mission

. If she was acting according to Bureau of Astrology orders, it meant the Bureau of Astrology and the Lion King Agency were completely at odds with each other.

"In other words, the government is not monolithic in its opinion. One's goals change according to one's standpoint, yes?" That said, Kiriha drew something from the black case she carried over her back. It was a long, slender, metallic weapon. The tip rotated as the sliding handle changed form, turning it into a long spear, near two meters in length. Its tip was split in two to produce a forked spear— Its beautiful silhouette greatly resembled a tuning fork. Sayaka glared at Kiriha's sudden drawing of the weapon and gripped her own sword.

"The upper echelon of the Bureau of Astrology has spoken to the Lion King Agency. When this mission is over, you shall be released. But before that, I shall have you serve as Her vessel for but a short time."

"Her…?" Ting went the sharp reverberation ringing in Sayaka's ear, making her expression freeze over. Kiriha's weapon was no simple spear. It was an amplifier for concentrating and releasing ritual spells. But this can't be—! thought Sayaka, bewildered. It was not Kiriha's ritual energy being released via the forked spear, but rather, something more distant.

It was powerful demonic energy, an ancient power, one that probably rivaled a vampire primogenitor's—

"This power… Don't tell me it's…the Witch of the Night?! You're saying Yume Eguchi is Her vessel…?!"

Realizing Kiriha's true objective, Sayaka swung Lustrous Scale upward. But that was where Sayaka's movement came to a halt. The vast demonic energy unleashed by the forked spear had smashed the Shamanic War Dancer's mental wall, seizing control of Sayaka's mind. She had taken over Sayaka's physical body.

"Why…are you…doing this…?!" Amid her paper-thin consciousness, Sayaka desperately wove the words. Kiriha faintly smiled and shook her head.

"A foolish question, Sayaka Kirasaka. There is but one reason for the Bureau of Astrology to move. We shall protect this nation… No, the world." Then, Kiriha quietly lowered her eyes, and murmuring so quietly that only she could hear:

"Even if Itogami Island must sink in the process—"

(The Next Day)

There was a tall, slender girl wielding a silver recurve bow in apparent defense of Riru and Kiriha. She had long hair drawn up into a ponytail that danced in the pre-dawn darkness.

"Kirasaka…why the hell are you…?" Kojou moaned in utter shock, still staring at Sayaka Kirasaka as she nocked a new arrow onto her recurve bow. Sayaka had sent bloodlust Ayato's way a fair number of times. But this was the first time she, with her deep love of Yukina, had attacked Ayato when that same Yukina might be put in the crossfire. That was enough for him to judge that Sayaka wasn't in her right mind, either.

"Sayaka?!" Yukina exclaimed, letting her spear drop. However, there was no change in expression from the girl holding the bow. All that came from her was a cold, mechanical gaze as she emotionlessly surveyed Ayato and Yukina.

"—Let us be off, Riru. Chairman Kusuki is waiting." Turning her back to Ayato and Yukina, who were unable to move, Kiriha Kisaki walked forward. The car waiting for her and Riru belonged to the Kusuki-Elysée company.

Ayato and Yukina simply stared, dumbfounded. If Kiriha was dragging Riru off by force, they probably could have gotten in the way. However, Kiriha had done nothing.

Riru was going off with Kiriha of her own will, and Sayaka, Shamanic War Dancer of the Lion King Agency, obstructed their path. If Riru—no, Yume Eguchi—was taken away just like that, Ayato and Yukina would have no just cause under which to get her back. Everything was going according to how Kiriha and her people wished.

"Himeragi, can I leave Yume to you? I'll manage with Kirasaka somehow."

"Senpai?"

With Ayato addressing her in a quiet voice, Yukina looked at him, her eyes wavering with visible unease.

"But, senpai. Right now, Sayaka is not—"

"I know. That mind-control stuff, right? Looks like a worse case than you had earlier. Geez, how'd this happen? She was supposed to be off dealing with Riru."

"Yes. But here, I really should be the one to—"

"No way, Himeragi." Ayato checked Yukina with a strong tone. Certainly, if the objective was defeating Sayaka, relying on Yukina's power was the safer bet. Yukina's Snowdrift Wolf could cancel out the vile ability of Sayaka's Lustrous Scale—its pseudo-spatial severing. She also knew what was in Sayaka's Shamanic War Dancer arsenal. But…

"Look, just go! Kirasaka'll feel terrible when she's sane again if she finds out she tried to kill you!"

"—Understood. Senpai, please be careful. If she was fighting seriously, even I might only manage to defeat Sayaka one out of five times."

"Eh…?!" With Yukina having left behind that incredible statement, Ayato's face twitched as he watched her run off. Maybe he'd have been better off not hearing that nugget of information, especially with that timing. Now that he thought of it, Yukina was really still an apprentice, whereas Sayaka was a full Shamanic War Dancer. Sayaka had to have far more actual combat experience, too.

On top of that, unlike Yukina, a poor spell caster, Sayaka was a skilled user of a wealth of spells. The saving grace was that she had no Snowdrift Wolf with which to nullify Kojou's demonic energy…

"But that bow was pretty nasty stuff, wasn't it…?" As if reading Ayato's mind, Sayaka fired a cursed arrow. The arrow sailed toward the heavens as it whistled, the great reverberation creating a high-density spell. A giant magic circle unfolded, with the thunderbolts it created pouring down on Ayato with pinpoint accuracy.

"Aww, crap! C'mon over, Regulus Altairyu!" Ayato summoned his Beast Vassal without hesitation. The lightning lion Dragon, enveloped by vast demonic power, collided with the pouring thunderbolts, canceling out Sayaka's tremendous attack.

The clash of enormous magical energies sent a disquieting tremor throughout the entire subfloat. Ayato and the others felt static electricity in the air pricking their flesh as lampposts burned out in dazzling flashes of light.

"Not holding back, are you?!" Ayato was petrified, overwhelmed by the absurd might of Sayaka's attack.

Because it was Regulus Altairyu, he was somehow able to fend off the blow, but an ordinary vampire's Beast Vassal would doubtlessly have been blown away in that single strike. It was a spell on an extraordinary scale for a mere human being to wield single-handedly. Now that he thought of it, Sayaka had been assigned as Dimitrie Vattler's observer.

In other words, even that combat-maniac vampire recognized the strength of her abilities. Perhaps Sayaka, fighting seriously, would prove a far more difficult foe than Ayato had imagined. Sayaka, realizing that her curse arrow had been blocked, rushed to her next move.

"Ayato Hiryu!"

"—Whoa?!" The downward swing of the long sword grazed past the tip of Ayato's nose as he evaded it by a paper's breadth. Even with Ayato's hybrid vampirism enhanced reaction speed, it seemed practically a miracle that he'd escaped such a terrifying slicing blow. "

Are you an ogre?! Take it a little easy on the amateur, sheesh!" Ayato released his Beast Vassal from its summons and ran for the hills with all his might. Either way, Ayato's Beast Vassals were too powerful to use with Sayaka as the opponent. After all, clumsily unleashing one with Sayaka at such close range would catch Ayato in the lethal strike, to say nothing of blowing Sayaka away without a trace.

That said, vampires unable to use their Beast Vassals were comparatively frail as demons went. Against an ultra–high end Attack Mage like Sayaka, running for it was all Ayato could think of. Apparently, he couldn't hope for anything convenient like the mind control leaving Sayaka a smidgeon of sanity, prompting her to take it easy on him.

"Shit… Was I too hasty?" He couldn't help but regret having sent Yukina on ahead. Even if he'd known from the start, Ayato stopping Sayaka on his own was far too much to ask. First of all, he didn't think even Yukina would be able to easily take her out of action. It wasn't like when she'd put Asagi and Nagisa out cold. What was spurring Sayaka into action was not incomplete mind control making her hidden desires run wild. She was completely controlled, and seriously trying to kill Ayato.

He didn't know how such powerful mind control was possible without leaning on Riru's power. However, that didn't mean he was out of options, either. Even if he didn't understand the root cause, even Ayato could come up with at least one way to break the mind control over Sayaka. A method only possible for a hybrid vampire like Ayato—

"So the gist is, override what's controlling her with even stronger demonic energy!" The problem being whether I can actually do it or not, thought Ayato, biting his lip. There were a number of hurdles Ayato had to vault over in order to bring that plan to fruition. Breaking through the first checkpoint was a tall order in a situation where he was constantly under attack. With terrifying speed, Sayaka thrust her sword forward, grazing Ayato's cheek. Even if he used something to block her attacks, it was impossible to fend off the blade while the spatial-severing effect enveloped it. He needed a way to deal with that and to release Sayaka from mind control at the same time—

"This is gonna be a little rough, but I guess I'll give it a shot…" Ayato's murmur seemed to put him back on his feet with a bold smile. In the back of his mind, he thought back to the trivial conversation he'd had with Yukina back at the pool; namely, how Sayaka and water didn't mix— "C'mon over, Natra Cryo Cinereus!" Ayato summoned a new Beast Vassal—a faithful beast serving from within a hybrid vampire's own blood. The fourth Beast Vassal of the Fifth Primogenitor, Cordelia Sakamaki, was a giant, hard-shelled beast surrounded by Cryo mist.

"—?!" Sayaka's face froze stiff when she realized she'd lost her sense of solid ground. Natra Cryo Cinereus was a Beast Vassal epitomizing the vampiric ability of Cryo mist. However, its effective range was not limited to Ayato, its host; it was able to weaken the binding forces of solid matter, turning any and every kind of object into cryo mist. It was destruction and calamity incarnate, worthy of its title as a Beast Vassal of the Fifth Primogenitor.

Of course, he could not use such a dangerous power on Sayaka herself. Ayato's target was not Sayaka, but rather, the ground at her feet. Sayaka was standing on a subfloat built out of resin and metal. If that artificial soil were to vanish, there was nothing beneath it—except the sea.

"Aaaaaaaaaah!" Enveloped by silver cryo mist, Sayaka fell from the pull of gravity. It was probably six or seven meters before she hit the water. With an unexpectedly cute cry, Sayaka plunged in, kicking up a spectacular splash.

"Er, this ain't good?!" The attack by the overly powerful Beast Vassal had "worked," but, of course, things had not ended there. The incredibly powerful mist spread farther, gouging a giant hole in the artificial ground tens of meters in radius. The foundation supporting the subfloat, the decorative soil packed atop it, and the trees and lampposts on top of that, were completely annihilated. Having lost its support, the roadway collapsed, with pieces falling into the sea one after another.

"Shit… I overdid it… Koff!" Ayato, crouched down on the tilting ground surface, coughed as seawater showered down on him from above. The Beast Vassal had blithely involved its host, Ayato, in the overpowering destruction it had wrought. The place that was once the cottage's lawn had been nicely gouged out, creating a bowl-shaped inlet in its place.

Perhaps he ought to have blessed his good fortune that the surrounding buildings had not sunk into the sea as well.

"—Where's Kirasaka?!" Ayato released the Beast Vassal from its summons and looked around the area. The next moment, he looked back, sensing bloodlust behind him. Sayaka, having just crawled out of the sea, was launching a downward swing at Ayato that very moment. However, Sayaka's attack did not have the same speed as before. The soaking-wet clothing she wore was robbing her of her sharpness of motion. Ayato had tentatively succeeded in his aim. Beyond that…

"Whoa… That's…!" Ayato unwittingly drew his breath in as he looked up at Sayaka, sword poised high. Sayaka had stripped off the waterlogged vest of her uniform, perhaps judging that it was in the way of her movements. The white school shirt she'd worn beneath it was completely drenched, too. With the fabric transparent and clinging to her flesh, her pale skin and cutely designed bra were exposed to his nocturnal eyes.

The spectacle was all the more devastating because Sayaka was so amazingly stylish to begin with. As she swung her sword around, the contrast between her see-through shirt and bouncing breasts stole Ayato's vision.

He maintained his distance with Sayaka as he shifted deeper and deeper into the water. Pursuing him, she was in the sea once more. The surface of the water was already up to their hips

. In that condition, Sayaka could no longer swing her sword, for if the space-ripping effect Lustrous Scale gave off hit the water, its wielder, Sayaka, would not escape unscathed. Accordingly, thrusting became her only option for attack.

Knowing this, Ayato had his own card to play.

"Kirasaka…don't blame me for this!" Ayato kicked off from the bottom of the water, making full use of his vampiric strength. In an instant, he closed a distance of some four or five meters, rushing Sayaka straight from the front.

"Ayato Hiryu…!" Sayaka's reaction was quick. Easily tracking Ayato's movement, she raised her long sword and thrust forward. Ayato did not evade. Adding a footstep to accelerate farther, he impaled himself on the tip of her sword. Ayato's unanticipated action threw Sayaka's aim off just a little. The sword that should have run him through the heart instead impaled Ayato through the gut and out his back.

"Guoaaaa!" Ayato let out a cry from his mouth. The pain alone could kill him. But he'd resigned himself to that from the beginning. With Sayaka running Ayato through to the hilt, she could not draw her sword out of him.

And Ayato could still move. Before his eyes, Sayaka was frozen in shock. Ayato's hand extended and touched her collar. Her pale neck was drenched with sweat and seawater.

Her slender collarbone was poking up from under the drenched shirt. She had such a refined face that it could draw you in before you knew it, and deep cleavage between her breasts that did not suit such a slender physique— Even while fighting for his life, it was more than enough to stimulate his lust. Furthermore, it was sexual desire that was the root of a vampire's urge to drink blood—

"Wha—?!" Ayato yanked Sayaka close by her shirt collar. Ayato's fangs thrust into her now-exposed flesh.

"—?!" Sayaka's face twisted in pain. Ayato paid no heed as he sipped on her blood. Legend had it that a vampire hybrid could control a human being just from drinking a person's blood. Unfortunately, Ayato could not do anything that artful, but at the very least, he could inject the powerful demonic energy of the Fifth Primogenitor. Surely it would be enough to cause the mind control cast upon Sayaka to wither away.

But before the mind control lifted completely, Sayaka retrieved a silver dart from under her skirt. She twisted it around in her hand, aiming the sharp tip at the back of Ayato's head.

Even a Hybrid would go down in one shot if you impaled the cerebellum with such a thing. However, Sayaka was swinging that vile implement down when her hand stopped midway.

A split-second prior, as if defying the mind control with her own will, the dart slipped from her hand as she settled against Ayato. "Ah…" A sweet sigh escaped Sayaka's lips. Ayato felt her softness and warmth as he held up her relaxed body. At some point, the sky had begun to brighten. The light of the quietly burning morning sky silently shone upon their bloodstained embrace.

Then He began to plunge his dick into her pussy underwater by pounding her womanhood with her dick. He fucked sayaka's brians out by pounding inside her pussy merclessy with his dick.

[LEMON STARTS NOW!]

Ayato grinned and started things off with a sloppy wet makeout session. Pushing past her teeth to have their tongues dance with one another as he grabbed onto her hips and back, pulling her closer to him and deepening their kiss.

When Ayato pulled away from the Shamanic War Dancer's lips, he felt her hands slid down to the hem of his pants, wanting them off him. Ayato brings one hand to the back of her head to pull her back into another harder kiss but using that same hand and the other one to undo her beach dress.

"Mmm...how forward of you," Sayaka noted after Ayato broke the kiss and started kissing and biting her neck while rubbing and groping her breasts. "Yukina never had her fun with you. First I get to have you all to myself…"

Soon his pants were down, and his enormous ten-inch cock was freed from its confinements. Raging, throating, and wanting to fuck Sayaka like the abomination that Ayato was. Akeno was as naked as he was and pushed him down on his back. Sayaka was all too eager to be wanting to be fucked by her beloved warrior right at this moment. But first, she was going to enjoy herself a bit with Ayato.

Continuing to play with his cock, Sayaka shoved Ayato's head in between her breasts. "And now it's my turn~. I'm one of your girls now, and I'm going to make sure you are not falling for any other girls than Yukina, La Folia,Rias,Akeno,Asagi,Yuma,and myself...and I'll do it by imprinting myself into your body and soul~."

Ayato pushed himself up and freed himself from her breasts. Akeno stopped using her hand and went back to grinding on his lap, feeling that rob beneath her getting harder and harder.

"I don't want you to think about anything but me, Ayato Hiryu…" Sayaka said, rubbing his face gently with her hands. "My voice...my aroma...my whole body...my samurai will take all of me in~."

Unable to resist the raging urges within him, Ayato roughly grabbed Akeno's breasts. They were kind of heavy, but his fingers sank right into them. He then started sucking on her right nipple.

And Akeno loved the sensation, and to show just how much she loved it, she rolled her head back and moaned as he covered her niggle and breast with saliva. "Fufu...Oh my...Ayato Hiryu...You like bigger ones...like mine...don't you~?" Akeno arched her back and groaned as Kenny eagerly switched over to her other tit. "You love boobs~."

Having his fill, Ayato pulled away from her glistening breast and gave Akeno another kiss. Slamming his lips against her in a deep and sloppy clash of tongues. Her moans grew lewder and lewder by the minute while having her breasts massaged while she continued to grind against Kenny's cock.

But she was done teasing him. She was more than eager to get a piece of the White Dragon hybrid Progenitor. When she pulled away, she placed her hand back on his cock. Akeno smiled and slid down off the bed's edge. Dragging her breasts sensually to entice more moans out of him before she got on her knees in front of his cock.

With Ayato sitting at the edge of the bed and Akeno on the floor, the priestess stroked his cock. But then she took his large balls into her smooth hands and fondled Kenny lovingly, amazed at the size and softness of them. Making sure that they were full of his delicious cum.

Before long, Akeno kissed Ayato's tip, making Ayato groan from the sensitive spot touched by the girl he loved. Then the Shamanic Dancer brought out her touch and gave his manhood long and loving licks. Dragging her tongue up and down the sides and underside of his shaft like it was a frozen popsicle.

"Akeno…" Ayato hissed.

With his cock all wet from her love juice and big, ready to be consumed, Akeno greedily opened her mouth and began sucking on. The smell of it burned through her nostrils like it was meth as the taste was out of this world in her mouth. Kenny threw his head back as she slowly sucked him off so he couldn't cum right away. His eyes snapped wide open as Akeno stuffed nearly all of his cock into her mouth, showing off her determination and abilities.

Unable to speak, he placed his hands on the back of her head and helped her take him in deeper. Standing up to thrust into her mouth, eliciting moans from the Dancer as she slurped and gagged on his cock to her heart's content.

The lewd sounds filled the room before the busty Dancer had an idea popped into her head. She briefly pulled her mouth away from his meaty cock.

"It's so hot…I might burn my mouth…" Akeno said, giggling in the process. She licked it and sucked the tip of her samurai's cock one more time before looking up at him. "But...this wouldn't satisfy this naughty thought of yours."

Like the dirty girl she was, Akeno cupped her two massive breasts and wrapped his cock with them to give her samurai a paizuri. "I know this would do the trick...with your love of boobs. Tell me, does la folia ever do this with you," she asked. "Do you love it when she does it…"

"Y-Yes…" Ayato said, anticipating the pleasure service he was about to receive.

"Then, how about Ayato…?"

Sayaka wasted no time and started squeezing and rubbing them up and down the cock between her breasts. Ayato moaned and groaned loudly and gripped her hair tight, which the Tsundere Attack mage loved as she massaged his cock with her lovely breasts. Licking the tip to add to the pleasure he felt from the heavenly touch from the breasts of his second main girl.

Truth be told, Ayato had often fantasized about Akeno and her luscious breasts whenever she teased him. Both Sayaka and La Folia's titjobs were unlike anything he's ever felt that it was hard for him to choose who was better.

As Akeno picked up the pace, Ayato could feel himself getting ready to let loose his climax. The first of many if Akeno was anything like Rias in bed.

"Sayaka...I'm cumming," groaned the samurai.

"Please...release it all…" Akeno begged.

"Akeno - GUH!" Kenny did just that. Throwing his head back before his cock exploded.

SPLURT!

"AAH!" Sayaka let out an excited scream as she saw his white essence shot up and out of her lover's cock like a geyser. The Shamanic War Dancer cooed softly as Ayato's cum plastered all over her tits and face. Opening her mouth, she caught a good liter's worth of stray shots. The thick taste and the amount she had in her mouth made Akeno's pussy wet, and her body tingled at the thought of Kenny shooting more inside of her. For a moment, that sensation made her tsundere mind wish she had three Ayato to hold her down and fuck her in all three of her hole at once.

Once it was all over, Sayaka let loose Ayato's cock and saw the sticky mess she made on herself.

"It's so much...Ayato…" Sayaka said, scooping up some of his cum with her finger and sucking it off. "You haven't even put it in, and yet I'm so horny for you…" Gripping Ayato's cock, she took into her mouth again to clean out any remaining cum, desperate for more of his taste.

When she was finished, she grew even more ecstatic upon seeing Ayato's shaft harder than before. Refusing to go down.

Ayato helped her stand up again after being on her knees for so long. Ayato leaned down and kissed her. Wasting no more time, he brought her to the pool side with chairs , and Akeno found herself laying on her back, staring up at Kenny with pure desire in her eyes.

"Ayato Hiryu…" Akeno called out. "Will you make me your exclusive mistress…"

"My… exclusive mistress?" Ayato asked, panting as he remained over her body. Her hands touched his broad shoulders and started tracing the lines in his back. Seeking to entice the Vampire into lustful madness further.

"That's right. From now on, will you love me just like you do Rias…? If you do, I'll gladly let you make love with me as much as you want. If you do, from today to the end of time, every time, everywhere, I'll make all your sexual dreams come true."

If Ayato was any other man, or if any man was in his position, drowned in their own lust, they would have gone for it without any hesitation. Sayaka's seductive advances, worthy enough for a Attack mage of her sexiness and caliber to be considered a succubus, an entrance and have men to her to bring them pleasure beyond this universe.

But the Hybrid Vampire had a moment of hesitation. He loved Rias and Yukina and guilt welled from his heart for what he was doing. Being seduced by Sayaka so easily and he felt like he was cheating on his official girlfriend with another woman.

Feelings be damned! Ayato loved Rias, Yukina,Akeno and he loved Sayaka too. He will treat her just as the same as he treats Rias. And it was Rias who allowed Akeno to be a part of his harem when they first agreed to share him. Both girls desired him individually, as did he in return.

That why he had a harem. He could never choose between the town because he loved them too much to pick one over the other.

Seeing the want in Akeno's eyes was more than enough to convince Kenny to give her the want she wanted.

"Sayaka!" Ayato fell down on top of Sayaka, kissing her as her breasts were smashed, and she spread her legs out.

"Ayato, please fuck me!" Sayaka moaned.

Ayato, wanting to give Akeno everything he had, aligned his manhood with her womanhood. Teasing the Dancer by rubbing it back and forth, making her moan as her hands gripped his shoulders tightly.

Without warning, Ayato shoved his cock into Sayaka's pussy in one go.

"GAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Sayaka screeched in pain and pleasure, and her eyes widened to their limit at the fullness and length of Ayato's cock. Her pussy bled from her hymen being pierced. Tears ran down her face as she began working her hips, experiencing the perfect mixture of pain and pleasure.

Ayato himself nearly blew his load at how hot his harem's mistress' pussy felt but became concerned when he saw the tears. "Akeno, are you okay," He asked, placing a hand on her right cheek. He rubbed her tear away before Sayaka placed her hand over his.

This was his answer to her request. Sayaka could feel all the feelings he held for the Shamanic War Dancer. His harem mistress.

"Hmmmm~. You're soooo big~. Finally...I'm one you, Ayato!" Sayaka moaned, feeling the cock of her lover twitching inside of her. Her walls stretched their absolute limit. "Now I'm all yours~" She moaned, closing her eyes and throwing her head back.

Ayato, without any hesitation, started pumping his cock in and out of Sayaka's snatch. He didn't start slow as he did with Rias on their date. For his dirty-minded mage, she wanted him to give it to her hard and fast. And he predicted correctly. Sayaka's face had an ahegao expression as she moaned loudly with every single thrust. She arched herself as she felt Ayato pounded her pussy with all the love and lust he had for her.

"Fuck me! Fuck me, Ayato! Fuck me like you own me!" Sayaka cried out loud, hearing the sound of their skin slapping together. Hands gripping the Chair Handles as her vampire fucked her into submission. "I want you so bad!"

Both man and woman moaned loudly as Ayato fucked her ferociously. The Chair creaked and shook as Ayato fucked his mistress into the Chair. Asserting his dominance over in Sex as his hips slapped her soft thighs with each thrust.

Seeing how Akeno's breasts were swaying around wildly, Ayato grabbed them with his hands. He squeezed them roughly, making Akeno cry out in delighted ecstasy before grabbing the back of his head and pulled him down into a bruising kiss. Kenny french kissed her back with vigor as he gripped her hips and started pounding her with more and more strength.

The two separated their kiss and continued fucking like rabbits in heat, almost forcing Akeno to her breaking point. Kenny found his mistress' ahegao face to be just as sexy as Rias'. However, he wants to make Akeno go completely insane with lust.

So, he quickly pulled out of Sayaka and rolled her onto her hands and knees. He could hear his love whispering 'Yes…" as he lifted up her ass before quickly thrusting it back into her tight hole. Sayaka reared her head back and screamed as her hands clutched the Chair's bars while Ayato fucked her vigorously doggy-style.

"Oh! Ayato! Yes! YES!" Sayaka screamed wantonly like a slut. The slapping of her ass and his lap echoed throughout the room. But she didn't care if anyone heard her. Sayaka was making love with her Hybrid, and she was going to love Ayato with her heart and body. Especially her body. "I love it! I love your cock so much! I love...I love you, Ayato!"

"I love you too, Sayaka!" Ayato yelled as sweat rolled down his back, and he looked down at their joined lower halves. Sayaka's round, firm ass jiggled every single time his hips struck. Sheathing his giant cock into her pussy. Her back was gleaming with sweat, and her brown hair sprawled over her shoulders. Making her all the more beautiful.

"FUCK! AHHHHH! IT'S SO FUCKING DEEP!" Sayaka was howling with lewd glee as she was fucked silly. Her breasts bounced as her body succumbed to the pleasure. She grabbed one of her breasts and played with it to increase the pleasure she was experiencing.

Ayato could feel the ecstasy that was driving him about to reach its climax. He leaned down, placing his chest on her back, and fucked her faster and hard. In and out of her wet, tight, hot pussy. Feeling the walls of her pussy contract brought him even closer.

"Sayaka...I'm gonna...I'm gonna blow!" Ayato groaned, grabbing onto her breasts and held her up. Determined to bring her the lust and love she wanted.

"CUM INSIDE OF ME!" She demanded. "Shoot your seeds inside your slutty Lion Dancer! Flood my womb! FUCKING IMPREGNANT ME, AYATO!"

Ayato grabbed her head and turned her to face him. Kissing her passionately as he held her in a passionate embrace. Her tongue collided with his as he swallowed her screams as her hands joined his to grab her breasts roughly.

Like what he did with Rias, when he released Akeno's lips, Ayato channeled some of his power. Ayatoroared and, with one powerful thrust, drove his cock all the way into her womb.

"Akeno!"

And exploded thick, burning hot ropes of cum into her.

"AAAYYYAATTOOOO!" Sayaka lewdly screamed as her own climax hit her like a train. Her cum blasted outwards, as Ayato's cum blasted inwards as he shot every last drop of cum into her womb. Sayaka arched her back in great pleasure as she felt the burning, passionate essence of the warrior burn through her like lava.

When it was all done, the lovers fell together on the chair. Laying on their side with Ayatostill holding Akeno and his cock still buried deep inside her pussy. While with her look of debauchery and panting, Akeno basked in the warmth of Kenny's essence, melting her pussy from the inside while he still filled her, and the warmth of Ayato's arms protectively holding her.

"THE WAY THIS ONE GRIPS MY COCK SO WARMLY FEELS AMAZING, I THINK I MIGHT END UP CUMMING TWICE"

"Ara...it's so warm...and so much…" Sayaka said, panting lustfully. Her pussy exploded and leaked more of Ayato's hybrid essence. It spilled onto another even as she laid down to catch her breath. "And...still so warm and good…"

"I take it that means you liked it," Kenny asked with a knowing smirk.

Sayaka giggled and cupped his cheek. Staring up at him with nothing but love.

"I'm really happy to be loved with you,Ayato," she said, with eyes welling up with tears of happiness. Letting her emotions run free. "I love you, Ayato Hiryu."

"I love you too," Ayato said, sealing his lips onto her in a kiss that cemented their feelings for one another.

"But, you're not done yet, are you?~ Because I'm really for more, Ayato~!" She winked at him while licking her lips lustfully.

Getting his second wind, Ayato smirked and pulled out of Akeno. Rolling her back on her back, he wrapped his arms around her, took her face, and kissed her passionately. Sayaka happily returned his feelings and kissed him back. Craving each other more and more. Round two was about to begin, but it would be many more rounds before Ayato and his mistress were satisfied.

Looking down at Akeno, the warrior wanted to know what she would want to do. Akeno gave him a lewd smirk, prompting Kenny to nod. Turning back to the horny girls with his own smirk, Kenny said, "What are you waiting for?"

It was truly a day to remember.

[LEMON ENDS]

The pre-twilight atmosphere was charged with lingering magical energy. They were the remnants of the lightning attack unleashed by Sayaka, and of Kojou summoning his Beast Vassal to block it. The Kusuki-Elysée company car was parked on a coastal road a small distance from the cottage. The automated driving system it was equipped with had made an emergency stop when it detected lightning strikes.

Kiriha Kisaki was getting Riru out of the getaway car. No doubt, they were giving up on moving by car and planned to return to Kusuki-Elysée on foot. But before she could lead Riru away by hand, Kiriha stood still and raised her head up. Her gaze shifted until it met Yukina, standing with her silver spear poised. With a glare, Yukina stated,

"I want you to give Yume back." "Wow." Riru looked up at Kiriha in amusement. Kiriha shook her head with a sigh and drew her spear from the case over her back. It was a silver, forked spear, with its tip split into two tines. "

Do you not understand, Yukina Himeragi? You have no reason to bring Riru back with you," Kiriha said quietly. It was Yukina's duty as Sword Shaman to watch the Fifth Primogenitor —Ayato Hiryu. No matter who Yume Eguchi was, that gave Yukina no right to take her back. But… "I believe that brainwashing Sayaka to attack Hiryu-senpai is reason enough to view you as my enemy?" Yukina calmly rebutted her. Kiriha had indirectly attempted to harm Ayato, her observation target. It was sophistry, but it surely amounted to casus belli for Yukina to do battle with Kiriha.

"I did not wish for Riru to come into contact with the Fifth Primogenitor. He is a wild card and simply too dangerous, you see." Kiriha shook her head with dismay as she replied.

The next moment, they heard a giant explosive sound behind her. A silver cryo mist resembling gunsmoke rose into the pre-dawn sky.

Ayato had used one of the Fifth Primogenitor's Beast Vassals. "You do not need to go see how he is faring?" Kiriha seemed to be teasing her with that question. However, Yukina shook her head, her expression unmoved.

"Sayaka will be all right. Senpai, too, probably."

"…You trust the Fifth Primogenitor, then? Somewhat unexpected."

Kiriha suspiciously raised an eyebrow. Then, she shook her head, as if to say I misspoke. "Ah, please do not misunderstand… I have no interest in the Fifth Primogenitor. I am aware that you are watching him, and have no intention of interfering. It is not I who involved the Fifth Primogenitor in this, but Sayaka Kirasaka."

"What do you intend to do with Yume once you bring her back to KusukiElysée? Why is the Bureau of Astrology assisting them?" Yukina asked, disregarding Kiriha's excuses. Like the Lion King Agency, the Bureau of Astrology was a special department under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Its involvement in the present incident would explain why the Lion King Agency could not act overtly to keep Yume safe. The Bureau of Astrology was probably exerting pressure on the government to keep the Lion King Agency at bay.

"Tee-hee," laughed Kiriha, looking sure of victory as she smiled.

"KusukiElysée is Yume Eguchi's legal guardian. Furthermore, she is returning of her own will. Even the Lion King Agency has no right to stop me." With Kiriha like that, Yukina made a small nod, seemingly yielding to her words as she said,

"I suppose so, if Yume truly does desire that. However —!"

"Uu?!" Without warning, Yukina kicked off from the ground, slamming her spear toward Kiriha. Instantly, the forked spear parried the blow as Kiriha cursed under her breath; for she realized that Yukina's target had not been Kiriha, but rather, the spear she wielded. Yukina's spear gave off a pale glow as it collided with Kiriha's forked weapon. This was the purifying light of the Divine Oscillation Effect—able to nullify all magical energy and rend any barrier.

Ting went the violent, earpiercing sound scattered about as the magical energy around the forked spear vanished. "The Lion King Agency's Schneewaltzer. A troublesome armament indeed…" Kiriha smiled ferociously as she forced the overbearing Yukina backward.

"…When did you notice this spear's true nature?" "From the beginning. After all, for you to appear just after the Riru personality awakened was too timely to be a coincidence." Having landed, Yukina looked at Kiriha and poised her spear once more.

The Riru personality sleeping inside Yume had suddenly awoken in the dead of night. A different personality had been triggered, yet there had been no stimulus or experience to cause it to do so. Consequently, there was but one possibility she could think of— Someone had controlled Yume's mind from the outside and forced Riru to awaken.

"The Ricercare of the Bureau of Astrology… That spear's ability is what awakened the Riru personality and planted suggestions into Sayaka, yes?" Yukina glared coldly at Kiriha's spear as she spoke the words.

Ricercare: an exorcism weapon constructed via a different method than what the Lion King Agency used. Its ability was to amplify accumulated demonic energy and release it according to the wielder's will. Through the use of the forked spear, the wielder was able to employ special abilities supposedly beyond human means and manipulate vast demonic energies. Ricercare could be described as a weapon that copied magical and demonic energy.

"So you drew Riru's—no, Yume's succubus demonic energy into the spear. You employed that ability in reverse to make Yume awaken as Riru."

"Correct. Though I never imagined I would see all the demonic energy I drew wiped away quite like this…," Kiriha said, although in a thoroughly unapologetic tone.

To Ricercare (able to manipulate demonic energy), Yukina's Snowdrift Wolf (able to nullify demonic energy) was its mortal foe. The loss of accumulated demonic energy had already torn Kiriha's spell apart.

"Yukina—?!" Yume, having returned to her proper personality, called out to Yukina with a plaintive cry. That she wasn't all that surprised to see Yukina wielding the spear might have meant she had some memory of what had transpired during her time as Riru. Either way, the situation had changed. This Yume did not wish to return to Kusuki-Elysée. If, in spite of that, Kiriha dragged Yume off by force, she was a mere kidnapper. Yukina could save Yume regardless of her Lion King Agency assignment.

"Now I have a reason to stop you. Or shall you simply withdraw, Six Blades?" Yukina duly warned Kiriha.

Surely, even Kiriha understood they had traded places. If Kiriha remained any longer, the prestige of the Bureau of Astrology would be on the line. Even so, Kiriha twirled her spear with nothing more than a swish and said, "It was my honest hope that we would get along, but you leave me no choice… This violates our understanding with the Lion King Agency, but I'm sure they'll overlook it as exigent circumstances—!"

"—!" The forked spear became a typhoon that stopped Yukina's silver spear cold. Kiriha's spear was no longer charged with demonic energy, but it had not lost any of its functionality as a weapon in the process. Furthermore, Yukina's Snowdrift Wolf could not employ its special effect against attacks that lacked demonic energy. The two were on equal terms. "If you thought sealing Ricercare's ability was enough to win, you're naive!"

"…Urk!" Kiriha's incredible flurry of attacks forced Yukina on the defensive. Sword Shamans of the Lion King Agency and Six Blades of the Bureau of Astrology came from shared roots. The techniques used by both were very similar. Thus, it was the difference in the wielders' skills that determined who had the upper hand. Even if she was talented, Yukina was critically short on combat experience.

Nor could she deny that she was at a physical disadvantage. Each and every attack from a Priestess of the Six Blades, experts in anti–demon beast combat, was a swift, heavy blow. Yukina's small physique could be easily knocked around even while guarding. However, it was not Yukina who appeared nervous but Kiriha, the attacker. Kiriha's lethal attacks weren't hitting Yukina. Sword Shamans of the Lion King Agency were able to peer a brief moment into the future. The same went for Six Blades of the Bureau of Astrology.

However, Yukina was the one reading Kiriha's moves first. Yukina's spirit sight was well beyond Kiriha's.

"I should have expected this from the individual the Lion King Agency chose to watch the Fifth Primogenitor… I had thought you a little milkdrinking child with good looks as a redeeming feature, but this… Tee-hee, this makes it worthwhile—!" Kiriha laughed ferociously. Her refined facade fell away, fully exposing the real her: sadistic and belligerent.

"Raw Lightning—!" Kiriha knocked Yukina off balance with a single brute-force attack, following up with a stern knee strike. It was a blunt attack technique infused with ritual energy for anti–demon beast combat. Being struck by such a blow would invariably destroy the internal organs of any normal human. But Yukina evaded that merciless attack and slipped into Kiriha's flank in turn.

"Distort!" Yukina unleashed an eviscerating attack from point-blank range. Kiriha instantly sailed backward, parrying the shock of the blow. "Mist Lynx—Twin Moons!"

As Kiriha thrust her Ricercare, its twin blades resonated, scattering destructive sonic waves all about. The magic energy–amplifying staff boosted Kiriha's ritual energy, enabling her to let loose with a powerful offensive ritual spell. "—?!"

"Yukina—?!" Yume yelled at the top of her lungs as she saw Yukina engulfed by the destructive sonic wave. However, Yukina did not falter. The glow emitted by the silver spear she wielded created ritual energy that sliced the destructive sonic wave asunder. Then: "Snowdrift Wolf!" Yukina thrust her spear, tracing an upward spiral as it knocked Kiriha's forked spear away.

Kiriha retreated in annoyance after having her ritual energy sheared away. She coughed violently, sending blood trickling from her lips. She had been unable to fully neuter the might of Yukina's close-range blow.

"Blood… My blood…" Kiriha violently wiped her wet lips with her palm, heaving in visible excitement. Her eyes bore a look bordering on intoxication as they gazed at her scarlet-dyed palm. "As I might have expected, I am at a disadvantage in anti-personal combat. I did not think dueling with a Sword Shaman of the Lion King Agency would prove so…stimulating. Such a waste that our time is up. Do you not think so?"

"Time is up…?" Yukina felt somewhat thrown off by Kiriha's words. But her face was illuminated by a dazzling glow. Beyond the road, the water's horizon was dyed white by the reflection of the morning sun. Dawn had broken. Kiriha lowered her spear, apparently having lost the will to fight. The next moment, Subfloat Blue Elysium was assailed by an explosive demonic energy wave, enough to make the very ground shake.

"—?!" Yukina fell to her knees, unable to withstand the excessive shock wave. It was the same as Yukina had sensed in Demon Beast Park the day before. But compared to that, the density of the demonic energy had risen.

"This wave… What in the world is…?!"

Yukina gazed at the sea in surprise. The source of the demonic energy wave was at the bottom of the sea. A vast amount of it was being indiscriminately emitted somewhere beneath the waves, far from Blue Elysium. If Yukina had been better versed in military affairs, she might have realized that the demonic energy pulse resembled the active sonar of a military submarine, and that something lurking in the deep sea was emitting a demonic energy wave like a sensor to discern its enemy's location— "Shadow of mine, mist yet not mist, blade but not blade—! As the slicing dream, let play the instrument of destruction!"

With Yukina distracted by the demonic energy pulse, Kiriha seized the momentary opening and chanted an incantation. Her Ricercare amplified the vast magical energy flowing out of her to form a blade of sonic waves. Yukina immediately moved to raise Snowdrift Wolf, but it was too late. Before Yukina could ready herself, Kiriha's attack came, mowing her down. The blade's shock wave carved through the air. Yukina had not defended in time. Yet, it was not Yukina who made a low groan of surprise, but Kiriha, who had launched the attack.

"Yu…me…?"

"Riru?" The pair simultaneously addressed the girl by two different names. Kiriha's attack had been blocked by a pair of black wings, seemingly deployed to shield Yukina. They were shadowy wings woven from demonic energy, and it had been Yume who had spread them. It had been she, not Riru, drawing out her own succubus power, protecting Yukina out of her own free will.

"Please, stop this. Kiriha, Yukina, both of you—" Yume made a lonely smile as she pressed down on the collar of her torn summer dress. Then she turned her back on both Yukina and Kiriha, shifting her eyes toward Blue Elysium. Under the dawn sky, on the other side of the inlet, she could make out Demon Beast Park—site of the Kusuki-Elysée laboratory.

"It doesn't matter anymore… I'm…going to end it all, so…" Yume then flapped her wings. Without a sound, her diminutive body soared into the sky, seeming to glide as she flew away. "…Yume… Why?!"

Yukina, instantly left behind, did not understand what had just happened. Why would Yume, purportedly running from Kusuki-Elysée, suddenly have a change of heart? And what was that demonic energy pulse emitted from the bottom of the sea—? For some reason, a small, impetuous smile came over Kiriha, surely aware of those answers as she looked up at the sky and watched Yume fly off. Both Yukina and Kiriha kept up their guard, but both had already lost all reason to fight. Yume, after all, was gone.

"Asagi…Aiba…" Lowering her forked spear, Kiriha murmured while shifting her gaze to the area behind Yukina. Yukina, hearing footsteps approaching, looked over her shoulder as well. Asagi was running toward them, wearing sandals and breathing heavily. Asagi, having regained consciousness back at the cottage, realized that Ayato and Yukina were absent and had come looking for them.

"—Himeragi, what happened? Where's Yume?" "Aiba, don't! Do not come near!" Yukina shouted, wary of how Kiriha might act. Asagi stopped, surprised by her voice. However, all Kiriha did was glance unamused in Asagi's direction. The only emotions her eyes held toward Asagi were pity and disdain

. "I see…you are…the Priestess of Cain…"

"Who the hell are you…?" With Kiriha sending her a gaze resembling outright hatred, Asagi glared right back in visible displeasure. Kiriha was strongly gripping her spear, seemingly with bloodlust coursing through her, but she immediately thought wiser of it and shook her head as she said: "It was…illogical of me to reproach you. But I am sorry. Do not think less of me for it—" As an afterthought, she added,

"Farewell," and turned her back to Yukina and Asagi. Without another word, Kiriha departed. There was nothing Yukina could do but watch.

The place that had once been the cottage's yard had been transformed into a tragic sight. The ground had caved in, almost as if a giant scoop had gouged a hole in it. The now-exposed structural supports of the artificial isle were submerged in seawater. Rubber chips spread over the road and even the guardrails had been blown away without a trace. Waves washed against the green grass, tilted at an angle. Yukina instinctively knew who was responsible. Ayato had used a Beast Vassal. Why did he need to unleash such incredible destruction just to release Sayaka from mind control? wondered Yukina, feeling dizzy somehow.

"Senpai?!" The very tip of the lawn was sinking into the sea. There, seemingly at the very edge of the waves, a boy and a girl had fallen in a tangle. The girl wore her hair in a ponytail while the boy wore a simple T-shirt and no shoes. Both seemed almost dead as they lay unconscious, their entire bodies covered in blood. Asagi, not knowing the circumstances, ran toward the pair, her face pale.

"Wait a… What is this…?! Attempted lovers' suicide?!" Now that she mentioned it, Sayaka's right hand was gripping a blooddrenched long sword, and Ayato's belly had scars from being impaled. It really did look like the aftermath of a lover's quarrel that ended with the girl stabbing the boy before joining him in death.

"Hey, Ayato, hang in there! You too, Kirasaka… What the hell's going on here?!" With Sayaka's body slumped over Ayato's, Asagi dragged them away. She proceeded to pull both of them, in danger of sinking into the sea, back onto dry land when Ayato, somehow having regained consciousness, objected in a raspy voice:

"That hurts… Shit. Don't shake me too much. I've got a hole in my gut and almost died and all."

Without thinking, Asagi peered over Ayato's crimson-smeared cum T-shirt. "…What?! A hole in your gut… Huh?!"

Then Yukina addressed the collapsed Sayaka.

"Sayaka, how do you feel? Are you injured?" She didn't have any major injuries visible. The collar of her school shirt was unnaturally loose, but that was about all.

Yukina sullenly knitted her brows when she noticed vestiges of bleeding from something like a hickey on Sayaka's slender neck. "Yukina…?" Sayaka opened her eyes with a vacant expression. Looking up with Yukina in her field of vision, she tilted her head, almost like she suspected she was still dreaming.

"You've come to?"

"Where…am I? I met that creepy Six Blades chick at Kusuki-Elysée, and then—" Sayaka murmured in a fickle voice when she suddenly gasped, snapping back to lucidity. "Ayato Hiryu?! Are you all right?! I kinda ran Lustrous Scale through your chest at full force, though…!" Naturally, even Yukina was aghast at Sayaka's stunning confession.

"Ran through his chest…?!" Apparently Ayato hadn't engaged in exaggeration or hyperbole when he said he had a hole in his gut and had almost died. Yukina could understand the logic: Ayato, an Expert at combat, required a sacrifice on that level to stop Sayaka from moving. But why did he have to do something reckless like this behind my back? thought Yukina, feeling rather indignant.

Not knowing what Yukina shouted in her heart, Ayato sat up and addressed Sayaka in a laid-back voice.

"…What, so you do remember what you did when you were controlled." Even though he grimaced from pain as he spoke, he didn't appear to be all that hard-pressed by his wounds. No doubt, the super-healing power hybrid vampire primogenitor possessed was at work. Sayaka had tears in her eyes as she looked between her bloodstained right hand and Ayato's face and said:

"A-Ayato Hiryu. I…er…"

"Oh…that's okay, don't worry about it. I brought it on myself, and the wound's mostly closed up already. I got the blood I lost back from you and all."

"R-right…" Sayaka hung her head in dejection as she pressed a hand to her own neck. Surely the blush-like redness on her cheeks was not solely from being bathed in the rays of the morning sun.

Maybe she felt guilty for hurting Ayato, but Sayaka's oddly meek demeanor made Kojou avert his eyes, as if he was blushing a little, too.

"Incidentally, Sayaka, can you…do something about those clothes? It's kinda hard to look at you like this…"

"…Eh?!" When Ayato pointed it out to her, Sayaka realized for the first time that her collar was open. Exposed down to her bra, she let out a constrained shriek, covering her cleavage

. For a time, Asagi gazed at the mushy scene between Ayato and Sayaka in silence, then she finally said, "I see… I have a pretty good idea how you ended up in this state." Similarly, Yukina trained a frosty gaze toward Ayato.

"I might have expected, senpai. To think you would drink Sayaka's blood and Had sex with her the instant you are out of our sight. Did you have this in mind when you sent me after Yume?" Meanwhile, Sayaka hugged her knees as she sat where she was.

"Being seen like this…and by Yukina of all people… I just wanna die. Kill me now…" She gave off a very gloomy aura as she kept murmuring to herself over and over. Sensing that everyone was blaming him, Ayato lost his wits and looked all around him.

"Eh? Erm? Why are you talking like I did something bad? I saved Kirasaka, right?"

"More importantly, senpai…about Yume…" Yukina, feeling dispirited over Ayato's laid-back demeanor, changed the subject. "…I could not bring her back. I apologize."

"That so… We really do have to do somethin' about that Riru personality, then…" Ayato scratched his head in dismay. Riru had returned to Kusuki-Elysée of her own will. He couldn't possibly blame Yukina for being unable to bring her back. But Yukina bit her lip hard and shook her head.

"I was able to return Yume to consciousness. However, afterward, there was powerful demonic energy interference from the bottom of the sea, and Yume suddenly said that she would end it all, so—"

"…Demonic energy interference?" Ayato inquired, perplexed. He could understand that Kusuki-Elysée wanted Yume because she was a rare type of demon, but he didn't know what she had to do with demonic energy transmitted from the bottom of the sea. Besides, what on Earth did end it all even mean? With Ayato and Yukina falling silent before her eyes, Sayaka hastily murmured, "How can this be…? They've come to that stage already…?!"

Ayato and Yukina looked back at her in surprise.

"Sayaka?"

"Sayaka, do you know what that Kiriha chick wants? If you do, tell us. We don't know anything about what's going on here. What does Kusuki-Elysée plan to do with Yume?"

"Er…ah, that's…" With Yukina and Ayato strongly pressing the issue, Sayaka instantly looked conflicted. She was no doubt hesitant to share the details of her mission as a Shamanic War Dancer. But perhaps she thought it was unavoidable after already dragging them in that far, because Sayaka then exhaled in apparent resignation. "Yume Eguchi's role is that of a…human sacrifice."

"…Human sacrifice?"

"Kusuki-Elysée's Chairman Kusuki intends to use succubus mind-control powers to control a living weapon submerged at the bottom of the sea. Yume Eguchi is the human sacrifice chosen for that purpose. She's the successor to Lilith, the Witch of the Night—in other words, the World's Mightiest Succubus."

"World's Mightiest…Succubus?"Ayato echoed Sayaka's seemingly unreal words like an idiot. Yukina and Ayato were both in shock. But none present ventured to deny Sayaka's statement. However absurd they might think it, an example defying all common sense, known as the World's Mightiest Hybrid Vampire, stood right before their eyes.

Consequently, there being a World's Mightiest Succubus wasn't all that strange. Asagi suddenly remembered something and asked, "By 'living weapon submerged at the bottom of the sea,' what, like those Nalakuvera a while back?"

She was a witness to the Nalakuvera landing on Itogami Island during a terrorist incident several months prior. Though they'd managed to restrain the damage to a minimum, the Nalakuvera's combat capabilities were shocking. They'd been on the verge of Itogami Island entirely being reduced to ash. If a living weapon sleeping at the bottom of the sea rivaled the Nalakuvera, it wasn't strange that there were those wanting to put their hands on it. That was even more true for a corporation at the cutting edge of demon beast ecological research. But Sayaka shook her head with a look of unconcealed fear in her eyes.

"No. The Nalakuvera were built by the Devas, in other words, an ancient race of super-humans. They might have had a civilization rivaling modern science, but in the end, they were only human." Then, Sayaka glared straight at the sea, under the fresh twilight, as her voice shook.

"But this living weapon is different. It's a monster from the Age of the Gods. It's not something humankind can control." Yukina murmured, seeming to pose the question to herself,

"So that's why they're sacrificing Yume…?" Asagi shrugged her shoulders and sighed deeply as she stated with irony, "Since way back, it's been customary to sacrifice virgins to quell the anger of monsters."

"What in the world is this monster, then—?" Ayato asked Sayaka, shooting a glare her way. Sayaka seemed timid as she looked back at him. Her strained smile was casual, somehow. "Even you must know the name, at least."

"Eh?"

"It's a sea monster they wrote about in the Bible, the Serpent of Jealousy, the mightiest creature fashioned by the gods—

"—Leviathan."

In the central section of Demon Beast Park, the Kusuki-Elysée research facility was built on a cape jutting into the sea. The building had a futuristic silhouette, like a silver-colored spiral seashell lodged into the surface of the ground. Four boats privately owned by Kusuki-Elysée were moored at a designated seaside pier. Two of these were haulers for transporting demon beasts and their feed. Another was a high-speed runner used as a ferry to Itogami Island. The final one was an odd-looking submarine painted snowwhite.

The Yotaka had a bizarre silhouette, bulging in odd places. The hull was encased in thick metal, with its stern equipped with two giant propulsion screws. Kusuki-Elysée had bought a small prototype submarine originally for military use. Developed for reconnaissance, the hull did not even reach fifty meters in length. The cockpit, built for three people, was cramped. At the back of the narrow piloting station was a transparent water tank, resembling a casket, which stood vertically.

Inside the water tank, filled with blue liquid, was Yume Eguchi, eyes closed, wearing an outfit resembling a swimsuit.

"—So this is LYL. Unexpectedly small, yes?" Kazuomi Kusuki murmured while gazing at the machines packing the space around the water tank. Even though he noticed Yume embedded within, he merely narrowed his eyes with indifference. "Properly speaking, 'tis but one part of LYL—the control module."

Kusuki, standing on a mobile crane, heard a voice from over the speaker behind him. It was a synthetic voice that sounded like a throaty, middle-aged man. The voice spoke with turns of phrases well behind the times; minor traces of foreign pronunciation lingered. Slowly looking back, Kusuki saw an odd vehicle completely clad in red armor. The mass of metal resembled a tortoise, with four short, stubby legs sticking out of it. It was a prototype micro-tank for urban warfare against demons. "The calculations required to control the Serpent are being conducted on the mainframe here at the lab. The weak battery of a submarine cannot support a system on the required scale, so 'tis a precaution against unforeseen circumstances."

"A wise decision. Perhaps further improvement would allow solo control of the Serpent, however." The robot tank driver's words did not change Kusuki's expression; he simply nodded. The person secluded inside the tank was a skilled hacker known as Tanker. It was she who had designed the special system Kusuki-Elysée had dubbed LYL. Bizarre appearance notwithstanding, her skill as a programmer was the real deal. And if his underlings were skillful, Kusuki cared nothing about their external appearances.

"What of Yume Eguchi? You put her to sleep?" Kusuki finally asked about Yume, there in the water tank. Tanker, still connected to the submarine via countless cables, slowly turned the camera around.

"'Tis a half-awakened state, for Lilith shall lose her supply of demonic energy if consciousness is lost. In other words, the girl is dreaming at the moment."

"…I see. So only a succubus in her dreams." Murmuring thus, Kusuki snorted, visibly unamused. "It is highly ironic that the World's Mightiest Succubus be a girl such as this. Even I feel a little sorry about sacrificing her like this—"

"But 'tis what Lilith herself desires. And it is for this purpose that LYL was created, so…" Tanker made the statement in her exaggerated tone. "That's right. So the least we can do is ensure that her sacrifice is not in vain," Kusuki said, a bold smile appearing on his face.

The next moment, a young Kusuki-Elysée staffer came running over. His face was twitching in fear as he clutched a tablet-style PC.

"Chairman—we've determined the Serpent's location. It's nearly fourteen knots southwest of the main isle of Itogami Island. Depth appears to be approximately four hundred meters."

"'Tis just as planned." Tanker withdrew the cables, their duty done, and laughed with delight. A thin smile also came over Kusuki as he looked down at Yume, suspended in the water tank.

"So it has indeed been seduced by Lilith. They may call it a living weapon of the Age of the Gods, but in the end, it is only a beast. Though if it wasn't, that would make things…difficult."

"Th-the Serpent's speed is estimated at sixteen knots. At this rate, there is concern the coast guard's monitoring net might detect it in under a half hour, but—"

"Not a problem. The Yotaka is ready for launch, yes?" Kusuki brushed off the worried staffer's report and leaped aboard the white submarine. Yotaka was the name Kusuki had used to christen the sub.

"Once the modules finish booting up, any time." Tanker pulled out the final cable. When the submarine's maintenance hatch was closed, lights came on in the cockpit. Yume, wearing a tight-fitting outfit very much resembling a swimsuit, writhed as if in pain, kicking up bubbles inside the water tank. The machines seemingly placed to surround her raised low groans as they activated. "Do you really intend to ride in it yourself, chairman? We haven't confirmed that it's completely safe yet—"

"That goes the same for those of you left at the lab, does it not? From its point of view, fourteen knots is barely off the tip of its nose." Kusuki gently smiled at the staffer addressing him. "Besides, a king must ride a mount fit for a king. No people can zealously follow a ruler that shuts himself inside a castle."

"Thou speaketh true," Tanker replied in good humor to Kusuki's theatrical words. Kusuki gave the robot tank a parting glance before shifting his gaze farther along the pier. There stood a young woman, seeming to bear witness to Kusuki boarding the submarine. She had black hair and a black school uniform—Kiriha Kisaki.

"—I thank you for your cooperation. If I am able to safely tame the Serpent, I shall see that you are richly rewarded," Kusuki stated in a tone like a dictator making a public address. With a cackle, Tanker shook the vehicle around. "Your consideration is unnecessary, Mr. Chairman. After all, I am advancing my own schemes as well."

"Very frank of you, albeit that makes your words all the more trustworthy." Kusuki nodded in satisfaction and made his way into the submarine. He closed the thick double hatch and entered the narrow, silent cockpit. The main monitor in front of the pilot seat was displaying a 3-D image of the current status under the sea. An enormous shadow was leisurely swimming in the center.

The white submarine began to submerge. Kusuki's field of vision was dyed blue. As he gazed at the beautiful underwater sights, Kusuki ferociously laughed to himself. "Now, let us be off, king of demon beasts. Show me your power, like the Lost Warlord once did, and bring judgment upon the arrogant human race…"

( Somewhere on a boat)

The boat was moored in a very obvious place. Painted one part white and one part blue, it was a twin-hulled ship that just seemed like it would move quickly. The hull was bigger than Ayato had expected, probably close to twenty meters long. There was no sign of Kusuki-Elysée staff nearby, perhaps having evacuated during the chaotic demon beast rampage.

With no one to interfere, Ayato and Yukina easily arrived at the ship's pilothouse. Ayato turned to Yukina, standing behind him, and said,

"Himeragi, please, stay on the island. We've gotten this far. I can do the rest on my own."

At that rate, if he went after Yume, the chances of having to face Leviathan head-on were high. The opponent was an enormous living weapon. A careless approach with a warship, let alone a private civilian ship, would get someone sunk in an instant.

Ayato might have been immortal, but he could not expose an unprotected Yukina to such danger. She shook her head obstinately.

"We're going together. After all, I cannot allow you to go alone, senpai."

"Well, that ain't happening! I might have the World's Mightiest Demon Beast attacking me. It's too dangerous!"

"I am the observer of the World's Mightiest hybrid Vampire, you know." For some reason, Yukina proudly lifted up her chin.

"Er, no, not even when you put it that way." Ayato was utterly bewildered. Yukina suddenly said in a serious tone, "What would you do without me if the ship did sink? It's not like you can swim."

"I—I never said I couldn't swim, dammit! I'm just a little bad at it!" "And who looked after you when you were seasick, senpai?"

"Himeragi—!" Yukina smiled teasingly as Ayato glared. Yukina looked straight into his eyes and said in all sincerity:

"Please, senpai. Let me come with you." For a moment, Ayato was taken aback by the desperate look on Yukina's face. He got weak in the knees when she stared at him with that oddly forthright expression.

"—Do what you want, geez."

"Yes. So I shall." Ayato averted his eyes like a sore loser. Yukina watched him, grinning with apparent relief. Ayato took his cell phone out of a waterproof case and dialed Asagi's number. Naturally, taking the helm of a high-speed, twenty-meter ship was well beyond someone with no nautical knowledge like Ayato. He really had no choice but to lean on her.

"Yes, yes, hello?" Asagi's reply came slightly delayed. Her voice seemed oddly hardpressed, like she was right in the middle of something. Kojou felt like he could hear the sound of a keyboard being tapped ceaselessly on the other side of the phone call.

"Asagi, we've reached the ship. The power's on, too."

"Sorry, Ayato. I ran into a real troublemaker, so my hands are full. I'll send a guide over and you'll have to do the rest, okay?"

"…Ah, er?" Whaddaya mean by that? he would have asked, but the connection dropped from her end before he could even get the words out.

"Keh-keh." Ayato, standing stiff, heard the oddly laughing voice through the cell phone in his hand. On the GPS receiver screen for the high-speed ship's pilot seat, he saw an odd icon displayed that somehow resembled a malicious teddy bear. It took over the ship's autopilot, starting the engine up on its own.

"You're…right, you're Asagi's partner…"

"Mogwai. Due to circumstances, this isn't my proper appearance, but oh well. Pleasure doing business with ya."

(During the Second fight between Kiriha and Sayaka)

"Sayaka Kirasaka! Are you saying you can move faster than Six Blades Spirit Sight—?!" Kiriha's counterattack did not connect. Even peering into the future, she could not catch up to Sayaka's speed.

"That's not all, though," said Sayaka, coldly shaking her head.

"There has to still be damage from when Yukina nailed you, Kiriha Kisaki. As you are now, I'd be one hundred to zero with you. Besides, it's probably kicking in right about now?"

"—?!" Kiriha's spear fell from her hands. With a look of shock, Kiriha stared at her right hand, suddenly lacking all gripping power. Kiriha's right hand had taken the brunt of Sayaka's kick, but that was not the cause. It had merely been the signal that had triggered the curse placed on it beforehand.

"A binding ritual… When did you—?! You have not even…touched me!" Shamanic War Dancers were experts in curses and assassination. Knowing this, Kiriha had taken great pains to avoid being touched by Sayaka. Sayaka shouldn't have had any opportunity to cast a curse on Kiriha.

"I suppose not. Not directly, anyway." As she spoke, Sayaka thrust her silver long sword into the ground. Seeing this, Kiriha drew in her breath a little.

"Contagion curse! You had a curse planted on the hilt of Der Freischötz from the beginning?!" Kiriha had not been touched by Sayaka. But Kiriha had touched her sword. That, by itself, had cast Sayaka's curse upon her.

If Sayaka had been serious, she surely could have slain Kiriha via the curse then and there. It was Kiriha who had been shown mercy back then. That fact was a great stain upon Kiriha's pride.

"Black Thunder—!" Kiriha leaped, her entire body brimming with her remaining ritual energy. Sayaka was not the only one who could use physical enchantments.

Kiriha amplified her physical strength and reaction speed beyond her limits to unleash a killing blow.

Kiriha's physical abilities were now Sayaka's equal. Even if she could not use her right arm, Kiriha was a Six Blades, an expert in hand-to-hand combat. Her victory was assured—

"Saturn/Saiha!"

(After the Battles are over)

On a bench in a small park with a view of the sea, a single woman sat. Small-statured, she was also young, or rather, had a very childlike face. She did not look more than eleven or twelve years old. She was clothed in an elegant, laced-up dress, and carried a small parasol. The sight of her gazing at the sea without stirring was like looking at a beautiful Western-style doll, left and forgotten. Perhaps a strong wind had blown through, for the park's flower bed was a mess.

It looked like a typhoon had just passed through. Yet, the sea was calm; the sky, clear. With Leviathan's withdrawal, the evacuation order for Blue Elysium had been lifted. It would take time to restore Demon Beast Park, but it was said that the pools and amusement park would be back in operation as soon as inspections were complete.

About 30 percent of the visitors had fled the island, but the remaining 70 percent seemed to be spending their time in leisure. The daily routines of the Demon Sanctuary's residents could not be shaken by a mere demon beast attack.

Not even if the attacker was the World's Mightiest Demon Beast. Finally, a new figure came to visit the park, sitting at the same bench as the woman with the parasol. This girl wore a long, plain skirt that seemed a poor match for a resort. She had unfashionable glasses and a hairstyle that did not stand out. She held a thick book over her lap.

"—It would seem the chairman of Kusuki-Elysée has been arrested on suspicion of terrorism," said the woman with the parasol, speaking first. Belying her adorable face, her tone of voice conveyed an air of majesty.

"Him being a financer of ecoterrorism will kick up quite a scandal in itself. There's no talking him out of this with so much evidence left behind. I do feel a little sorry for how they're treating what he tried to control like a common sea serpent." She smiled slightly, seemingly pitying Kusuki.

Leviathan was a living weapon from the Age of the Gods: an inviolable, sacred monster. If it was established that it had fallen under human control, albeit temporarily, there was no guarantee that someone else would not emerge to try to control it again, like he had. Hence, they had locked the truth away. It was not Leviathan that Kusuki had tried to use as an instrument of terror, but a lowly sea serpent—and the common demon beast had been exterminated by the Island Guard, turning it into tasty fish paste. That was the summary of the incident released to the public.

Kusuki-Elysée had been disbanded, and the heavily damaged Demon Beast Park was given new life as an enterprise under the Gigafloat Management Corporation. As a result, the Demon Sanctuary of Itogami Island had effortlessly obtained a facility for keeping demon beasts. It was an unanticipated side effect of the uproar. And…

"This time, we were saved by the Fifth Primogenitor, yes?" the girl with the book said, a hint of laughter in her quiet voice. The woman with the parasol shrugged her shoulders, seeming a little beside herself.

"You have some nerve to say that. Were you not the ones who dragged him into this?"

"Had we not done so, we would have lost a number of precious cards to play. As a result, Blue Elysium was saved as well."

"Cards to play… I see. So you played against the moderates in the Bureau of Astrology?"

"Mm-hmm." The parasol woman laughed derisively. The women of the Lion King Agency had understood everything from the beginning: that the Bureau of Astrology was using Kusuki, and that their goal was to eliminate Asagi Aiba. Hence, the Lion King Agency had infiltrated Kusuki-Elysée with a Shamanic War Dancer, setting up contact between Lilith and the Fifth Primogenitor. Getting Asagi Aiba to Blue Elysium was simply an expedient means of containing the damage.

From the beginning, the women had intended to make Leviathan and the Fifth Primogenitor fight each other. Perhaps it was not too much to say that as a result, the situation had concluded in precisely the manner the Lion King Agency had wished. "Due to this incident, the Bureau of Astrology owes us greatly.

to be Continued.