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Bokue Keikain returned about fifteen minutes later, casually dragging a thoroughly soaked and utterly defeated golden lion behind him.
Compared to its earlier majestic appearance, the once-imposing Regulus Aurum now looked utterly pathetic.
The golden lightning that had crackled across its body was gone, replaced by soaking wet fur clinging miserably against its skin. It no longer growled menacingly, no longer bared its fangs, and didn't even resist as it was dragged along by the tail. Its massive form sprawled out limply like a defeated cat, spitting seawater intermittently through gaps between its teeth.
Naturally, all this was thanks to the "thorough discipline" administered by Bokue Keikain.
Not only had the lion endured a sound beating, but it had also been force-fed gallons of seawater.
During the entire taming process, Bokue had practically reenacted a scene straight out of a Dragon Ball fight—holding down the golden lion's head, forcibly plowing it across the ocean's surface, and delivering swift, punishing blows every time it tried to resist. This relentless punishment continued until the beast entirely submitted.
While being a familiar prevented it from drowning outright, the disgusting saltiness of seawater left the golden kitty strongly displeased.
In short: I might be inhuman, but you are absolutely cruel.
After returning to the streets outside the Itogami Island shopping center, Bokue glanced around. The entire street remained deserted, with only Yukina Himeragi standing there, cradling the unconscious Nagisa Akatsuki in her arms.
This peace was maintained by a repelling barrier Bokue had thoughtfully set up before he left.
Considering the massive chaos caused earlier, if Bokue hadn't erected this barrier, the entire block would've been swarming with heavily armed security forces by now. Yukina, despite her affiliation with the Lion King Organization, would've undoubtedly been hauled away for questioning—along with Nagisa.
The resulting chaos would have been immensely troublesome.
"Alright, big kitty, I've taken you out for a walk. Now behave yourself and go back home."
Dragging the exhausted lion back to the two girls, Bokue lightly nudged the defeated creature with his foot.
This time, there was no resistance or hesitation.
The familiar, thoroughly chastised after failing its attempt at island-wide destruction, swiftly transformed into a streak of golden light, obediently returning to its master's body.
Waving his hand, Bokue dispelled the barrier and approached Yukina, crouching down beside her.
"How is she doing?"
"I'm not sure, but… I don't think it's good."
Yukina shook her head worriedly.
"Senpai, check her yourself. Maybe it's just my imagination, but Nagisa-san's temperature seems to be getting higher."
"Huh?"
Bokue's eyes narrowed slightly. He quickly reached out, taking hold of the unconscious girl's wrist to check her pulse.
"Damn. Well, this might actually be good news for you."
"What do you mean?"
Yukina's face was filled with confusion.
She couldn't grasp the meaning behind Bokue's contradictory statement. One second he was concerned, saying something was terribly wrong, and the next second he claimed it might be good news. So was it good or bad?
Bokue sighed lightly, snapping his fingers crisply.
"The good news is that the Fourth Primogenitor is about to die. The bad news is, Nagisa will die too."
"Huh?!"
Yukina's confusion only intensified.
Bokue shook his head, clearly deciding he didn't have time to explain here.
"It's complicated. Let's talk somewhere else first."
The moment he finished speaking, the three vanished into thin air.
A few seconds later, the distant wail of sirens echoed through the empty street.
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A scene shift—a moment later, inside Yukina's small apartment. Three figures abruptly materialized without warning in the center of her living room.
Bokue glanced around briefly, nodding toward the bedroom.
"Go put her on the bed. I'll explain everything carefully."
"But Senpai, didn't you say—"
Yukina glanced down anxiously at her unconscious friend, biting her lip with hesitation.
Initially, her mission had involved making contact with Nagisa precisely because the Lion King Organization identified her as the legendary Fourth Primogenitor—the strongest vampire in existence.
But after spending just a short time together, Yukina had begun to question that initial intelligence. In daily life, Nagisa Akatsuki had appeared as nothing more than a perfectly ordinary, friendly schoolgirl.
Honestly, before today's incident at the shopping center, Yukina had started to wonder if the Lion King Organization had simply gotten their intel wrong.
But now, being told her friend might soon die, how could Yukina not panic?
"I said she's going to die soon—not immediately."
Bokue gently pinched the bridge of his nose, indicating she didn't need to panic quite so much.
"Go put her down comfortably. I'll explain it slowly after."
"Alright…"
Left with no choice, Yukina quickly followed his instructions.
A minute later, Yukina closed the bedroom door behind her, hurriedly returning to the living room and sitting down anxiously on the sofa.
"Now please tell me clearly, Senpai. What's happening?"
"To put it simply…"
Bokue paused briefly, carefully choosing his words.
"As I suspected, the Fourth Primogenitor's power wasn't something she was born with, nor something she gained naturally through training. It was forcefully bestowed on her—or perhaps more accurately, shoved into her."
"Shoved?"
"Think of it this way: Imagine someone taking a cheap, basic computer and forcefully swapping out everything inside—graphics card, power supply, CPU—with top-end components. Then they crank everything up to the absolute maximum, running stress tests at full power nonstop. Guess what happens next?"
"Um… I'm not very familiar with computers."
Yukina admitted sheepishly, slightly embarrassed.
She'd grown up within the Lion King Organization, trained from childhood as a Sword Shaman. She excelled in combat skills, but lacked a good deal of everyday common sense.
Like earlier today, she'd mistaken a golf club for a weapon because it seemed perfect for swinging—earning a polite but very confused smile from Nagisa.
Bokue sighed softly, looking up at the ceiling briefly.
"Alright, another example. Imagine Uchiha Sasuke, at the beginning of Naruto's storyline—imagine him awakening Mangekyō Sharingan early and immediately activating Susano'o continuously for twenty-four hours straight."
"…Sorry, I don't understand that either."
Yukina only grew more confused.
"Seriously? You don't know computers, and now not even Naruto? Your childhood sounds tragic."
Bokue sighed again dramatically, taking back his half-eaten bowl of now cold chicken noodle soup from Yukina's hands. Tilting his head back, he finished the noodles and broth in one gulp, setting the bowl down and letting out a satisfied breath.
"Let's make it simple: she's indeed inherited the massive magical power of the Fourth Primogenitor, the world's strongest vampire. But 'inherited' is the key word. Nagisa's body is fundamentally human, incapable of safely wielding that immense power. Her emotional trauma triggered a sudden, violent outburst—similar to extreme muscle spasms—burning through her body's internal pathways."
"While a vampire would easily recover from this with enough blood and rest, these injuries are absolutely fatal to a human."
Now Yukina finally understood clearly, without Bokue's convoluted metaphors.
If left untreated, Nagisa would certainly die soon, along with the Fourth Primogenitor's powers. This would undoubtedly be beneficial from the perspective of both Itogami Island and the Lion King Organization.
But… Yukina couldn't accept this. Growing up isolated within the Lion King Organization, she had rarely interacted with peers her age. Nagisa was one of the very few friends she'd ever made.
Even if it was selfish or improper, Yukina couldn't bear watching her friend die.
Yet, if Bokue, a Kyoto-based Onmyōji with clear affiliations and tremendous power, intended to follow the Lion King Organization's goals…
"Frankly speaking, it doesn't matter to me either way."
Bokue's calm voice broke her worried thoughts. Yukina immediately looked up.
Standing up easily from the couch, Bokue waved his hand casually, heading toward the bedroom without looking back.
"I'm going to heal her. If you need to report this to those old geezers, you can do it right now—it's your job, so I understand. But pass along a message for me: if there's trouble resulting from my decisions, I'll handle it myself. They don't need to worry about it."
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