"…"
Across from them, the robed man stared blankly at Shichen and the others bickering.
What was this?
Flirting?
Like this, he didn't resemble the rumored Fifth Primogenitor at all—there was nothing scary about him. The robed man even started doubting whether Shichen really was the Fifth Primogenitor.
"Alright, alright—cut it out, you two. I'll prove it to you, okay?"
"Shichen, did you just say we're 'making a scene'?"
"Sensei, we're not making a scene."
"…You two, zip it." Shichen pulled both of them into his arms without hesitation and clapped a hand over each of their mouths.
"Mmph!" They struggled, to no avail.
Kaguya watched calmly. She suddenly felt she should've made a fuss too—then she would've been pulled into Shichen's arms.
"Ahem, sorry you had to see that—don't mind them," Shichen said to the robed man, a little embarrassed.
"…What do you want?" the robed man asked, doing his best to keep a straight face.
"I already said it—hand her over."
"Why…?" The robed man frowned.
Could the rumor about the Fifth Primogenitor being into petite types actually be true?
Had he set his eyes on Astarte?
"Why ask why… She's an artificial lifeform, isn't she?" Shichen's expression went cold.
"Wh—what? She's an artificial lifeform?" Himeragi Yukina pried Shichen's hand away and stared at Astarte in disbelief.
Astarte stood there without any reaction, face impassive.
"So it's true…"
Look closely and it was obvious Astarte wasn't normal—she clearly wasn't an ordinary human.
"You—!" Yukina glared at the robed man, furious.
Her anger wasn't because Astarte was artificial, but because Astarte had a familiar inside her.
Handling familiars is a power unique to vampires; they devour the master's life force. Aside from a vampire's inexhaustible negative life, no other being can endure that burden.
"What did you do—how did you put a familiar inside her?"
"Who are you? You know quite a bit," the robed man said, surprised.
"I'm a Sword Shaman of the Lion King Agency," Yukina replied coldly.
"As expected of a witch from the Lion King Agency."
The robed man didn't bother to hide anything. At this point there was no need—if anything, he sounded proud.
"Only vampires can command beast-servants in their own blood. But by letting a captured familiar parasitize a host before hatching, I succeeded in creating an artificial lifeform with a familiar housed within—though Astarte is the only successful case."
"Enough!"
Yukina cut him off angrily. "Why do you think no demon other than vampires can wield familiars… you know that, don't you? You knew and still did this—"
"Of course I know. When a familiar manifests, it devours the host's life at a terrifying rate. Only vampires, with their near-infinite negative life, can keep them… That's what you wanted to say, right?"
"Then why—she'll—"
"As long as Rododactylos remains lodged in Astarte, she won't live long. Two weeks at most… unless she extends it by devouring the demons she defeats. For my goal, her sacrifice is necessary."
He spoke calmly, without a shred of guilt.
"So that's why… you attacked demons just now?" Yukina realized.
"Exactly. To feed the familiar their mana. Astarte can't be allowed to die yet…"
Yukina bristled. "For that… you raised her just to use her like this? How is she any different from a tool?"
"Heh."
The robed man sneered at her. "Sword Shaman of the Lion King Agency, why are you angry? Weren't you raised by the Agency as a tool yourself?"
"—!"
"You buy unwanted infants with money, pour anti-demon techniques into them, and send them to the front lines—use-and-discard tools, that's your Agency's way, isn't it? You're with the Fifth Primogenitor because you were assigned, which means you're quite capable… You've made it this far—how much have you sacrificed?"
"…"
Skewered by his merciless questions, Yukina fell silent as if frozen; the color drained from her face as she bit her lip.
"Who said you could question Yukina?"
Shichen wrapped an arm around her and glared coldly at the robed man. Mana began to ripple from him.
"…This mana—it really is a Primogenitor!" The robed man stared, shaken, and grew intensely wary.
"Yukina, don't listen to him. Weren't you happy at the Lion King Agency? Have you forgotten?" Shichen's tone softened to comfort her.
"Sensei…" Yukina turned to him, face pale.
"How can a few cheap shots rattle you like that? Are you really that soft?" Shichen pinched her cheek with a smile—springy to the touch.
"Mmf…"
"Heh. The Agency raised you; you repaying them is only natural, right? It's not like they treated you badly."
"…You're right." Yukina thought of her life growing up there, and her expression eased.
"Is it, really?" the robed man said. "I'm using a thing created as a tool as a tool. You, however, take humans born by divine blessing and degrade them into tools. You're the ones steeped in sin."
"Shut up!"
Shichen's shout cracked the air. Mana surged off him in waves, rattling the space itself. The clouds overhead scattered; the air grew heavy; the ground began to tremble.
"W-what…? Impossible—this mana…!" The robed man staggered as the ground shook—and then realized he couldn't move at all.
It wasn't just the mana enveloping him; space itself around him was locked.
"What is this…?"
"Sensei…" Yukina gasped. The dense mana pouring off Shichen stirred an instinct to submit deep in her chest.
Only now did she fully grasp it: he was the Fifth Primogenitor—the strongest being in the world. A far cry from the "ordinary man" he'd seemed the past two days.
In hindsight, it was a wonder she'd dared treat him so casually.
But right now, he was this angry… for her.
"So this is the Fifth Primogenitor's power? Enviable…" the robed man murmured despite himself, eyes feverish.
Unmoved, Shichen stared him down. "I was going to handle you gently, but that's unnecessary now. I can't bring myself to say things that would hurt Yukina—yet you dared say them. For that alone, you deserve to die."
"Sensei…" Yukina's heart pounded at his words.
"Even if you're the Fifth Primogenitor… I won't submit. Astarte—go!"
"—Order received."
As an artificial lifeform, Astarte had to obey her creator. She sprang at Shichen.
A massive hand shot from beneath her cloak, cutting the air as it smashed down toward him.
The power felt like it could break anything. Yukina cried out in alarm, "Sensei, look out—!"
"Relax. Did you forget who I am?"
Shichen gave Yukina a small smile, didn't even look, and simply raised a hand—stopping Astarte's full-force blow. There wasn't even a ripple, like blocking a child's roughhousing.
Yukina gaped, speechless.
"Impossible!"
The robed man panicked. "Astarte—full power!"
"—Order received… ah—!"
Astarte groaned in pain. Another arm flipped her cloak aside and thrust from her back—a matched pair. Something even larger welled up from inside her: a colossal, translucent mass shimmering with iridescence.
This was the familiar's complete form—not just arms but a towering giant, a faceless stone-like brute clad in thick slabs of flesh-armor.
"Rrraaaah!"
It absorbed Astarte into itself, roared, and brought both fists down from above in a crushing blow.
"Don't."
Shichen still looked unconcerned, one hand raised to catch the familiar's mountain-crushing strike without so much as a ripple—like erasing the attack outright.
"H-how… how is this possible!" the robed man gasped.
"You didn't think the rumors were false, did you? I'm the Fifth Primogenitor. An artificial lifeform and a run-of-the-mill familiar like this can't touch me," Shichen said mildly.
"…"
"But don't worry—I won't lay a hand on you. I'll leave you to Yukina. Let her take revenge herself… how about it?" he asked her.
"Sensei… but I didn't bring my weapon…" Yukina wanted to do it, but empty-handed she didn't think she could defeat the robed man. He wore powered armor; even beastmen weren't his match. She wasn't arrogant.
"This is your weapon, right?" Shichen released Yukina and reached to the side.
Space rippled; a fantastical aperture opened. He reached in and drew out a case shaped like a musical instrument.
The very case Yukina carried to class every day.
"Eh? How…?" Yukina accepted the weapon Shichen handed her, stunned.
"I told you—Itogami Island is my turf. Anything here, I can take at will."
"Then… what about my underwear?"
"…Is this really the time to ask that?" Shichen's mouth twitched.
"Mm… who told you to keep staring at my panties…"
"What? Why is Shichen looking at hers? If you want to look, you can look at mine," Avrora cut in.
"You hush," Shichen said, rapping her lightly on the head.
"Ow…"
"Kaguya, keep her from talking."
"Got it."
"And you too, Yukina—later I'm going to teach you a lesson," Shichen said, glaring at her.
"Teach me… you don't mean—?" Yukina suddenly remembered the "spanking" comment from that afternoon.
"What are you imagining now? Take care of that guy first," Shichen urged; he'd only been talking casually.
"O-okay…"
Unsure what he meant, Yukina's heart fluttered as she drew the weapon from the case: a beautiful, silver-white spear that caught the light.
By now she had completely forgotten the robed man's earlier digs.
Clink—
With a crisp metallic sound, the silver spear unfolded its blades and revealed its true form.
"Schneewalzer!"
Yukina gripped the spear; a keen aura surged from her. In that moment, she was truly a Sword Shaman of the Lion King Agency.
"Ready? I'll release him. You don't want to 'take revenge' on someone who can't fight back," Shichen said.
"Yes!" Yukina fixed a calm gaze on the robed man.
"Go ahead—don't hold back. I've locked down this space. Don't worry about him running."
"Understood."
Shichen released the robed man, and at the same time Yukina charged.
"Don't get cocky!"
Feeling insulted, the robed man swung his battle-axe to meet her.
Clang—!
Spear and axe collided in an instant; sparks flew.
There was no deadlock. In a blink, Yukina put her weight behind the spear and knocked the axe wide.
"So fast—!"
The robed man used agility no bulky frame should have to evade the follow-up and fell back several steps, squaring up again.
"That spear… the Mechanical Demon-Purging Assault Spear Mark Seven? Engraved with a divine-attribute vibration-wave drive array—the Lion King Agency's sealed armament! To see it here of all places!"
Joy tugged at his mouth; the monocle over his eye flashed red. But his expression soon returned to grim. Had he encountered it earlier, he might have given Astarte similar power—but now, who knew. He could barely protect himself.
"Sword Shaman of the Lion King Agency—you're worthy to be my opponent."
"Save the talk!"
Yukina wasn't interested. She pressed the attack.
Though slender, her body held surprising power, and she was quick. Against the burly robed man, she moved with ease.
"Damn it!"
Unable to touch her, he finally snapped. He slammed his axe into her spear, forcing it aside, then kicked off hard, his massive frame surging forward; the descending axe came like a headsman's blade, driving Yukina back.
Crack—crack—
The armor over his body groaned, boosting his speed and strength. That slash could probably cut through an armored vehicle.
But Yukina's combat experience was exceptional. She clearly read his attack and slipped past it with a simple sidestep.
She didn't stop—she reversed her grip and thrust for his right arm.
He couldn't check his momentum; he could only watch the silver spear drive in.
Shlk—!
Red spattered. An armored arm spun away. Yukina had severed it without hesitation.
"Ghh—!" He grunted through clenched teeth, cold sweat beading as he glared at Yukina's impassive face.
"To break my sanctified armor's defensive field so easily… as expected of the Mark Seven Demon-Purging Assault Spear. Impressive!"
Yukina looked down at him, expression hard. "Is that all you've got? Then be ready to pay the price."
She would put him down for good. What he'd done was unforgivable. And even if she didn't, she knew Shichen wouldn't let him go.
Shichen cared so much about her—she didn't want to disappoint him, nor make him step in.
"—I, Sword Shaman of the High God and priestess of the Lion, beseech thee. Dawn light of exorcism, spirit wolf of snowy mist, grant me the divine might of thy steel, that I may smite a hundred evil spirits!"
Yukina chanted solemnly. The sorcery she'd cultivated surged through her, amplifying the Mark Seven spear. Blue-white radiance flowed along the blade.
"Urgh… this power…" The robed man's face twisted under the force of the curse, panic rising.
Yukina didn't hesitate—she launched a fierce assault.
"Haaah!"
The silver spear flashed. He couldn't react—the blow crashed into his chest.
The shock rippled through him; his armor shrieked. His face blanched. That exo-armor could easily withstand beastmen, but it couldn't bear the assault of this slender young woman before him.
Crack! Crack!
Overloaded, joints along the armor spit sparks.
Yukina didn't stop. Power flared along the spear; at last, the blue-white force bored straight through his chest.
Shlk—!
Red sprayed; shattered armor scattered. The robed man flew back more than ten meters and hit the ground hard—silent.
"Whew—"
Yukina felt no discomfort. She exhaled, retracted Schneewalzer, and smiled at Shichen, eyes glittering with a hint of pride for a job well done.
"Sensei—how was that?"
"Excellent." Shichen gave her a thumbs-up.
"Hehe~"
For some reason, his praise made her very happy. She walked up to him and earned a head pat for her trouble—making her even happier.
"I thought you might let him off," Shichen said, absently ruffling her black hair.
"No way. After all the sins he committed… What about her?" Yukina looked at Astarte, still pinned by Shichen's power.
"She's innocent. I won't kill her," Shichen said.
"But… her life…" Yukina bit her lip. As an artificial lifeform wielding a familiar, she couldn't survive on her own.
"That's simple."
Shichen closed his hand around the giant familiar's fists; they crumbled into mana that flowed back into Astarte.
Astarte collapsed weakly to the ground, her face still unreadable.
Shichen stepped up, squatted down, and asked, "Your creator is dead. What do you intend to do?"
"Unknown…"
"In that case, become one of my kin."
He drew the petite woman into his arms, lowered his head to the side of her neck; fangs slid out and pierced her white skin.
"Mm…" Astarte whimpered at the sting and closed her eyes.
"Eh?" Yukina froze at the sight.
Avrora crowded in too, loudly protesting. "Shichen, what do you think you're doing?!"
~~~
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