By the time Tenra and the girls returned home, midnight was close at hand. The battle had drained everyone; after a quick wash, each girl slipped off to her room, eager for rest.
Tenra and Rias, along with a few others, lingered in the main hall, finishing their report to the Underworld. Suddenly, a swirl of light tore open—and Raynare staggered through, soaked in blood, barely able to stand.
"She's in bad shape…"
Asia rushed to catch her, hands already glowing with healing magic.
"Don't bother."
Raynare's voice was cold, her rejection absolute. She brushed past Asia and stood before Tenra.
"Master. I have something to ask you."
Tenra's brows knit in concern. Rias and the others exchanged uneasy glances. Everyone had expected Raynare to come back battered after chasing the White Dragon Emperor, but this… this was something else.
"Rias, finish your report and get some sleep. Raynare, Mittelt, Kalawarner—my room. Now."
Tenra stood, voice leaving no room for argument, and led the three fallen angel girls away.
"Go clean yourself up."
He settled into a chair, conjuring a sphere of healing light that drifted toward Raynare's wounds.
Raynare didn't respond. She simply turned and disappeared into the bathroom. Soon, the sound of running water echoed through the suite.
In the silence, Kalawarner and Mittelt kept their heads down. Kalawarner slipped behind Tenra, fingers kneading his shoulders; Mittelt knelt at his side, working the tension from his legs. Tenra closed his eyes, letting their quiet devotion soothe him—until Raynare returned.
Her black hair still dripped with water, her expression was pure ice.
"You found Azazel?"
"I did."
"And you understand the gap between you?"
"I do."
The exchange was clipped, raw. Tenra nodded.
"Ask. What do you want to know?"
Raynare's eyes sharpened, a cold fire flaring in their depths.
"Azazel told me why he really abandoned me."
The room fell utterly silent. Even Mittelt and Kalawarner, who'd been trying to fade into the background, found themselves holding their breath.
"And?" Tenra's face betrayed nothing.
"He said it was all because of you. That he abandoned me as part of a deal with you."
Raynare's voice was low, almost a growl.
Mittelt and Kalawarner stared, stunned. Raynare—abandoned because of a bargain between Tenra and Azazel?
Tenra stroked Mittelt's cheek, signaling her to continue her massage. A sly smile tugged at his lips.
"That's right. It was my deal with Azazel."
"I approached him and said, 'If you cut Raynare loose and play along with my little drama, I'll lend you the Boosted Gear for a few days of research.' He was itching to get his hands on a Longinus, and you'd been getting on his nerves anyway, so he agreed."
"That's the truth you wanted. Satisfied?"
Tenra's gaze was gentle, his smile almost mocking. Mittelt and Kalawarner both lowered their eyes, a flicker of pity for Raynare passing between them.
To be discarded for something so trivial—manipulated from beginning to end. What a pitiful woman.
"So it was all your scheme. You let me go on purpose, made sure I'd get tossed aside by Azazel, then picked me up when I was at my lowest."
A dark aura began to seep from Raynare, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.
"Exactly. Did you really think I'd let you go out of mercy?"
"I wanted you to taste despair—abandonment—like a stray dog, howling in the night with nowhere left to turn. And when you were at your weakest, I appeared."
"As you can see, everything went perfectly. I picked you up, broke you in, made you my most loyal hound and tool."
There was no apology, no remorse—just wicked satisfaction.
Black flames burst from Raynare, swirling around her. Mittelt and Kalawarner flinched, but Raynare only stared at Tenra, eyes wild.
"Why me?!"
She couldn't understand. Why her?
Tenra waved Mittelt and Kalawarner back, then stepped forward, lifting Raynare's chin with a gentle hand.
"Because you're special, Raynare."
"Darkness. Corruption. Evil. These are your gifts—gifts that surpass anyone I've ever met. I saw it in you, and I wanted you for myself."
"This world needs light, but it needs darkness too. Asia is my chosen saint, the vessel of light and kindness. You are my chosen witch, the embodiment of darkness and sin."
"My tool. My slave. My hound. Used by me until the day you die. That is your fate, Raynare."
Tenra's words echoed through the room. The black flames licked across his skin, but as the true master of the [Dark Evil King], they couldn't touch him.
Mittelt and Kalawarner held their breath, bracing for Raynare's rage. They pitied her, but they weren't about to step in.
But instead—
"Hahahahaha…"
Raynare threw back her head and laughed, wild and free. The flames died away, her hair falling like a curtain of midnight.
Tenra watched her, amused, waiting until her laughter faded.
"Raynare, after hearing all of this—don't you want revenge?"
"Revenge? So you can lock me in a dark room, brainwash me day and night, until I'm nothing but your loyal slave again?"
Her smile was twisted, wicked.
"Oh? So you do understand."
Tenra grinned, a genuine warmth flickering in his eyes. He found himself liking her more and more.
"If this is my fate, then so be it!"
"Use me. Own me. Break me. Train me. Until death."
It was madness, pure and simple. Even Tenra was caught off guard. Mittelt and Kalawarner could only stare, speechless.
God, did she even know what she was saying?
"Raynare, are you insane?"
"I've been insane for a long time!"
"Even knowing the truth, you'll still be loyal to me?"
"Why not? You went to all this trouble to get me—doesn't that mean you value me?"
"No matter his reasons, Azazel abandoned me. But you—you recognize me, you need me. So—"
"I'm happy!"
"I want to be even more loyal to you, to love you even more!"
Raynare wrapped herself around Tenra, kissing him with a desperate, wild hunger.
She was completely, utterly broken.
After a long moment, Tenra finally managed to push her away. Both of their lips were bloodied—hers, and his.
"You really are hopeless…"
Tenra looked at her, a strange fondness in his eyes. He'd braced himself for her rebellion—never expecting this.
You could never predict the heart of a woman who'd fallen so far into darkness.
"Hehehe… Then save me, Master."
Raynare licked her lips, voice sultry.
"No. You don't need saving."
Tenra didn't waste another word. He swept her into his arms and carried her to the bed.
A mad, corrupted woman—through and through. But that was exactly what Tenra loved most about her.
As the two of them fell into chaos, Mittelt and Kalawarner blushed, exchanged glances, and quietly slipped out of their clothes to join them…
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