A fleeting year had passed since Jay, Kuroka, and Lavinia first arrived at the Temple of Solomon.
Inside this pocket dimension, where the sun was a construct of ancient magic and the seasons moved only at the whim of the divine magic, time felt both eternal and momentary.
During these last twelve months, the trio had spent the vast majority of their waking hours immersed in the grueling study of Senjutsu and Spirit Magic.
Lavinia, initially haunted by the malice she encountered during her first meditation as she tried to sense the Ki within herself and in the surrounding nature, had finally made a breakthrough.
It had taken a month of quiet reflection and Jay's constant presence for her to realize that her greatest fear, the loss of her loved ones, Jay and Glenda, was a malicious thoughts that only held power if she allowed it to loom over her.
Once she accepted that her love was a source of strength rather than a weakness, her progress became rapid. As a master magician, she already understood how energy flows, which allowed her to quickly grasp the basics of Senjutsu within three months.
From there, it became a matter of conditioning her body to handle the physical and mental strain of Senjutsu, learning Touki to strengthen her only weakness, her physical capability, and practicing how to maintain a constant flow of Ki in real battle through regular sparring with Kuroka or Bilqis.
Kuroka, rarely one to give sincere compliments, began to praise Lavinia's talent, often calling her the most gifted human she had ever seen in the art of Sagecraft.
Of course, with sole exception of Zayyn Illya Kovalenko.
While Lavinia honed her combat arts, Kuroka focused her efforts elsewhere.
Having already mastered Senjutsu years ago, the Nekoshou spent her last few months training alongside Bilqis. Under the tutelage of the Queen of Sheba, a half-spirit and half-human, she delved into the intricacies of Spirit Magic.
Lavinia eventually joined them in the final two months, as both women sought to grasp the elusive concept that Bilqis called the Spirit Form, a state where the master's own body harmonized perfectly with the spirits they had contracted with.
Jay, however, moved in a different direction. Having mastered the fundamentals of Senjutsu within a single week and Touki within another, his training shifted toward the power he had accidentally drawn out when he first used Senjutsu, the purest form of Absolute Nonexistence.
The ability that Kuroka jokingly called Black Senjutsu.
Even after a year of grueling training with Solomon, and despite possessing talent and a level of control that Solomon himself praised as unparalleled, his physical body remained the one thing holding him back. No matter how refined his technique became or how vast his power grew, his physique struggled to keep pace, forcing him to constantly hold back or risk tearing himself apart from the strain of extorting that power.
Through sheer persistence and grueling meditation to train both his body and spirit, Jay managed to increase his limit. He could now maintain the state of Absolute Nonexistence or use it to attack for one minute and thirty seconds, a 150% improvement over his initial threshold.
In this mode, he was effectively nigh-invulnerable, as any attack that touched his aura simply ceased to be. But despite this terrifying power, Jay remained cautious.
He might never use this power unless it was absolutely necessary, at least not until he understood more about the Nonexistence within him.
Another thing Jay learned about the purest form of Absolute Nonexistence was-
That it is the negation of existence itself, it completely denies ontology. As such, it is not erasure or destruction for these two acts postulates that something has exist or will exist. It is an anti-reality that decreates anything and everything, manifesting as a sudden point of absence in reality that forces a correction.
It was very different from when it was infused into the flame, which turned everything into ash. That was another thing he needed to investigate, why its effects varied depending on the medium.
Beyond the temple walls, the world continued to turn.
Other than that, Jay and Lavinia would return to Valeyra once a month to check on the people and ask about what had happened during their departure to Ernesta.
The last major development was the formation of the Alliance of the Three Biblical Factions in Kyoto, established through what became known as the Kyoto Treaty.
It was hosted by the Shinto faction, a woman who was likely still trying to hunt him as the killer of her brother, The Sun Godess, Amaterasu.
For now, however, it seemed that Rizevim had yet to make his move.
Now, as the year drew to a close, Jay stood in a wide clearing of the temple gardens.
Now, fast forward to the present. Jay stood tall, on the verge of turning sixteen.
His lean muscles were clearly defined beneath his black compression shirt, his frame having grown to a height of six feet one. His white, loose-fitting pants fluttered gently in the artificial wind that moved through the Temple of Solomon, giving the still space a sense of quiet motion.
Around fifty meters in front of him stood Kuroka, Lavinia, and Bilqis, waiting.
"You sure you don't really want to join the spar, Solomon?" Jay asked, casting a glance toward the King. Solomon stood off to the side, leaning casually against a stone pillar with a serene smile.
"No, I'd rather not, haha," Solomon laughed, waving a hand dismissively.
"I'm quite content as a spectator today."
"Are you scared, Illya-kun?"
The sound of Lavinia's voice pulled Jay's focus back to the battlefield. The blonde girl stood with her feet braced, a playful smirk dancing on her lips.
Jay didn't answer with words. Instead, a grey aura began to seep from his skin, rapidly expanding until he was fully enveloped in a shroud of blazing grey aura.
The air around him vibrated with the power of his Touki.
"Scared? Come on, Lavi... if you want to taunt me, you can do better than that."
"Then take this, nya!"
Kuroka didn't wait for him to start the fight. She blurred forward as she swung her hands, and in an instant, hundreds of white Senjutsu bullets materialized around her, shrieking through the air as they swarmed toward Jay.
Jay's figure flickered.
To the three of them, it looked as if his body were a glitching image in a grey light.
And before the supersonic projectiles could even bridge half the distance, Jay vanished entirely.
SHING.
Kuroka's eyes widened, her pupils narrowing to slits. She felt a sudden, sharp pressure against the back of her neck.
"Nya?"
"Got you, you lazy cat!"
But before Jay's hand could make contact, a ripple in the air erupted at his side. A concentrated blast of spirit energy tore through the space, threatening to knock him off his feet.
"Try to block this, ya!" Bilqis cried out, her jade spirit eyes glowing in terrifying light.
BOOM
Jay didn't even turn his head and-
FWUOOM
A burst of black flame erupted from beneath his feet and acting as a wave shield. The spirit blast struck the fire and was instantly nullified, turned into drifting ash in less than a second.
"Wha-" Bilqis gasped.
Seeing her high-level spirit magic snuffed out so effortlessly made her falter for a heartbeat. Even though she already knew about Jay's power, it was still astonishing, and terrifying, every time she witnessed it.
Jay didn't miss the opening as in a grey flash, he closed the distance to Kuroka, gathering his Ki into his fist.
She tried to raise her arms to parry the incoming blow, but Jay's Touki, combined with his vastly enhanced physical strength, was too overwhelming even for her.
His punch, like a streak of grey light, shattered her Touki and sent her reeling.
"Ny-!!"
BOOM
Kuroka was blasted backward, tumbling hundreds of meters across the garden before crashing into the ground with a dull thud.
And then Jay felt a sudden spike in energy behind him. Lavinia had moved with terrifying speed, her fist already inches from his spine.
And at the same time, the Queen of Sheba appeared in front of him in a jade flash, her jackal ears flaring with a brilliant green aura as she prepared to pin him down.
"Oh?" Jay muttered.
And then he opened his mouth.
"Stop moving!"
Bilqis widened her eyes as she suddenly felt her body suspended in place by an invisible force.
And at the same time, Jay effortlessly dodged Lavinia's attack.
"Ah!?" Lavinia gasped.
And in a smooth, one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn, Jay moved inside her guard in a grey flash as he caught her by the waist and shoulders and, locking her in place.
And for a moment, time seemed to stop as they stared into each other's eyes, their faces only inches apart.
"Uhm..." Lavinia stopped struggling, a soft smile appearing on her face. "Now, this reminds me of the first time we fought each other, isn't it, Illya-kun?"
"Sure it is," Jay replied, his voice low.
Suddenly, the ground beneath Lavinia's feet erupted. Dozens of thick tree branches, reinforced with grey Senjutsu aura, snaked upward. They coiled around her limbs and torso, binding her in a firm wooden lock.
"Eh?"
Although Senjutsu is usually used to strengthen the user's body from within, it can also be applied externally to affect other bodies or objects, and even cause the surrounding vegetation to bloom or wither by manipulating the Nature's Ki.
Although Jay admitted it was somewhat difficult to make it effective in high-level combat, simply growing a few trees and strengthening them with Senjutsu was relatively easy.
And after seeing that everyone had been defeated.
"Alright, I think that's enough for today's spar," Zayyn said, letting the grey aura fade as he patted the dust from his palms.
"It was a good after-training session... I think we're ready to fight Theurgia now."
"Zayyn-sama… didn't we agree that we could only use Senjutsu?" Bilqis asked, still struggling against the Power of Desire Jay had exerted on her earlier.
"Hm? I am, aren't I?" Jay raised an eyebrow at the Queen of Sheba.
"Then why are you using that sword?" Bilqis gestured toward the jagged black blade of Alichino, which was currently suspended in the air behind Jay, emerging from a small spatial rift.
"Well, Alichino's Power of Desire works on spirits too. So technically, I'm still using an ability that will be effective on Theurgia, right?" Jay shrugged innocently.
"Uh..." Bilqis sighed, unable to find a flaw in his irritatingly practical logic.
Kuroka slowly rose from the shattered ground as dust settled over her body. Her black kimono had nearly slipped off, revealing her busty chest, but she held it in place with one hand to keep it from falling completely.
"Ouchie-nya! Why are you so rough on me, Boss!" she complained, brushing dirt from her hair.
Jay ignored her, stepping over to Lavinia to unbind the wooden restraints. He retracted Alichino into its portal, allowing Bilqis to move freely again.
Solomon approached the group, his eyes moving between them with a smile.
"Solomon, I think tomorrow is fine," Jay said, meeting the King's gaze.
"Are you sure? Although it has been a long time since Theurgia was unsealed in the world, he is still the King of Nature Spirits. His power is almost comparable to a Pantheon God on its own," Solomon cautioned.
"No problem. Both Lavinia and Kuroka are already close to that level… and with your help, along with Bilqis, I think we've trained enough," Jay said simply.
Solomon looked at Jay, then at Lavinia and Kuroka.
He then nodded slowly.
"Tomorrow at midday, I will unseal Ars Theurgia."
***
As the evening progressed, the artificial blue sky of the temple faded into a deep, starlit indigo.
In front of the building they had come to call home over the past year, Jay and Lavinia sat side by side on a long, polished marble bench. The night air was cool, carrying the scent of frankincense, which was apparently Bilqis's favorite scent.
They were enjoying their favorite nightly routine, a hot cup of black tea.
"So... Oshishou-sama will be cured tomorrow, huh..." Lavinia muttered, her eyes fixed on the steam rising from her cup.
Jay glanced at her. "Are you nervous?"
Seeing Lavinia in her black nightgown, her blonde hair draping over the soft skin of her back, Jay couldn't help but feel his heart race slightly.
Even though they had been sleeping side by side for the past two years, he had never made a move beyond a hug or a kiss.
Still, it was only natural. He was nearly fully grown now, even if the concept of age felt somewhat irrelevant to him. Yet, as someone raised in the modern world, Jay held on to certain moral boundaries that kept him from going further with Lavinia.
And, perhaps, that was the same reason she held back as well.
"I mean... even though you said she doesn't hate me, I'm afraid that maybe she really doesn't want to meet me anymore," Lavinia whispered, her fingers tracing the cold surface of the marble.
"There was a reason she sent me to Grauzauberer, after all."
Jay remained silent, unable to speak on Glenda's behalf about her feelings toward Lavinia. The only thing he could do now was let the two of them talk and resolve their own issues.
Though, deep down, he wasn't sure if words alone were enough to fix anything. Actions spoke louder than words, after all.
Even now…
Jay found himself suddenly reminiscing about his attack in the Underworld. It had been more than a year, yet he still remembered everything vividly, as if it had happened only yesterday.
"Prrrr..."
A soft purring sound broke the silence.
A small black cat padded up from behind them before shifting into a human form. Kuroka sat down behind them, leaning forward to rest her head sleepily on Lavinia's shoulder.
"Having a nightmare, Kuroka-chan?" Lavinia asked softly.
"Nya! I'm just hungry... it's midnight already. Why haven't you two gone to sleep yet? Isn't tomorrow going to be a big day?" Kuroka asked, her voice still sleepy.
"We're just enjoying a cup of tea before bed," Lavinia replied with a smile. Then, as if remembering something, she glanced toward the black-haired Nekushou.
"By the way, Kuroka-chan... we might be leaving this place soon. Do you still plan on following us after this?"
"Nya? Where are you two going?" Kuroka asked.
Both women then turned their gaze toward Jay.
Jay paused for a long moment, carefully considering his words before-
"There is someone I need to kill." He said casually, sipping his tea.
He thought of a certain silver-haired Super Devil. With his current physical condition, further enhanced by Senjutsu, he felt he finally had the speed needed to physically match that bastard.
"That sounds like fun, nya!" Kuroka said, her eyes lighting up with sudden excitement.
Then, suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind.
"Nya… but I might want to see Shirone first... She should have moved to Japan by now, so it should be much easier to meet her than in the Underworld… and then I'll probably keep following the two of you." She said.
Her response made Jay raise his brows.
"Don't you have anything more important to do than tailing us?" Jay asked.
"Nyope!" Kuroka shook her head.
"I mean, like... what is your goal? Or your dreams?"
"Dreams, huh…" Kuroka muttered, lightly touching her lips.
"Everyone has a purpose in life, no matter who they are. Something that keeps them moving forward, a goal… Is there something you truly want to do?" Jay added.
"Honestly… I don't really care about the future, nya. I just live however I feel like and take things as they come," Kuroka hummed thoughtfully, which made Lavinia look satisfied with her answer.
She then poked Lavinia's cheek.
"What about you, Lavi-nya?"
Lavinia blinked, surprised by the sudden turn of the question.
"Eh? Me? My dreams..."
She went quiet for a moment, her gaze drifting to Jay's face and suddenly, a small, certain smile crossed her face.
"Probably getting married to Illya-kun, live in a simple house, and having two kids... a strong boy and a beautiful girl."
Jay, who had just taken a large sip of his tea, immediately sputtered.
He coughed, the hot liquid splashing against his hand as his face went blank.
"W-what?" he managed to choke out, his usual expresionless face completely shattered.
"You heard me," Lavinia said, her smile widening into something almost predatory in its sweetness.
Kuroka's eyes went wide before a massive, smug grin split her face.
"Nya~"
With a sudden, lightning-fast movement, Kuroka lunged forward and hugged Jay from behind, pressing his head against her chest.
"Then I'll be having some strong kittens with Boss too-nya!"
Jay reacted quickly as he reached back, grabbed the scruff of Kuroka's kimono, and hauled her off him with a sharp tug.
"Nya?"
With a casual swing, Jay tossed the black-haired Nekoshou toward the wall.
And as he turned back to see Lavinia, she was simply watching him with that same, unsettlingly calm smile.
'No... why are you smiling like that, Lavi?' Jay felt a genuine shiver run down his spine. Not even Azi Dahaka or Rizevim Livan Lucifer could make him shiver like this.
"Nya! Why are you so rough on me, Boss!" Kuroka complained, landing gracefully and dusting off her clothes.
"I told you-Nya, my dreams are to live with Shirone, have strong kittens, and then just—"
"Silence."
Jay raised a finger. Alichino materialized through a tiny portal directly above Kuroka's head. A soft pulse of magic rippled out, and Kuroka was instantly silenced by the Power of Desire. Every time she tried to shout, her mouth moved, but no sound emerged.
Jay shook his head tired with her antics, sighing as he returned to his tea.
He then cast a side-glance at Lavinia.
"Lavi..."
"Hm? What is it, Illya-kun?" she asked, moving closer until their shoulders were touching. Her sapphire eyes searched his, waiting for him to speak about something important.
Jay opened his mouth, hesitated, and then looked away.
"Nevermind..."
Lavinia chuckled softly.
She leaned her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes as she inhaled the scent of the tea and the cool night air.
She completely ignored the silent Kuroka behind them, content to simply exist in this fleeting moment of peace.