— — — — — —
"…No way…"
While Kenon spiraled into self-doubt, Natsuki stood nearby, equally stunned.
It wasn't that Ryo's Familiar obeying him shocked her.
It was the hostility.
Every so often, the Golden Lion would shoot her a faint, barely concealed glare.
That kind of hostility… she'd felt it before.
From Asagi Aiba. From Avrora.
But a Lion?
You're just a Familiar. Are you seriously trying to steal my man too?
Natsuki's expression darkened instantly.
Meanwhile, Ryo, still seated, idly stroked the Golden Lion's mane and looked at Kenon in confusion.
"This is weird. Why does your Familiar bite back?"
'I'd like to know too…'
'Ever since Cain transformed me into a Primogenitor, it's been like this…'
Doubt crept into Kenon's heart.
He had always believed that the true Fourth Primogenitor was the one who could perfectly command twelve Familiars, ignite the Great War, and wipe out countless races.
So what was wrong?
Was something wrong with him?
Or was something wrong with Ryo Yagami?
He glanced at the docile Golden Lion and unconsciously bit his lip.
Maybe… maybe the problem was him.
But what problem?
"What else could it be? You're ugly."
A woman's mocking voice echoed through the hall.
"…I see. So I'm just ugly?"
Kenon responded blankly.
"If I was born ugly, does that mean I'll never be able to control Familiars?"
He muttered to himself, sinking deeper into self-loathing.
Smack!
The slap was fast and loud.
"You idiot!" the ancient dragon, Clade, roared. "Can't you see they're messing with you?"
Kenon froze, then snapped back to reality and looked at Ryo.
That was when he noticed the wheat-skinned blonde girl standing beside him.
Celesta, or better say Algol, flicked her nails, calmly applying polish before glancing sideways at him.
"Never seen a beauty before? Ugly bastard."
Kenon's mouth twitched violently, his gaze turning vicious.
"Ugly and glaring?" Algol looked at him in mock surprise, then shook her head with pity. "Hopeless. Maybe try reincarnating."
At those words, Kenon's pupils lost focus.
"I'm sorry for being this ugly… I'll go back to the womb."
As he spoke, he suddenly grabbed Clade.
His claws sharpened like blades, slicing open the dragon's abdomen as if trying to crawl inside.
"You bastard!"
Caught off guard and slashed open, Clade kicked him away.
"Have you lost your damn mind?!"
But then he noticed something was wrong.
Kenon's eyes were empty.
"Mind control? That's impossible! Cain personally designed his mental defenses!"
"Oh? He did?"
Algol blinked in surprise, then folded her arms thoughtfully. "No wonder his defenses were so solid."
At that moment, Kenon lunged again.
Grinding his teeth, Clade grabbed him by the throat and delivered over a dozen sharp slaps, flattening that handsome little face into something barely recognizable.
"Awake now?" he asked, hands aching.
"Hiss…!" Kenon sucked in a breath. "Yes."
"Good."
Clade was already thinking about escape.
If Kenon could be controlled that easily, then his so-called mental defenses meant nothing to that strange woman.
This fight was unwinnable.
Lowering his voice, he whispered into Kenon's ear, "In a moment, summon all your Familiars and attack Natsuki. She's the weakest here. Once you move, I'll break space open. We escape together."
"…Okay."
Kenon nodded, eyes wary of Algol.
He summoned his 10th Familiar and layered himself in heavy mental defenses.
Now, even the best mental manipulator shouldn't be able to touch him.
He even had his Familiar mentally control him first.
After all, you can't control someone who's already controlled.
"…You think that'll help?"
A low chuckle echoed.
Kenon's head snapped toward Ryo. His eyes were hollow, but his mind still worked.
Ryo looked at him calmly and shook his head. "For demons, there's no need to control the mind."
"They rely on something else."
"Emotion."
His eyes narrowed slightly, "For example… fear."
Buzz.
Clade suddenly kicked Kenon toward Ryo and bolted.
His eyes trembled. His lips shook. He ran without direction, crashing out of the hall and into the prison barrier.
He tripped on the steps in his panic, scrambled up, and crawled upward on hands and feet.
Space transfer? Escape plan? All forgotten.
There was only one word left in his head.
Run.
Run as far as possible. Get as far away from Ryo as possible.
Suddenly—
A spatial gate appeared before him.
His eyes lit up with wild joy. Without thinking, he rushed inside.
In an instant, his vision cleared.
He was back at the top-level helipad of the Keystone Gate.
"I'm back…"
His lips trembled.
"I made it back…"
Elation surged. His heart pounded faster. Faster. Faster—
Pop.
A soft sound came from inside his body.
The ancient dragon's eyes slowly lost focus.
He stood there on the helipad, gazing into the distance, and stopped breathing.
Even in death, a relieved smile remained on his face.
— — —
Inside the prison barrier.
Kenon silently watched everything unfold.
It was a scene of utter despair.
Yet he felt nothing.
He knew full well that someone was toying with his emotions. One slip, and he would share Clade's fate.
And yet, he stood there like a wooden doll.
Motionless. Unresponsive.
Ryo glanced at him, then lightly chuckled and opened the Dimensional Forum, checking his ability panel.
[Authority: Emotion]
[Description: The innate authority of the Primordial Demon who governs the concept of demons. Can manipulate all emotions of flesh-and-blood lifeforms.]
[Rank: Four-Digit.]
[Evaluation: After Ryo Yagami formed a high-level spiritual contract with Algol, the Mother of Demons Lilith, this authority was automatically granted. Within the hierarchy of demons, your status is now equivalent to that of a Demon Primogenitor.]
"Interesting ability."
He closed the interface.
"Next time, don't deliberately mess with someone's emotions while I'm talking. Do you enjoy making me take the blame that much?"
Algol, still painting her nails, snorted. "I was just having a little fun."
Ryo smiled faintly.
Then he looked at Kenon. "Summon all your Familiars."
"And tell me everything about the space-time ritual."
"Yes."
Kenon answered flatly.
One by one, the Familiars appeared.
Before long, twelve massive beasts filled the sky of the hall.
Ryo glanced at the dark creatures and said calmly, "If you're hungry… go ahead and eat."
The Familiars that once belonged to the Fourth Primogenitor stirred within his blood, letting out excited roars.
Soon enough, as Kenon began reciting the ritual's theory in a steady voice—
The sound of massive chewing echoed through the hall.
And did not stop for a very long time.
.
.
.