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Himejima Estate, Rear Shrine Grounds—
Suzaku Himejima arrived at the shrine at a brisk pace and came to a stop before the massive cherry blossom tree.
Her gaze settled on the sacred rope hanging from its branches.
No, not hanging. Broken.
The rope that symbolized the barrier's connection had been severed cleanly.
She slowly turned toward the middle-aged man standing with his back to her. His presence felt dark and oppressive.
"To think it was you, Hanezu Himejima," she said grimly. "You're the one who sabotaged the Himejima barrier?"
The moment she'd heard Irina and Xenovia mention entering without sensing any barrier at all, she'd known something was wrong. She had rushed here immediately.
And, as expected, she had found the enemy.
"..."
The man who should have been her uncle let out a nostalgic sigh without turning around, "So you've become the family head, Suzaku. I have to admit, I never saw that coming."
Only then did he turn.
Adjusting the half-rimmed gold glasses on his face, he looked at her with cold eyes, "I always thought a little girl like you would eventually be buried by the darkness of the Himejima family. Yet somehow, those rotten old relics were the ones who got overthrown."
A mocking smile spread across his face. "The irony is almost amusing."
His tone softened slightly, "Still, this is better. A Himejima family that has become someone else's vassal is preferable to the old Himejima family."
"It's just a shame I never got the chance to personally take revenge on those old bastards."
Suzaku fell silent.
She remembered very clearly.
Like Shuri Himejima, the man before her had once been a victim of the family's cruel traditions.
After several seconds, she finally spoke, "What did you come back for?"
Her eyes remained fixed on him. "The Himejima family isn't what it used to be."
She understood exactly why he had returned.
Revenge.
The motive was obvious.
That was why she had to make one thing clear. The family he hated no longer existed.
"It doesn't matter."
Hanezu's lips curled upward. "As long as they share the same surname and the same bloodline, that's enough."
His smile turned openly contemptuous, "Besides, plenty of those scum who helped maintain the old system are still alive. They're all gathered here under your protection, quietly clinging to life."
He spread his hands, "Your uncle knows you've always been too kind, Suzaku. So I'm willing to do you a favor."
His eyes gleamed. "I'll wipe out every last disgusting parasite for you."
"No, those people still have value." Suzaku's expression hardened. "And if anyone needs to be dealt with, it'll be me, as the family head. Not you."
The instant she finished speaking, a deafening explosion erupted somewhere within the estate.
BOOM!
A few seconds later came the sounds of chaos.
Shouting. Screaming. Battle cries. Panic.
Suzaku whipped her head around, her face darkening.
"You bastard..."
Hanezu merely adjusted his glasses. "I never said I needed to finish explaining myself before launching the attack."
"The latest achievement of the Utsusemi Agency." His voice carried a hint of pride. "Newly reincarnated devils created from Sacred Gear users."
"Suzaku..." He tilted his head, "How long do you think it'll take them to slaughter every member of the Himejima family?"
Suzaku inhaled deeply.
Spiritual power surged through her body.
The air flowing from her lungs gradually transformed into streams of flame.
The divine beast dwelling within her, the Vermilion Bird, awakened. Heat flooded the surroundings as the atmosphere itself ignited.
Across from her, Hanezu calmly slipped several rings onto his fingers.
...
..
"Hold them back!"
"Monster! Die!"
Within the pavilions and courtyards of the Himejima estate, Xenovia spat out a mouthful of blood.
Around her lay the corpses of numerous bizarre monsters.
"Damn it." She wiped her mouth. "I took that bath for nothing."
Nearby, Irina decapitated a tiger-like beast with a single swing before flashing over to Xenovia's side.
Her voice still carried its usual confidence, but beneath it was unmistakable unease, "Something's wrong."
She looked around the battlefield. "There are way too many of these monsters."
"And those black-and-red humanoid ones are especially bad news."
The creatures she referred to looked almost human in shape.
Almost.
Their bodies were wrapped in a black, mud-like skin. They had no faces, no features, only crimson patterns that pulsed beneath the surface.
At that very moment, one of them charged through a Himejima member's fire spell as if it were nothing.
Like a living tank, it slammed into the exorcist and sent him flying.
The sound of ribs shattering echoed through the courtyard.
White bone fragments burst from his chest.
"Spiritual attacks barely affect them," Irina muttered. "And they're absurdly tough."
Xenovia gritted her teeth, "Try blunt force."
"Already thinking the same thing."
A slender sword appeared in Irina's hand.
The blade immediately began to change.
Like liquid metal, it twisted, expanded, and reshaped itself.
Moments later, a gigantic war hammer rested in her grip.
Irina wielded the Excalibur Mimic, a Holy Sword and one of the seven Excaliburs. Its ability allowed it to transform into virtually any weapon.
One of the black-and-red creatures noticed her movement.
It lunged. Fast.
Far too fast.
Its movements were erratic and impossible to predict.
Unable to track its attack pattern, Irina quickly extended a chain from the base of the hammer and lashed it toward the creature's legs.
The creature leaped over it effortlessly.
But that was exactly what she'd been waiting for.
Irina swung. The massive hammer felt weightless in her hands, but the force behind it was terrifying.
A thunderous blast of compressed air erupted as the weapon smashed into the creature.
BOOM!
The black figure was driven straight into the ground.
The cobblestone path exploded. Stone fragments flew everywhere.
"Got you."
Irina immediately dismissed the hammer and jumped back to avoid a counterattack.
Then she looked down. And froze.
The creature's broken body was already moving. Its shattered limbs crawled back into place. Bones cracked and shifted as its body reconstructed itself.
Irina's face went pale.
"It worked... but it didn't kill it? How?" She stared at the monster in disbelief. "Just what kind of recovery speed is that? That's cheating."
For the first time since arriving, genuine panic crept into her thoughts.
If even a Holy Sword couldn't finish the thing off, weren't they completely screwed?
"Irina, move!"
Xenovia's shout rang out.
Without hesitation, Irina leaped aside.
At the same time, countless beams of light converged onto Xenovia's Durandal.
The blade became a gigantic sword of pure radiance.
Then Xenovia swung.
A devastating beam of light erupted forward like a cannon.
The attack engulfed the black creature. And it didn't stop there.
The blast tore through decorative rock formations, shattered courtyard walls, and continued all the way to a nearby mountain.
A massive crater exploded into existence halfway up the mountainside.
When the attack finally ended, Xenovia's legs buckled. Her vision darkened.
She staggered backward several steps before Irina hurried over and caught her.
"Damn it..." Xenovia panted heavily. "That attack takes way too much out of me."
She looked up, "Did I get it?"
"I think—"
Irina turned around. Then her face changed.
"Shit!"
The creature was completely unharmed. Not a scratch.
And it was already racing toward them.
Irina cursed and immediately tried to drag the exhausted Xenovia away.
But it was too late. The black figure closed the distance in an instant.
One moment it was dozens of meters away. The next, it was right in front of her.
Irina could even feel the wind generated by its charge.
'This is bad. I can't dodge this.'
"Ok, that's enough!"
A man's voice suddenly sounded from somewhere nearby.
But the creature ignored it. Its glossy black claws still shot toward Irina's head.
Then—BOOM!
Its arm exploded.
Not torn off. Exploded.
The limb disintegrated into dust-like particles that scattered through the air.
"Huh." The same calm male voice spoke again. "Did you just ignore me?"
"Cough..."
Coughing as she covered her nose and mouth from the drifting dust, Irina instinctively looked toward the speaker.
A young man stood there.
He wore a simple gray short-sleeved shirt and black casual pants.
His black hair was neat, and his eyes shone like polished pearls.
At the moment, however, his expression carried a trace of annoyance.
He looked at the creature and shook his head, "What kind of idiot came up with an experimental product like this?"
Then he turned toward Irina and smiled.
A warm, reassuring smile.
"You alright?"
"I-I'm fine." Irina swallowed nervously.
Then her eyes widened.
"Supreme Leader... is that really you?"
"It is." Ryo gave a slight nod.
Then he looked toward the battlefield and spoke in the same calm tone, "Take a break."
His smile remained unchanged.
"This will be over soon."
.
.
.