After discussing things with Serafall, Takumi's thoughts had become a lot clearer.
Compared to the kind of total rampage Tohru had suggested, a simple, direct decapitation strike was way easier.
"Once that's done, I can dump the cleanup on Serafall and the others. All I need to do is kill people."
The moment that thought crossed his mind, Takumi felt a lot more relaxed.
Of course, that also meant he had to pay closer attention to the Holy Sword situation now.
"I've already had Freia and the others gradually absorbing the elves and Ice Wolf tribe from the Redo of Healer world into the Time-Space Realm. I'll have Raynare and the others lead a few elves to search. I've still got plenty to deal with on my end."
Takumi quickly made the arrangements and summoned dozens of elves out of the Time-Space Realm.
These were all elves from the Redo of Healer world. Their builds were more delicate than ordinary humans, and most of them were around the level of intermediate magicians.
But after fusing with Divine Envoy Pieces, every last one of them now possessed upper-level magician-class power.
If this had been the old Raynare and her group, they probably wouldn't have been able to command these elves at all.
But now that they had chosen authority skill trees, their strength was already at the level of fallen angel executives, in other words, comparable to ultimate-class demons.
"Raynare's got guts, I'll give her that. She picked both the [Beauty] and [Slaughter] authority skill trees in one go. Is she planning to fill both trees' EXP bars by pleasing me?"
Seeing straight through Raynare's intentions, Takumi was more than willing to grant that wish.
As long as she worked hard for him, he didn't mind bestowing generous experience as a reward.
In the church, Raynare, hearing Takumi's orders in her mind, excitedly stepped outside.
"Master, I'll complete your command!"
"Kalawarner, Mittelt, let's move!"
As the leader of the trio, Raynare immediately started issuing orders.
Kalawarner and Mittelt responded at once.
Kalawarner had chosen the path of "Slaughter," while Mittelt had chosen the path of "Beauty."
Neither of them was as bold as Raynare. They didn't think they were gifted enough to control two authority paths at once.
As the fallen angel trio began moving, dozens of elves spread out to search Kuoh Town and the nearby cities.
Those hiding in the shadows immediately felt a suffocating sense of urgency.
That overwhelming search effort had their nerves pulled so tight they felt ready to snap.
"If this keeps up, our base is going to be exposed."
"Uncle Valper, hurry up and give me the Holy Sword Factor already! I can't wait to go on a killing spree!"
"What's the rush? I still need two more days to make adjustments. Behave yourself for now. You're going to be my perfect test subject. Don't you dare screw this up!"
Staring at the white-haired priest Freed, Valper coldly barked at him.
He absolutely did not want Freed's recklessness to ruin his Holy Sword research right before it succeeded.
To research Holy Swords, he had already gone so far as to betray the Church and ally himself with the fallen angels.
"It's almost complete. Holy Swords and demonic swords... hahaha!!!"
Valper's eyes shone with excitement, and the Kokabiel standing in the shadows curled his lips into a cruel grin as well.
Yes, this was exactly it.
The bigger the mess became, the better.
If he could muddy the waters between the angels, fallen angels, and demons completely, then the three-way war he longed for would finally arrive!
The current age of peace disgusted him.
"So Heaven really only sent two Church warriors? Or is that just a feint? On the other hand, the demons have already gotten the Gremory and Sitri houses involved. Wonderful. This is just wonderful!"
"All that's missing now is the perfect spark to ignite the powder keg and blow the whole war open!!"
The more Kokabiel thought about it, the more excited he became. But he knew he couldn't move recklessly.
Takumi of Kuoh Town was an enormous threat.
This newly risen demon possessed power on par with a Maou.
Before his grand plan was complete, Kokabiel had no intention of exposing himself carelessly.
…
While both sides were in the middle of their frantic search-and-hide game, Takumi himself arrived alone in front of a detached little house.
Making use of the last day of break, he planned to settle Yukino's earlier request.
Knock knock knock!
As the knocking sounded, Yukino, who had been sitting in the living room reading, immediately stood up.
"A visitor?"
Her expression was one of real surprise, because she honestly had no idea who would come looking for her.
She distinctly remembered never telling anyone where she lived.
Could it be her sister and mother?
With that question in mind, Yukino went to the door and peeked through the peephole.
The next second, Takumi's face came into view, and her whole body gave a slight shudder.
It's him!?
The fact that Takumi had come personally made Yukino's heart pound wildly, and a faint blush rose unbidden across her pale, flawless face.
She instantly remembered the request she had made him before, and a wave of embarrassment surged through her.
After spending the past several days getting used to things, she actually didn't care that much anymore about having Snow Woman blood.
"Mmm... how did I even agree to that back then... But I already bought those clothes... it'd be such a waste not to use them."
As though trying to soothe herself with an excuse, Yukino's eyes kept drifting toward the bedroom.
Deep in the closet, the catgirl outfit lay there quietly.
Over the past few days, she had already secretly worn it more than once.
She liked cat motifs, yes, but every time she looked at herself in the mirror, all she felt was shame and something indecent.
With her mind in total chaos, Yukino stood frozen at the door for quite a while without coming back to herself.
"Well now... why'd you suddenly stop moving?"
Takumi, who had already sensed Yukino standing right behind the door, raised a brow slightly.
Just as he was wondering whether she was planning to pretend she wasn't home and weasel her way out of it, the front door finally opened.
Yukino stood there with flushed cheeks, elegant and pure like a plum blossom blooming against snow.
At home, she was dressed in a blue lounge top and a short skirt.
The close-fitting fabric emphasized her narrow waist and graceful body lines.
Her curves weren't exactly dramatic, but they had their own special charm.
Her bare legs, unwrapped by black stockings today, were pale and flawless, like freshly peeled bamboo shoots.
And that blue skirt, which only just covered the upper half of her thighs, made those long, exquisite legs stand out all the more.
Right now, Yukino looked like a lotus rising from the water—pure and beautiful.
Avoiding his eyes, she spoke in a tiny voice.
"C-come in."
After saying that, she immediately turned and hurried back into the living room.
Seeing her act like a shy little rabbit, Takumi's lips curved upward.
The aloof, icy beauty Yukino usually showed the world was nothing more than a mask.
The adorable girl beneath that mask really did make him want to say she was the absolute best.
And the moment he thought of why he had come today, the excitement in his chest rose even more.
As soon as he stepped through the doorway, he casually shut the door behind him.
Click.
With the front door closing once again, only the two of them remained inside the little house.
...
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