At the same time, in the separate dimension...
The three servant groups had already left to handle their own matters. Yet within a snow-covered mountain, a lone figure appeared once more.
Yukino had finished her work for the day, and returned to train.
Because...
"Ice Princess."
At her cold command, the three-meter-tall inhuman princess behind her parted her icy lips and exhaled a stream of frost.
The breath wasn't large. In fact, it was thin, like a single arrow of ice.
Wherever it passed, the air itself froze. The endless white snowfield crystallized instantly, jagged ice spreading rapidly along its path.
Yukino's gaze followed the stream without blinking.
Only when it reached a distant mountain and froze it solid into an ice-covered peak did she finally look away.
"So this is the limit of Absolute Demise at this stage..."
She turned to the Ice Princess standing behind her.
At first glance, the figure looked the same as ever. Silent, imposing, radiating a suffocating chill.
But only Yukino could tell something was off.
In the past, whether under her control or acting autonomously, the Ice Princess moved like a living being, responsive, fluid, never hesitating.
Now, its reactions were slower. Almost sluggish. It took a second or two before responding to commands.
Even its power had grown unstable.
She had fired that attack three times already. Each time, the output varied wildly.
At its strongest, it surpassed anything she had achieved at her peak.
At its weakest, it was inferior to the attacks she could produce with her own demonic power back when she had just reincarnated as a devil.
Something was wrong.
And it had been like this for days.
So every night after finishing her duties, Yukino had secretly returned to this dimension alone, researching and testing Absolute Demise.
Today, she finally understood why her Sacred Gear was behaving this way.
"It's standing at a crossroads... unsure which direction to take."
That was the answer.
After months of training, especially her special training in the Underworld and the recent efforts here, her control over her Sacred Gear had improved by leaps and bounds. Compared to when she first obtained it, the difference was night and day.
And as her mastery deepened, she had pushed it to its limit.
To a fork in the road.
"Sacred Gears aren't static. They can evolve with the host's will... or undergo a dramatic breakthrough through intense emotional change. That's Balance Breaker."
"My Absolute Demise is right at that threshold."
"There are two paths ahead. One is strengthening the Sacred Gear itself. The other is stepping into Balance Breaker."
Thanks to the books she had devoured in the manor library, and advice from those who had already reached Balance Breaker, she quickly grasped the situation.
Her rapid growth had caused her Sacred Gear to encounter two possible evolutions at once. Unable to choose, it had stalled, becoming unstable and sluggish.
The solution was simple.
She, as the host, had to push it decisively toward one path.
Then it would stabilize. And grow stronger.
The only question was... simple enhancement?
Or Balance Breaker?
"If it's just strengthening, that shouldn't be hard. A bit of stimulation would do."
"But to reach Balance Breaker... I'd need some kind of intense emotional upheaval."
Her brows knit together.
This kind of opportunity didn't come twice.
If she stepped forward now, she could reach that ultimate realm.
Her strength would skyrocket.
Perhaps she could reclaim her position as the strongest in Leo's servant group.
Ever since Ram, the divine child of the Oni, joined, Yukino had been pushed from her long-held top spot. Rem, after her Oni transformation, could surpass her as well. Even Ravel could wear her down with Immortal Body and elemental advantage.
It stung.
So she had worked harder than ever.
And now, she finally stood at the edge of transformation again.
If she reached Balance Breaker, defeating Ram wouldn't be impossible.
But it had to be Balance Breaker. Not just enhancement.
"An intense emotional change..."
She exhaled softly.
Missing this chance wasn't an option.
But how was she supposed to provoke such a drastic shift?
She was naturally composed. Her inner world wasn't shallow, if anything, it was rich, but her personality rarely allowed emotions to spiral out of control.
She had seen too much too young. Detached herself from too many things.
That kind of temperament didn't lend itself to emotional explosions.
"...Maybe I should pick a fight with my sister?"
The thought surfaced.
If there was one person who could reliably provoke her, it was Yukinoshita Haruno.
Haruno always knew exactly where to poke.
Infuriating. Teasing. Leaving her helpless and frustrated.
If she argued with her, she was certain she'd reach Balance Breaker on the spot.
The problem was...
"She never argues back."
Yukino knew that much.
No matter how she tried to start something, Haruno would just smile it off. Laugh it away. And she'd fail to achieve her goal, possibly even pushing Absolute Demise toward simple enhancement instead.
That would be a waste.
And ever since Yukino moved into Leo's manor as his servant, something had shifted.
Haruno used to visit often. Dropping by her apartment under the excuse of "checking on her little sister."
Now?
Haruno had all but disappeared from her life.
Even phone calls were rare. Sometimes their mother, usually distant and indifferent, would call to ask about her situation.
But Haruno...
It felt like the distance between them had suddenly stretched too far.
Yukino knew the truth.
It wasn't Haruno drifting away.
It was her.
Their worlds were no longer the same.
Haruno would inherit the Yukinoshita family, become a social elite. Perhaps marry someone of equal standing and live out a human life.
And Yukino?
She would return to the Underworld with Leo. Revive the Eligos household. Govern territory as his servant. Participate in Rating Games. Grow strong enough to stand on her own as a high-class devil.
As a King, she could one day gather her own servants. Carve out her place in the supernatural world.
A hundred years?
She wouldn't even have used up one percent of her lifespan.
When Haruno reached the end of hers... Yukino might still look like this.
She wasn't sure what she felt.
But suddenly, she wondered if her sister had felt it too.
"...I'll visit her sometime."
With a quiet sigh, she dismissed the Ice Princess and left the frozen wasteland.
If she couldn't seek out the person most likely to stir her emotions...
Then she'd seek out the next best one.
Chiba. Leo's manor.
The moment Yukino stepped out of the basement, she headed straight for Leo's room.
Soon, she stood before his door and knocked.
"Are you asleep?"
No response.
"Not here?"
She frowned and pushed the door open.
Normally she wouldn't enter someone's room uninvited.
But Leo didn't exactly knock before entering hers.
Even when she was changing or sleeping, he'd just walk in and say...
"I'm entering my servant's room. I don't need to knock, do I?"
The audacity.
The first time, she'd nearly crashed out.
If she hadn't been barely covered at the time, she absolutely would have.
Since then, she'd adopted the same habit.
She stepped inside.
Two empty cups of black tea sat on the table. Clothes were tossed aside nearby.
Then...
She heard noises from the bathroom.
As she listened, her ears turned red.
"Idiot..."
Her teeth clenched.
Before she returned, Leo had invited Asuna to bathe with him after tea.
It wasn't unprecedented.
But this time, there was no one else.
Just the two of them.
And Leo had never been particularly good at restraint.
Flustered and red-faced, Asuna had been dragged inside...
And thoroughly devoured.
Yukino could piece together the rest.
Her jaw tightened.
Then, unexpectedly, a dull ache spread through her chest.
I was the one who came first...
=-=-=-=
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