Some time had passed.
On the other side of the red-light district, the territory controlled by Yukime,
inside a room on the upper floor of the White Tower, candlelight bathed the space in a dim glow.
The small flames cast long shadows across the walls, creating a calm atmosphere that sharply contrasted with the chaos outside.
Near the window, Gabriel Michaelis sat, calmly observing the city.
Lawless City was in turmoil.
Screams, clashing weapons, and the roars of ghouls echoed from every corner.
Yet Gabriel, in his Ash mode, remained seated in relaxed composure.
In front of his eyes, partially hidden behind his white bangs, a network of magical geometric circles appeared, slowly spinning.
Runes and diagrams arranged themselves like the workings of an enormous invisible mechanism.
With the power of Kamigami no Gigan, Gabriel monitored the entire city with absolute clarity.
The workers of the red-light district had been evacuated by Beatle, a white rhinoceros beetle created by Gabriel.
Cid Kagenou could be seen patrolling the city, moving from rooftop to rooftop, slipping into narrow alleys, all in his usual dramatic fashion.
Elsewhere in the city, through secret paths, Claire Kagenou and Mary made their way toward the Crimson Tower to rescue Cid.
Yukime herself was advancing toward the Crimson Tower, effortlessly clearing the ghouls that stood in her path.
Meanwhile, Beta, Number 666, and the other members of Shadow Garden were searching through the library of the tower.
Every movement unfolded like pieces in a grand strategy game—each pawn moving precisely, arranging their positions exactly as Gabriel had planned.
A faint smile appeared on Gabriel Michaelis' face.
"All the pieces are in their places," he said softly. His voice was calm, yet carried a subtle resonance, as if coming from the edge of emptiness.
"…However."
The magical circles before him slowly faded. He lowered the output of Kamigami no Gigan.
Gabriel glanced to the side, realizing he was not alone in the room.
Two of Yukime's personal attendants stood a short distance behind him: Natsu and Kana.
Natsu was a Trihantrope Cat with long brown hair reaching her back and sharp golden eyes. She wore a black-and-white kimono with a long cyan sash that draped gracefully.
Beside her, Kana—Natsu's sister—had shoulder-length black hair and wore a black yukata-style lolita kimono. Both attendants stood silently, always ready to protect their mistress.
Gabriel observed them, his mind racing.
Honestly, he didn't really need attendants—he intended to oversee everything himself.
Yet now he hesitated: should he assign them positions or roles? Or would it be better to simply let them remain still?
The question lingered in his mind—vague, yet demanding an answer.
Meanwhile, seeing Gabriel simply staring in silence, Kana and Natsu exchanged a brief glance.
Confusion was clearly visible on both of their faces.
Before heading to Crimson Tower, Yukime had given them orders to serve their Master.
Yet so far, not a single instruction had been given.
They both turned their gaze back to Gabriel.
"Pardon our forwardness," Kana said politely. "Is there something you wish for?"
"…Or perhaps we are disturbing you?" Natsu continued cautiously.
A brief silence followed.
Gabriel closed his eyes for a moment, then returned his gaze to the city outside the window—a city still engulfed in chaos.
He raised his right hand slightly, half of his body only, making a simple gesture.
"Nothing," he replied calmly. "You are not disturbing me."
"Then…" Kana hesitated for a moment before continuing, "may we ask what we should do to serve you?"
"Just bring me something to drink," Gabriel answered succinctly.
The expressions on the two servants immediately brightened.
Finally, an order had been given.
Without hesitation, Natsu lightly bowed and left the room to prepare a drink for Gabriel.
Moments later, Natsu returned carrying a tray. On it sat a sake bottle and several small cups.
Kana stepped forward promptly.
With smooth, practiced movements, she poured the sake from the bottle into one of the cups and presented it to Gabriel Michaelis.
Gabriel took the cup.
Yet two things made him pause for a moment.
First, the way Natsu and Kana worked together in serving him was surprisingly seamless—their movements perfectly complementing each other without a word spoken.
Second…
Why sake?
Gabriel's mind raced. Sake meant… alcohol. And he was notoriously bad with drinks like this.
Suddenly, an old memory surfaced unbidden.
His cheeks flushed slightly.
That kiss… with Shizuka… had been unexpectedly sensual. Strange—it felt warm and soft, as if the sensation lingered in his memory.
Gabriel quickly shook his head, pushing away the memories that had suddenly surfaced.
In front of him, Kana watched his reaction with a hint of concern.
"Is there something wrong with the drink?" she asked cautiously.
"No," Gabriel replied briefly.
He glanced at the contents of the cup for a moment.
After all… now I'm far stronger than before.
My body should have developed a resistance to alcohol.
With that thought, Gabriel lifted the cup without hesitation—and took a sip.
The liquid flowed down Gabriel Michaelis's throat.
He froze immediately.
His head slowly drooped, white hair falling to obscure part of his face.
Several seconds passed without a single word.
Behind him, Natsu and Kana exchanged glances again—this time with slightly worried expressions.
"Is… it not to your liking?" Kana asked cautiously.
Gabriel did not respond immediately.
After a moment, pale white mana began to flow from the tips of his robe.
Kana and Natsu flinched.
Their bodies tensed reflexively, ready for the worst-case scenario.
But the mana mist did not spread wildly.
Instead, it coalesced.
It swirled.
It solidified.
Slowly, it transformed into small white dragonflies.
Some hovered inside the room, while others flew out through the window—scattering across the city sky like living shards of light.
***
"Hahaha!"
Unrestrained laughter echoed through the chaos.
The swing of a massive sword cut down ghoul after ghoul without mercy. Each strike shattered them as if they were nothing more than fragile clumps of mud.
Flesh, internal organs, and blood splattered across the ground, filling the air with a thick, metallic stench.
"You worthless scum, get out of my way!"
Amid the streets littered with ghoul corpses, a man with a wild grin slashed through them one by one—like cutting butter with a hot knife.
The man was Juggernaut.
The Tyrant.
Leader of the Black Tower in Lawless City—and the rival of the White Tower.
His body was enormous, towering and muscular. His skin was tanned, and his brown hair styled into long black dreadlocks.
His black eyes were sharp, like an eagle ready to pounce on its prey.
He wore all black—an outfit covering only his back, a fur-lined black scarf, gloves, pants, and shoes.
In his hands, he swung a colossal sword, nearly as tall as a man, with effortless power.
Not far from there, Yukime stood gracefully.
With a single sweep of her fan, a wave of mana-infused power struck a group of ghouls.
Their bodies shattered into pieces instantly.
But it wasn't just the ghouls who were affected.
The attack also swept over Juggernaut.
Though not strong enough to destroy him, the force still sent his massive body flying.
BOOM!
Juggernaut slammed through three buildings at once, breaking through walls and leaving enormous holes.
Dust and debris filled the air.
A few seconds later, from within the clouds of dust, the massive figure shot out.
The colossal sword was raised high.
SLASH—!!
A devastating horizontal strike tore through the air with brutal force.
But before the strike could actually reach its target—Yukime had already moved.
Thanks to the principles of Ki she had learned from Gabriel, she could sense the intent of the attack even before it fully materialized.
Her body rotated lightly.
The movement was smooth—like someone dancing.
The massive sword's strike cut through empty air.
As she moved, the conical hat with its long trailing cloth swayed gently, while the beautiful kimono she wore fluttered softly with the turn of her body.
An elegant maneuver.
But at the end of that movement—
WHAP!
The iron fan in her hand struck Juggernaut's face with force.
The blow was strong enough to send the giant's body flying again.
BOOM!
He slammed into another building, sending clouds of dust and debris into the air.
From within the rubble came a frustrated growl.
A few seconds later, Juggernaut rose, brushing the dust off his massive body.
His face showed irritation, but the wild grin remained etched on his lips.
"Tch…"
He shrugged as if he had just taken a light hit.
"Your sneaky tricks never change, you damn fox."
His eyes narrowed sharply, staring at Yukime.
Yukime partially covered her face with the fan, her eyes narrowing with mockery.
"Ara~ the word 'sneaky' coming from your mouth really pollutes the air."
A faint smile curved her lips.
"Besides…"
Her fan slowly opened again.
"If someone your size can still be slapped repeatedly by a small fan like this…"
Her eyes sparkled with sarcasm.
"…perhaps the problem isn't with your opponent's cunning, Old Man."
She tilted her head slightly.
"Maybe it's with your head being too stiff to think."
Juggernaut kept his wild grin.
He raised his massive sword, pointing it straight at Yukime.
"Your mouth keeps getting sharper, fox," he jeered, shrugging his shoulders. Dust and debris fell from his enormous body.
His eyes narrowed, flashing a savage gleam.
"But I like people who talk too much."
The giant sword slowly lifted to rest on his shoulder.
"Usually, it's the head that's the most satisfying to cut."
His grin widened, revealing brutal delight bordering on madness.
"Let's see… how hard your head is when it's separated from your neck."
___
Author's Note:
Hehehe~
Sorry everyone. I've been busy for the past few days and haven't had time to write, translate, or revise. 😅
There will be more additions tomorrow. Don't forget to give me your Power Stone, add it to your favorites, leave a comment, and rate it 😏
By the way, I have plans to make an 18+ fancic, so please check it out later~