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Kuoh Academy.
Rias, Sona, and the others were tightly bound with rope and tossed aside like bundled cargo, thrown into a barrier formation infused with anti-devil toxins.
Just as Anos had predicted, Kuroka had no intention of killing them.
She and the members of Vali's team understood something very clearly—
First, Rias and Sona were not inherently evil.
Second, if anything serious happened to them, the two Maou would pursue the perpetrators to the ends of the earth.
And that kind of pursuit would not end well.
A hostage was most valuable while alive.
In truth, if Rias and the others had not resisted so fiercely, Kuroka would not have gone this far.
"Kuroka, give it up, Koneko isn't going with you. Once my brother arrives, this ends."
Though weakened, Rias' voice remained unyielding.
In her mind, Koneko and Kuroka should not stay together.
A house cat was a house cat.
A stray was a stray.
They were not meant to live the same life.
"Oh my~"
"And as for this Maou you mentioned?"
"If Shirone doesn't show up within the time limit, I'll just have to take all of you with me, meow~"
Kuroka stepped in front of Rias, smiling as she flexed her fingers in a subtle clawing motion.
As if to say misbehave again, and I might scratch that pretty face.
"…."
Rias fell silent.
She knew Koneko well enough to predict the choice she would make, She had only hoped to shake Kuroka's resolve.
"Oh, right." Kuroka tilted her head slightly. "Do you know anything about the man standing beside Shirone?"
"…"
Rias turned her face away.
There was no chance she would reveal Anos' identity. Instead, she quietly searched for an opportunity to escape.
If it had only been Kuroka, she and Sona's peerage might have stood a chance.
But now…
She had already witnessed the difference in strength, Even so, she was not the type to abandon hope simply because it was slim.
"Oh?"
Kuroka suddenly glanced toward the academy gates.
She sensed something familiar.
Shirone's presence.
Just as she expected her little sister had come, prepared to sacrifice herself.
"Koneko, don't—"
"Smack!"
Before Rias could finish, Kuroka casually sealed her mouth with a binding talisman.
Now was not the time for interruptions.
"Hm? And there's another unfamiliar male aura, that must be him."
As a master of senjutsu and a top-tier nekomata, Kuroka's perception was razor-sharp.
This time, she sensed three approaching presences.
Shirone.
The man called Anos.
And Arthur's little sister—Le Fay.
Le Fay seemed to be walking ahead, almost like she was leading them.
That was Kuroka's assumption.
Reality, however, was very different.
The moment she laid eyes on Le Fay—
Her composure nearly shattered.
Le Fay was tied up.
Bound.
And the man held the rope.
"…Wait... I'm not seeing this wrong, am I, Bikou?"
Kuroka rubbed her eyes.
"Nope! My eyes have never lied to me."
Bikou, the current inheritor of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, stared hard.
He saw it clearly.
Le Fay was restrained, The rope was in that man's hand.
The binding style was… elaborate.
A little too elaborate.
Though Le Fay was far less developed than Rias, making the overall visual impact less provocative, it was still unmistakably improper.
"Th-This can't be right, Le Fay's at least rated as a mid-level mage. She can summon contracted spirits…"
Bikou scratched his head in disbelief.
Because right now—
Le Fay looked completely kidnapped.
They were the ones who had taken hostages.
So how had this turned into mutual hostage-taking?
"Kuroka!"
The young man holding the rope called out calmly.
"How about we make a trade?"
The faint smile on his face made Kuroka grit her teeth.
She had not expected Shirone's companion to be this capable, He had kidnapped one of their own and come to negotiate.
And judging by that intricate ropework—
Kuroka came to one firm conclusion.
This man was absolutely not a good person.
—
"Um… Anos-oniichan? Isn't this a little too tight?"
Still some distance away, Le Fay whispered over her shoulder.
This posture was mortifying.
She did not know what this binding style was called, but her instincts screamed humiliation.
"Well, Le Fay, bear with it a little longer. Our goal is the same, isn't it?"
Anos smiled gently.
"…Right... I'll do my best."
Yes.
Le Fay had agreed to cooperate.
Under Anos's persuasion, she had willingly taken on the role of inside agent.
"Hey... You there."
Kuroka's playful tone carried a dangerous edge.
"Would you mind releasing Le Fay? Otherwise, I can't guarantee what might happen to the Gremory princess, meow~"
Though her words were light, her eyes were anything but.
She despised men who laid hands on young girls.
Completely unaware—
That the young girl in question had already switched sides.
"Don't call me 'you there.' I do have a name."
Anos smiled calmly.
"It's Anos Kanzaki."
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