"So you really are here, Koyomi Shizuka."
A petite figure appeared out of thin air, descending lightly to the ground. She lifted her head and fixed a fierce glare on the braided woman before her, teeth clenched as she spoke.
"Natsuki Minamiya, what do you want with me?"
Recognizing the petite "giant loli" in front of her, Koyomi Shizuka replied in her usual calm, indifferent tone.
"Hah? You're asking me?"
The question made Natsuki Minamiya laugh in irritation. She had gone through considerable effort to extract a rough outline of the Lion King Organization's plan from Yukina Himeragi, deducing from it that Koyomi Shizuka must be staying close to Kojou Akatsuki under the pretense of monitoring or protecting him. After tracking down Kojou Akatsuki's location through her own investigation, she had rushed over here in a hurry… only to be asked something like this.
Natsuki Minamiya thrust her hand forward and clenched it. Several Magic Circles formed in midair, and golden chains shot out from them.
"You people from the Lion King Organization teamed up with a group of terrorists to stir up trouble on my turf without even informing me. You almost got a whole group of my subordinates killed, and you're asking me what I want?"
Sensing the hostility radiating from Natsuki Minamiya, Koyomi Shizuka drew her weapon, but still refrained from striking first.
"If you're this angry simply because you weren't informed, Natsuki Minamiya, then as one of the Three Saints, I can offer you an apology on behalf of the Lion King Organization and provide compensation."
"That's it?"
"?"
Seeing the genuine confusion on Koyomi Shizuka's face only made the anger in Natsuki Minamiya's chest burn hotter.
"Do you even realize? Because of your Lion King Organization's plan, my subordinates suffered heavy casualties."
"…That was a necessary sacrifice."
Koyomi Shizuka turned her head slightly, showing a hint of unease at the accusation.
"Was it really worth letting that many people die for a Fourth Primogenitor?"
"I had no authority to oppose this plan. And you agreed to the previous operation as well. What's the point of saying this now?"
"…That's exactly why I regret it."
After a brief silence, Natsuki Minamiya's voice grew subdued.
"So what if you regret it? Kojou Akatsuki's identity as the Fourth Primogenitor means he could never live an ordinary life. His existence will draw all kinds of people and crises. The only thing we can do is make him adapt early. You should understand that better than anyone."
"No. There was no need to go this far…"
Her answer was firm and decisive.
"I've gathered information. It seems the Primogenitors of the Three Dominions are planning to take Kojou Akatsuki in and raise him themselves. So I don't need to agree with your plan. I just need to bring Kojou Akatsuki to the Three Primogenitors…"
"No…"
For the first time, Koyomi Shizuka's steady tone wavered as she cut her off.
"You can't do that. Kojou Akatsuki carries the power of the Fourth Primogenitor, and he's a member of the Akatsuki family. He cannot leave Japan."
"Hah…"
Letting out a breath, Natsuki Minamiya smiled at her, though her voice was ice-cold.
"I never said Kojou Akatsuki would be the only one expelled from Itogami Island. I'm expelling your Lion King Organization as well. I'll drive every last one of you out of Itogami Island."
The moment her words fell, a Magic Circle appeared behind Koyomi Shizuka. Golden chains shot out from it, lashing toward her, colliding with each other mid-flight and ringing with sharp metallic clanks.
"Clang!"
This attack, barely even worthy of being called a sneak attack, naturally couldn't harm Koyomi Shizuka. She smoothly flipped her spear and knocked the chains aside with a crisp sound.
But just as she deflected them—her body still in the motion of that strike—metallic clashes rang out simultaneously from behind her, as well as from her left and right.
Clearly, Natsuki Minamiya understood the limitations of her initial attack. The Koyomi Shizuka before her was not an opponent she could defeat so easily.
The first strike had only been bait. Taking advantage of the moment when Koyomi Shizuka had yet to recover her stance or launch a new move, the second wave was the true killing blow.
This was the power of spatial manipulation. As long as the enemy wasn't prepared in advance, attacks could come from all directions at once. This near-unsolvable fighting style, combined with the legendary Laeding—chains said to have been forged by the gods and possessing immense power—was what earned Natsuki Minamiya her title as the "Witch of the Void."
Faced with what seemed like a dead end, Koyomi Shizuka simply narrowed her eyes.
In the next instant, her figure vanished. A silver spear pierced straight through Natsuki Minamiya's chest. Behind her, Koyomi Shizuka stood with the spear in hand, its blade driven clean through her body.
"I knew it wouldn't be that easy to take you down!"
Natsuki Minamiya glanced at the silver spearhead protruding from her chest and let out a quiet sigh. Then her expression tightened, and several chains shot out simultaneously from around Koyomi Shizuka.
"Clang…!"
The chains struck nothing. Koyomi Shizuka, along with the silver spear, disappeared again and reappeared right in front of her.
The two wounds on Natsuki Minamiya's body showed no sign of bleeding. Instead, a purple glow shimmered at the openings, and within seconds, they completely healed without a trace.
"As one of the Three Saints, you should know this. My true body is guarding the prison and cannot move, so the one you see now is just a Magical Power puppet.
That means unless I'm hit by a large-scale attack capable of destroying my entire body, I can repair myself with only a small amount of Magical Power.
And unfortunately for you, Koyomi Shizuka, you're a Sword Shaman who specializes in high burst damage but lacks wide-area attacks.
So how about surrendering? With such a hard counter against you, you don't stand a chance. Give up, and it'll be better for everyone."
That was precisely why Natsuki Minamiya had chosen to appear directly in front of her. To defeat Koyomi Shizuka, one needed either "unbreakable defense" or "absolute immortality."
"Paper Noise." No defensive magic or evasive technique could stop it. With Time Stasis, even a top-tier Attack Mage could unleash enough destructive power to break through SS-class defenses.
Though she spoke casually, trying to persuade her to surrender, Natsuki Minamiya was far from relaxed. While she countered Koyomi Shizuka, Koyomi Shizuka also countered her.
Her wide-range spatial attacks were completely ineffective against someone who had mastered "Paper Noise." As long as Koyomi Shizuka used it, she could easily evade her attacks within the frozen-time world.
If Koyomi Shizuka refused to surrender, even if Natsuki Minamiya won, she would likely be stabbed dozens of times first.
Koyomi Shizuka said nothing. She simply lifted the silver spear in her hand slightly and aimed it at Natsuki Minamiya.
Seeing this, Natsuki Minamiya let out a small sigh as the golden chains around her writhed like a nest of snakes.
Their eyes met, tension crackling in the air. Neither moved, both waiting for the other to make the first move.
"Boom!"
The sudden explosion startled them both. Each thought the other had made the first move, their attacks already on the verge of being unleashed.
But they quickly realized the explosion hadn't come from either of them. It was from outside.
Relying on her nature, Natsuki Minamiya moved first, rushing to the window and looking toward the source of the blast.
The building where Kojou Akatsuki lived was engulfed in roaring flames. Three security guards lay on the ground, while several Beastman had bound Kojou Akatsuki and were hurriedly loading him into a vehicle before fleeing the scene.
"Has your plan already begun!?"
Recognizing the Beastman as members of the terrorist group she had been investigating, Natsuki Minamiya immediately connected this to the Lion King Organization's plan and turned to question Koyomi Shizuka.
Koyomi Shizuka gave no answer. She simply looked at her in silence.
And to Natsuki Minamiya, that silence was answer enough.
"Damn it!"
Cursing under her breath, Natsuki Minamiya activated her spatial magic, intending to rescue Kojou Akatsuki immediately.
Darkness swallowed her vision as space twisted and shifted. Then sunlight poured back in but what appeared before her was still Koyomi Shizuka, holding her silver spear.
What's going on?!
Realizing something was wrong, Natsuki Minamiya instinctively tried to teleport again. But after the brief distortion cleared, the person standing before her was still Koyomi Shizuka.
"What did you do to me?!"
Locking onto the obvious culprit, Magical Power flickered in Natsuki Minamiya's eyes as she fixed her gaze on Koyomi Shizuka.
"Nothing much. I just applied a Divine Oscillation Effect Spell to your body, so you can't use spatial movement."
Koyomi Shizuka casually brushed her hair aside as she explained.
The Divine Oscillation Effect is a spell embedded in Yukina Himeragi's Schneewalzer, "Sekkarou," that dispels magical power.
In theory, having such a spell attached to the body was actually beneficial for most people. As long as they controlled their Magical Power carefully and avoided the spell's interference, it was basically like gaining free immunity to magic.
But Natsuki Minamiya was a different case.
The spell prevented her from coating her entire body with Magical Power. And without that full-body coverage, spatial movement was impossible. Forcing a teleport would only result in her body being torn apart.
"Remove that spell. I don't want to fight you right now."
Realizing she had been set up, Natsuki Minamiya immediately demanded that Koyomi Shizuka undo it.
"Sorry. This is my mission."
"You can't beat me."
"I don't need to beat you. I just need to stall you."
"Why go this far to hold me back instead of letting me go? Aren't you worried things will spiral out of control?"
"It doesn't matter. The Primogenitor is immortal. No matter how bad things get, it won't be the end. At worst, we just start over. Eventually, we'll succeed."
"..."
After several failed attempts to persuade her, irritation began to show on Natsuki Minamiya's face. She narrowed her eyes, killing intent flashing within them as Magical Power surged behind her.
"Do you really think I wouldn't kill you?"
"You're welcome to try."
"Fine. If you want to die, I'll grant it…"
The Magical Power behind Natsuki Minamiya gathered and condensed, gradually forming the outline of a golden humanoid figure. As more power poured into it, a knight clad in golden armor emerged from the void.
"Awaken, Rheingold."
The moment Natsuki Minamiya spoke the name with an air of authority, her presence surged several times over.
So this is the Witch's guardian… it really is powerful. Looks like I'm going to take a beating.
Tightening her grip on the silver spear, Koyomi Shizuka felt the overwhelming Magical Power and gave a wry smile inwardly.
Then… she made the first move.
…
"BOOM!"
The sudden explosion snapped Yukina Himeragi out of her drowsiness, her mind instantly sharpening as she seized the moment she had been waiting for.
A building engulfed in flames. Security personnel sprawled on the ground. Civilians trembling in fear. And Kojou Akatsuki, bound in ropes, being hauled into a van by several Beastmen.
She took it all in at a glance.
Her chance had come.
Seeing Kojou Akatsuki being loaded into the van while still tied up, Yukina Himeragi's eyes lit up. She had been struggling to figure out how to infiltrate unnoticed, but now that problem had solved itself.
Gripping her Sekkarou, she prepared to intercept the van.
"Boom!"
Another explosion rang out. Yukina instinctively turned toward the sound.
That was… Sayaka Kirasaka's surveillance point!
No. Sayaka is in danger!
Abandoning the pursuit of Kojou Akatsuki without hesitation, Yukina pivoted and sprinted toward Sayaka Kirasaka.
She had planned to kill Kojou Akatsuki for Sayaka's sake in the first place. If that very target ended up putting Sayaka's life in danger, it would defeat the whole purpose.
The assassination point she had chosen wasn't far from Sayaka's location to begin with. With the support of her Spiritual Energy, it took her only a few dozen seconds to reach the building.
Vaulting over the rooftop railing, she dropped straight down. Recalling the floor where the explosion had occurred, she lashed out with her right leg midair as she reached it.
"Crack!"
Glass shattered as Yukina Himeragi burst through the window.
But Sayaka Kirasaka had no time to notice her.
Inside, several Beastmen lay collapsed on the ground. Sayaka, her body stained with blood, was gripping her Heavy Demon-Purging Bow Type Six, Der Freischütz, "Lustrous Scale," using it to block a massive blade swung at her by a Beastman.
"Clang!"
She managed to stop the heavy strike, but the force of the impact sent her staggering backward several steps.
Before she could regain her footing, the Beastman pressed the attack, charging forward and swinging its greatsword again. Sayaka hastily raised her weapon to block, but the overwhelming strength forced her back against the wall.
With nowhere left to retreat, she braced herself and struggled head-on against the Beastman's strength.
At that moment, another Beastman lunged in, its claws slashing toward her face.
Sayaka tried to dodge, but she was pinned by the blade-wielding Beastman in front of her. Unable to move, she resisted the instinct to shut her eyes and could only watch as the claws came at her.
At the critical moment, Yukina Himeragi threw her Sekkarou, piercing straight through the sword-wielding Beastman's throat.
The crushing force vanished instantly.
Sayaka shoved the corpse away, then twisted her body along the trajectory of the incoming claw strike to evade it. Her hand slid to her inner thigh, drawing an arrow, which she drove upward without hesitation—piercing through the clawed Beastman's heart.
"Yukina!"
"Sayaka!"
The two reunited.
...
At the same time that Natsuki Minamiya was awakening the Rheingold…
"Achoo… Is someone talking about me?"