Leaning against the window and watching the stream of people outside, Nagisa Akatsuki greeted him listlessly.
"Hey, Kojou, when do you think we'll be able to get out of here?"
Hearing the question she'd been asking every day since they arrived, Kojou Akatsuki forced an awkward smile.
"Soon. Really, soon."
Getting the exact same answer as the day before, Nagisa Akatsuki pouted. She knew he was just brushing her off. Normally, she would have complained a bit, but today, maybe because she had been stuck here for too long, she did not even have the energy to argue. She simply leaned against the window, letting her thoughts drift.
Seriously, can't something big just happen so I can slip out during the chaos? If I stay here any longer, my body is going to rust.
She grumbled inwardly, but she knew it was nothing more than wishful thinking. She would still have to stay in this freezer room for quite a while.
…Come to think of it, how is Kojou able to stay here?
Tilting her head, she glanced at the high-powered freezer unit mounted on the wall, her brows knitting in confusion.
The temperature in this room had already dropped to dozens of degrees below zero. Even with her body strengthened through Shrine Maiden training under her grandmother, she still needed to wear multiple layers to endure it.
So how was Kojou Akatsuki, an ordinary person, able to sleep here?
No, more importantly, how could any normal person recover in a place like this? Under normal circumstances, they would freeze to death overnight.
Yet Kojou Akatsuki treated this freezing environment like room temperature. If anything, he seemed to think it was not cold enough, wearing nothing but a thin hospital gown.
Nagisa Akatsuki had noticed this from the moment they arrived. But at the time, being told she could not leave for a while distracted her. After that, she had been too busy complaining every day to think about it again.
Now that things had quieted down, the question resurfaced immediately.
Turning slightly to block Kojou Akatsuki's view, a curious glint flickered in her eyes. She raised her right hand and began tracing a rune on the wall, one her grandmother had taught her.
She had always suspected there was more to Kojou Akatsuki than he let on.
Back when he said he had no talent, she had not doubted him. At the time, she thought her family was completely ordinary, and having even one person with talent, herself, already seemed lucky enough.
That belief shattered when her mother took her to meet her grandmother, Hisano Akatsuki.
Only then did she learn that her family was actually a Shrine Maiden lineage. Her father, Gajou Akatsuki, was the famed "Returned One of the City of the Dead" in the mystical world. Her grandmother had once been a high-ranking member of Japan's special agency. Her mother, Mimori Akatsuki, was both a senior figure in the MAR medical department and a psychic.
She had been completely stunned.
All her life, she had thought they were just a normal family. Her parents were rarely home due to work, so she had taken care of everything herself, cleaning, laundry, cooking, even looking after her older brother, and she had done it willingly.
Then suddenly, she found out she was basically one of the most prominent second-generation figures in Japan, with countless high-ranking officials owing her grandmother favors.
What kind of ridiculous situation was that?
Nagisa Akatsuki's first reaction had been wanting to strangle her parents.
Is this how you treat your own kids? Would it kill you to hire a nanny?
After venting in her mind, doubt followed.
No one in her family was ordinary. So was her older brother, Kojou Akatsuki, really as simple as he seemed?
She had her suspicions, but without proof, she could only hold back judgment.
But now, she might finally have evidence.
A smile crept onto her lips. Her fingers moved across the wall, guiding Magical Power as she carefully traced the rune, stroke by stroke.
Just as she was about to complete it...
"Boom!"
A violent explosion erupted at the doorway. The shockwave disrupted her movements, and both siblings instinctively raised their arms to shield their eyes.
Before the Akatsuki siblings could react, a group of Beastmen poured in through the blasted opening. Wearing goggles, they were unaffected by the black smoke and immediately locked onto everyone in the room.
All of them rushed straight toward Kojou Akatsuki.
The one at the front swung his arm and hurled a sphere engraved with Magic Circles.
Through the narrow gap between his fingers, Kojou Akatsuki caught sight of the incoming attackers. Realizing they meant harm, Magical Power surged within him as he prepared to summon his Beast Vassal.
"Thud!"
The sphere struck him.
It instantly unfolded, several anchoring points extending and piercing into Kojou Akatsuki's body. Then, the restless Beast Vassals inside him fell silent.
The seemingly endless Magical Power vanished from his senses.
"Gah..."
He did not even have time to react.
The Beastmen had already closed in. The two leading attackers moved in sync. One drove a punch into Kojou Akatsuki's abdomen, while the other struck the back of his head with a knife-hand.
One blow robbed him of the ability to fight. The other took his consciousness.
In a seamless combination, Kojou Akatsuki collapsed on the spot, completely unconscious.
The Beastmen behind them were only a step slower. Each of them took out restraints and quickly fastened them onto Kojou Akatsuki with practiced efficiency.
Each of the Beastmen carried out their roles in perfect coordination. The entire process took less than three seconds. In that short span of time, Kojou Akatsuki went from a powerful fighter capable of wielding a Primogenitor's Beast Vassal to a completely immobilized captive, unable to move a single muscle.
After finishing, the Beastmen exchanged glances, clearly surprised at how smoothly everything had gone.
But they quickly got moving again, lifting Kojou Akatsuki and preparing to leave.
"Hey, where are you taking Kojou?!"
Nagisa Akatsuki's voice rang out. A phantom rune pierced through the dense black smoke and struck the Beastman at the very back. The impact sent him flying on the spot. Although his strong vitality kept him from dying immediately, he was completely incapacitated.
Everything had happened too quickly. Nagisa Akatsuki still had not fully processed what was going on, but the moment she saw them trying to take her brother, she acted without hesitation.
Realizing she was not the staff member they had assumed, the Beastmen exchanged looks. The one who had been leading stepped forward.
"You guys take the Fourth Primogenitor and leave. Don't let the Island Guard catch you. I'll deal with her."
At the command, the Beastmen immediately rushed toward the exit with Kojou Akatsuki.
"Don't take Ko…"
Nagisa Akatsuki dashed forward to stop them, but before she could finish, the sound of something slicing through the air reached her ears.
Sensing danger, she abandoned the attempt and leapt back, narrowly dodging the incoming punch from a Beastman.
"Tch, looks like I have to deal with you first."
The Beastman assigned to cover their retreat did not pause after missing his strike. He pressed forward, launching another attack, his fist carrying tremendous force.
Nagisa Akatsuki frowned, unwilling to be held up any longer. Gritting her teeth, a trace of reluctance flashed through her mind as two peculiar talismans appeared in her hands. She pressed them firmly against her palms. A white glow flared from the talismans and spread across her entire arms.
Feeling the surge of power, she fixed her gaze on the charging Beastman and threw a heavy punch to meet him head-on.
"Crack…"
The sound of bones breaking rang out from the Beastman's arm. They held for barely a second before he was sent flying, smashing straight through the wall. Large chunks of debris broke loose and came crashing down onto his body.
The falling stones crushed him with ease. His entire body was mangled, flesh torn apart, parts of him reduced to pulp.
Blood splattered everywhere, staining the floor and walls. His limbs twitched weakly. He was clearly beyond saving.
That strike was not without cost. The recoil forced Nagisa Akatsuki back three steps. Her head throbbed as if it were splitting apart, and both her arms trembled violently, swollen and numb.
Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself and rushed toward the exit, determined to chase after the Beastmen and take Kojou Akatsuki back.
But the moment she stepped through the doorway, a massive boulder shot out from the rubble where the Beastman had crashed earlier.
Caught completely off guard, Nagisa Akatsuki had no time to dodge. She hastily raised her arms, relying on the power of the talismans to block the incoming blow.
The moment she made contact, Nagisa Akatsuki's expression changed drastically. The force carried by the boulder far exceeded the strength she had just clashed with. This was no longer something she could withstand.
The impact sent her flying. She hit the ground and rolled several times before barely managing to steady herself.
Looking up, she saw the Beastman who had looked on the verge of death just moments ago now standing again. His muscles swelled, split apart, then fused back together in an instant. His entire body had turned into a grotesque mass of writhing flesh.
"Clink!"
From what could still be recognized as his head, a glass bottle was spat out. It fell to the ground and rolled a few times. Inside, a red pill still remained. It was obvious that this was what had caused the Beastman to transform into such a state.
"Roar…"
A deafening roar erupted from the Beastman as he charged at Nagisa Akatsuki at a speed she could not react to, raising his claws high.
The roar shook her mind. Nagisa Akatsuki froze on the spot. By the time she regained her senses, the incoming fist was already right in front of her.
Faced with an attack she could neither dodge nor block, a golden light burst from her blue eyes.
...
"Ha... ha... ha..."
Yukina Himeragi and Sayaka Kirasaka stood back to back, facing off against more than a dozen Beastmen surrounding them.
Unlike the earlier group that had bypassed Sayaka Kirasaka's detection spell and launched a close-range ambush while she was alone, the situation now was different.
One was a Sword Shaman, the other a Shrine Maiden. One excelled at long range, the other in close combat. On top of that, their coordination was seamless. For the moment, the Beastmen did not dare to advance.
Sayaka Kirasaka shot Yukina Himeragi a glance, signaling her intent to break through. The space was far too cramped. She could not move freely, and she did not dare use high-powered arrows for fear of causing a collapse.
The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she became.
Yesterday's situation with Yukina Himeragi was understandable. They knew each other too well. Without prior awareness or time to adjust, sneaking up on one another was not difficult for either of them.
But how had these Beastmen managed to bypass her techniques, conceal their presence, and get close to her without her noticing?
If the exit had not been blocked and the room was not so confined, forcing her into close combat, she could have wiped them out on her own. She would not have needed Yukina Himeragi's help.
After all, she had always maintained the image of a dependable older sister in front of Yukina Himeragi. Ending up in such a sorry state and needing to be rescued was downright humiliating.
A light touch came from her shoulder. Sensing Yukina Himeragi's response, Sayaka Kirasaka moved.
Lowering her stance, Yukina Himeragi gripped her silver spear and rushed toward the Beastmen. At almost the same moment, Sayaka Kirasaka drew three arrows from her inner thigh, nocked them, pulled the string, and released in one smooth motion.
In just a few steps, Yukina Himeragi had already reached the front of the Beastmen. She raised her silver spear high and swung it down in a sweeping strike.
Drawn by Yukina Himeragi, the Beastmen focused their attacks on her. But before they could act, Sayaka Kirasaka's arrows had already arrived. While still in midair, the arrowheads transformed.
The three arrows linked together, triggering a reaction. A powerful electric current instantly spread across all the Beastmen.
Their bodies froze momentarily under the shock. Seizing that instant, Yukina Himeragi altered her swing, and a streak of white light burst from the spear tip.
"I, Sword Shaman of the High God and priestess of the Lion, beseech thee. Dawn light of exorcism, spirit wolf of snowy mist, grant me the divine might of thy steel, that I may smite a hundred evil spirits!"
With the rapid chant completed, the blocked exit was blasted open. The Beastmen in the path were thrown aside by Spiritual Energy, wounds tearing across their bodies. Those at the center were killed outright.
"Let's go!"
Grabbing Yukina Himeragi's hand, Sayaka Kirasaka pulled her forward and dashed toward the exit.
"Step!"
The moment she crossed the doorway, she stopped.
Her pupils shrank, her body trembling as she stared at the figure before her.
A tall, muscular man stood there, his body bearing three heads, each wearing an expression of interest.
"How amusing!"
"That useless Beastman said he only needed to capture one person, but there are actually two here. Even better."
"Can I kill one? Can I kill one? Being ordered around by that useless Beastman and not even being allowed to kill is so boring."
The three heads spoke over one another, even starting to argue, barely paying attention to them.
But Sayaka Kirasaka did not dare move.
An overwhelming pressure radiated from the man, pressing down on her.
It looked like there were countless ways out, but in truth, every path led to death.
"Hello, my name is Aži Dahāka. I'm a Heavenly Dragon."
"Enough nonsense. Whoever has that document gets to live."
The left and right heads began arguing again. Only when the previously electrocuted Beastmen recovered and stepped forward to stand behind him did the middle head intervene.
"Alright, stop arguing. You two heard it. Whoever has the Lion King Organization credentials gets to live."
His voice carried a strange, enticing quality that amplified their instinct to survive. The two of them were almost compelled to speak.
"Boom!"
Another explosion rang out, accompanied by a bone-chilling cold.
The sudden chill ran through their bodies, snapping them back to their senses.
...
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