— — — — — —
Dimitrie Vatler fell into silence.
No response from Upananda.
Which could only mean—he didn't even make it back to the Otherworld. He was just… gone?
Vatler couldn't quite believe it.
Normally, when a familiar is defeated in this world, it just gets sent back to the Otherworld.
But this time, one strike. Just one hit wiped out his familiar completely?
Didn't even give it a chance to return?
"…"
Vatler's eyes grew darker.
That familiar of his wasn't some low-level creature.
If it had been the Warlord, maybe he wouldn't be surprised.
But this...?
He narrowed his eyes and studied Himeragi Yukina carefully.
This girl clearly looked like a nobody.
Was it because of that spear?
Vatler's gaze dropped to the Snowdrift Wolf in her hands.
A sudden wave of unease surged in his heart.
That spear is definitely not normal.
---
Meanwhile—
Endou was even more shocked than Vatler.
That was Yukina just now? She just took out one of Vatler's familiars in a single hit?
Holy crap.
Was that really her sweet little disciple?
Endou clicked her tongue but kept her eyes on the Snowdrift Wolf and Yukina's strange connection with it.
That last strike… she could clearly sense the energy from the "Divine Core."
But the one she remembered didn't pack that much power. That strike just now was clearly way stronger than the usual Core stuff!
When did the Snowdrift Wolf gain that kind of ability?
Endou's eyes narrowed with suspicion.
But more than that, what really caught her attention was the bond between Yukina and the spear.
Yukina just lifted her hand, and the Snowdrift Wolf flew right back to her, like it belonged there.
That scene—
It reminded Endou of the previous owner of the spear.
Fujisaka Touka.
Had Yukina really reached the same level as her already?
Maybe She has even surpassed Touka's control over the Snowdrift Wolf.
After all, Yukina had just used an ability no one had ever seen before.
Endou tried to calm her racing heart, her eyes gleaming with a strange light.
She'd only been gone for one day, and already Yukina had undergone some kind of incredible transformation.
She couldn't help but think of Lynn—the Devil King.
Had Yukina already come into contact with him?
Or maybe, had she already become one of his followers?
That thought made Endou carefully inspect Yukina from head to toe.
She even used her spiritual power to check.
"The scent of a devil…"
Endou muttered softly.
That confirmed it!
Yukina had become one of Lynn's people!
Her heart thumped uncontrollably.
Yukina… nice work!
Endou was honestly thrilled—and relieved.
Even though Lynn had never directly interacted with the Lion King Organization, the pressure he gave off was far greater than the vampire standing in front of them.
If Yukina had really become his follower, then things would go way more smoothly with the plan to have Sayaka infiltrate Lynn Group.
And besides, Endou was certain now—Yukina's sudden strength and her tighter bond with the Snowdrift Wolf were definitely tied to Lynn.
Just what the hell did he do?
They spent years training people at the Lion King Organization, and none of them grew as fast as Yukina did after spending one day with Lynn!
— — —
After some time...
Vatler also caught the scent of devil energy coming off Yukina.
His eyes twinkled with amusement, and he said teasingly, "Well, well… The Lion King Organization—supposedly humanity's top weapon—collaborating with devils now? That's a surprise."
He'd heard her call Endou "Master" earlier—loud and clear.
Endou didn't bother replying. No point explaining anything to a damn vampire.
And Vatler wasn't really expecting an answer, either.
Whether or not they were actually colluding with devils didn't concern him much.
If someone had to worry about that, it'd be the Warlord, not him.
He had only one thing on his mind—Tatakae!!(Fight!)
Vatler squinted, locking eyes on the breathless Yukina.
He thought she was just some bug on the road, but apparently, she had some serious firepower.
He spoke in a low, eerie tone. "You killed one of my precious, adorable familiars. I can't just let that slide."
As his voice trailed off—
Whoosh!
Behind him, several massive snake-like shadows began to form.
Adorable?
Yukina's lips twitched at the word.
You call that snake adorable?
She wanted to complain, but her gaze stayed sharp, locked on Vatler.
She understood clearly—this vampire was way out of her league.
That last attack had drained almost all of her magic.
And all she managed to do was take out one of his familiars.
She glanced past him—
The snake phantoms had solidified completely.
One, two, three, four.
Four massive snake familiars stared her down, their green slit-pupiled eyes glowing with menace.
Yukina: "…"
Wow.
He really thinks highly of me, huh?
"Kinryu."
Vatler's voice was cold and flat.
As soon as he spoke, one of the giant serpents—radiating golden light—shot into the air!
Then it came crashing down toward Yukina with terrifying speed!
She kicked off the ground just in time to dodge.
A second later—BOOM!
Kinryu slammed into the ground, cracking it wide open as dust flew everywhere.
Yukina raised her arms to shield her eyes.
Kinryu raised his head from the crater, shook off the dust, and began scanning for Yukina again.
Yukina tensed, trying to summon the Snowdrift Wolf's power one more time.
But—
"Nngh…"
A groan escaped her lips as she staggered.
She was running out of magic.
Endou quickly caught onto her state.
When the golden snake lunged again, Endou raised her hand, launching a golden spell to intercept it.
The next moment—
Yukina leapt to the side with the help of her teacher.
The snake's attack was dodged once again.
Vatler's eyes gleamed. "Monas," he said calmly.
Hissss~~!
Another huge black serpent roared to life at his command.
---
Endou stepped in front of Yukina.
Seeing her student completely drained of magic, she handed her a recovery potion.
But honestly, these things weren't that effective.
She sighed. "Yukina, you should fall back. This fight's way beyond you now."
She hadn't expected Yukina to take out any of Vatler's familiars, so that alone was impressive.
But Vatler just had too many.
Unexpectedly, Yukina didn't leave.
She shook her head and softly said, "He's already locked onto me."
And it was true. Even with Endou standing between them, Vatler's gaze never once left Yukina.
Endou raised an eyebrow and looked at him mockingly.
"What's this? The famous battle maniac himself, getting his kicks from bullying the weak now?"
"Weak?"
Vatler chuckled. "She's anything but weak."
The moment she killed one of his familiars, he'd already started treating her as an equal.
Endou narrowed her eyes, about to say something—but Yukina gently tugged at her sleeve.
"??"
Endou turned toward her in confusion—
Only to see Yukina quietly pull out a small can.
Was that milk?
.
.
.