"Sorry, mind if I say a few words?"
The voice rang out suddenly from atop the Keystone Gate, carrying to both Kaiser and Giada. At the same time, two vast magic circles spread open across the tower's highest level.
From them poured overwhelming magic—power on par with Giada's, even rivaling Nagisa Akatsuki's (Avrora's) eruption moments ago.
And then, two figures stepped forth.
Both were impossible to overlook.
"Pardon the intrusion. I hope you'll forgive me," said the first with the same booming voice from before. He looked around twenty-five, tall and lean at nearly two meters, dressed in a uniform-like outfit, a dragon tattoo curling over his left shoulder. With short hair, one hand shoved in his pocket, the other raised casually in greeting, his broad grin made him look more like a friendly neighbor than an ancient king.
"Looks like we made it… just in time," the second spoke slowly. She seemed even younger—fifteen or sixteen at most. Dressed in an opulent crimson and gold gown, her long twin ponytails glowed violet, framing a pale, flawless face and eyes that burned red. A beautiful vampire girl.
Before Kaiser or Giada could react, the spectators already on scene lost all composure.
"Y-Your Majesty, why are you here?!"
Aradahl had somehow arrived at the Keystone Gate, staring at the grinning short-haired man with visible panic.
Dimitrie Vatler too appeared, astonishment flashing in his eyes before he immediately bowed.
"Well, well. If it isn't our most revered First Progenitor—the Lost Warlord himself!"
Yes.
The short-haired man was none other than the ruler of the Warlord's Domain, Europe's sovereign, chief architect of the Sacred Treaty between humans and the demon race—the First Progenitor, the Lost Warlord, Ki Juranbarada.
"Your Majesty!"
Iblisveil staggered upward on wings of magic, face paling as her gaze fell on the red-gowned girl.
The ruler of the Extinction Dynasty. The undisputed mistress of West Asia. A recluse wrapped in mystery even among the three Progenitors, her true appearance and movements hidden from nearly all her kin—the Second Progenitor, the Eye of Extinction, Aswad-Guul Aziz.
"…Ki and Aswad? Even you two came personally?"
Giada's tone soured as she glared at her peers, as if she'd already guessed their intentions.
"Yo, you look like hell, Giada," Ki said cheerfully, waving. "Figures. If I hadn't come, you'd probably be dead by now, right?"
He had sensed her crisis and, from the Warlord's Domain, launched a massive space-jump ritual, teleporting directly to Itogami Island.
"Pathetic… truly pathetic, Giada," Aswad mocked, her voice laced with cruel amusement, more like gloating than rescue.
The sight of all three Progenitors together left even Vatler, Aradahl, and Iblisveil stiff and silent. Across the world, those watching through magic, artifacts, or sorcery fell into awe-struck fear.
And when you counted the Fourth Progenitor within Nagisa as well—
—all four Progenitors stood assembled. Every vampire progenitor in existence, gathered here on Itogami Island.
Add to that Kaiser—the Beast King, whose name had shaken the entire world and dominated global debate—and in this single moment, five sovereigns with the power to rule the world had convened atop the Keystone Gate.
The very thought made entire nations quake. Within the Island Management Corporation, leaders trembled. Even the Aldegian royal family whispered, "Is today the end of the world?"
And why wouldn't they? The tension only grew heavier, the air more suffocating, with the arrival of the other two Progenitors.
"What a sight," Kaiser said, narrowing his eyes with a grin. "Three Progenitors—no, four—showing themselves together. Should I say it's an honor?"
For most, just witnessing this scene would be fortune beyond measure.
Vatler alone looked elated, as if every dream of his life had been fulfilled, the ultimate prey all gathered before him. If not for a shred of self-control, he might already have leapt to challenge one.
But to the Progenitors—and Kaiser—Vatler was beneath notice.
Only four figures mattered here.
"At least we finally meet face-to-face, Beast King," Ki said, as easygoing as ever, utterly lacking the dignity of the oldest Progenitor. "Mind if I call you Kaiser?"
"Please do," Kaiser shot back immediately. "I've said it before—don't call me by that embarrassing title."
He wasn't some 'king of beasts.' He simply wielded the Authority to summon monsters. A true king, in his mind, was one who could master divine weapons, artifacts, and relics alike. If anything, the title he had earned in the world of Campione—'King of Divine Relics'—fit him far better.
So he never acknowledged the name Beast King.
"Embarrassing, huh? Well, I get it. My title's pretty bad too. I'm a pacifist, you know. So why call me a War Lord?" Ki sighed dramatically.
Everyone present froze with awkward expressions.
"You? A pacifist? Then I must be a saint," Giada sneered.
No one knew better than her what sort of monster lurked beneath his friendly face. Maybe he did enjoy peace at times. But a pacifist? This was the vampire who once commanded seventy-two Familiars, who erased nations before the Sacred Treaty. A nightmare in the eyes of humanity.
And there were no true pacifists among the Progenitors. Not her, not Aswad, not Ki. They were all thrill-seekers at heart.
Why else had Ki and Aswad only come now? Because they'd been watching for fun, of course. Only when it looked like Giada might actually fall did they bother to intervene.
"…That joke wasn't funny," Aswad drawled, her cold tone dripping disdain.
"Eh, doesn't matter," Ki waved it off, still smiling. He turned to Kaiser. "So, how about cutting this woman a little slack for our sake?"
"She deserves it, sure. But as the so-called Third Progenitor, if she dies, things get… messy."
And he wasn't wrong.
If Giada fell, the Chaos Realm would plunge into crisis. Civil war would be the least of it. As one of the Sacred Treaty Organization's largest member states, its collapse could drag down the entire treaty—perhaps end it entirely.
That was why Ki had to plead for her.
And Aswad, despite her aloof, elegant front, was here for much the same reason.
"The moon has its beauty… the flower, its beauty… the gem, its beauty. Things without beauty need not exist," she murmured. "Whether brutish Warlord's vassals or beast-stinking vampire princesses, their lives mean nothing to me. But if her death robs the world of true beauty, that would be wasteful indeed."
Her crimson gaze fell on Kaiser.
"King of kings… you are beautiful. That meteor you unleashed… exquisite."
Of course she had seen it. The Eternal Spear streaking through the heavens, annihilating ten Familiars of the Fourth Progenitor in a single instant. A sight etched forever into memory.
For Aswad, it was not terror but beauty that mattered. To her aesthetic, that shining meteor was the most beautiful thing in existence.
But Kaiser neither understood nor cared for her sense of beauty.
"You think you have the right to beg for mercy?" He smiled coldly, no warmth in his eyes. "Don't forget—you're just as guilty. It was your people who came after me."
Aradahl, Iblisveil—both had acted on their masters' orders. And now those very masters stood here, asking for lenience?
What a joke.
"If you pick a fight, be ready for retaliation."
"If you watch for fun, be ready to pay the price."
"Or do you think gathering the Three Progenitors is enough to make me back down?"
Kaiser had recalled all his weapons—except one.
He raised his hand. From the horizon, the meteor streaked back to him, falling neatly into his palm.
"Let's test it, then. Lost Warlord. Eye of Extinction. Chaos Bride. Let's see if the three mighty Progenitors can withstand the tip of this spear."
He lifted Gungnir. Though he didn't aim at anyone, every soul present felt the illusion of its point locked onto them.
Like an invisible sword of Damocles hanging overhead, ready to fall at any second.
Even the Progenitors stiffened.
Immortal, undying—they had always believed themselves beyond death. Decapitation, a pierced heart, none of it mattered. They would regenerate. Even the Lion King Agency's anti-Progenitor weapons were, to them, little more than jokes.
But this spear… this was different.
Every instinct screamed the same thing. If Kaiser threw that weapon, and it pierced their bodies—they would die.
It was terrifying.
Were it not for his restraint—for the presence of Itogami Island and the people upon it—Giada would already be dead.
"Don't be mad, brother," Ki said quickly, scratching his head with a wry grin. "We just wanted to introduce ourselves. A kingly kind of courtesy, you know?"
"We couldn't help it. We were curious about you. Wanted to play a little."
"But if you're that upset, we can compensate you."
He spoke lightly, but his tone was serious.
"Here. How about we make Japan cede this island to you? Everything here—territory, assets—yours, personally."
"If you want to build a nation, we'll cooperate. We'll even help you."
"Oh, and this—you'll be interested in this."
Ki tossed over a flash drive.
"What is it?" Kaiser frowned.
The War King smiled.
"Research notes. From the Devas. On how to artificially create vampires."
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