Chapter 471 – Crushed with Ease
"Boom!"
Just as Kaiser pinned Giada down and stripped away most of her power, Nagisa Akatsuki—trapped by the countless clones created through Gahapatiratana—erupted.
Her jet-black hair lifted without wind, turning into a radiant gold that shimmered with rainbow light. Her eyes burned with flame. And from her back, enormous wings unfurled—vampire wings tipped with sharp talons.
There were six pairs in total, twelve wings, each wrapped in dazzling brilliance, shifting in aurora-like colors. They writhed as if alive, and then—
—they became Familiars.
A ram with indestructible diamond horns—the First Familiar of the Fourth Progenitor, Nathra Cinereus.
A shell-beast cloaked in silver mist—its entire body gleaming like steel—the Fourth Familiar, Dabih Argentum.
A trident-like greatsword, its blade stretching over a hundred meters—the Seventh Familiar, Kiffa Ater.
A crimson-maned bicorn, its body trembling with seismic force—the Ninth Familiar, Al-Kaph Marak.
A crystal pillar-beast, covered in silver crystal with goat horns sprouting from a draconic body—the Tenth Familiar, Al-Giedi Gyrus.
A water spirit with the upper body of a beautiful woman and the lower body of a pale giant serpent, her long hair made of countless writhing snakes—the Eleventh Familiar, Sadalmelik Albus.
And alongside them—Familiars already summoned before: the Second, Cor Tauri Ochre; the Third, Al-Nasl Minium; the Fifth, Regulus Aurum; the Sixth, Mesarthim Adamas; the Eighth, Shaula Viola; and the Twelfth, Al-Meissa Mercury.
The twelve calamity-class Familiars—legends commanded by the strongest vampire in history, the Fourth Progenitor, the Flame-light Lord—stood revealed all at once.
"■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■——!!!"
Twelve beasts roared together. The sound wave crashed like thunder, ripping through the skies above the Keystone Gate, scattering clouds as though heaven itself had been shaken.
The Fourth Progenitor, wielding all twelve Familiars, was a weapon said to be capable of slaying gods. Their simultaneous appearance was overwhelming beyond measure.
Onlookers across Itogami Island raised their heads. Some wore grim expressions, others pure terror, as they watched twelve divine beasts bellow toward the sky.
But it wasn't only brute strength—they each bore unique abilities. Every Familiar carried the power to obliterate the island in an instant. Even Giada, weakened to a shadow of herself, stared in awe, momentarily forgetting everything else.
"The twelve star Familiars, symbols of the Zodiac… they've returned to the world together at last?"
She had helped create the Fourth Progenitor, yet it had been so long since she'd seen this sight.
During the Blazing Banquet, twelve vessels sealed one Familiar each. They had gathered on Itogami Island, but never had all twelve been summoned at once. Only now—through Nagisa's body—did the twelve star Familiars of the world's strongest vampire finally manifest together, unleashing their voices.
And yet—Kaiser's face showed no fear. Only worry for Nagisa.
"This is bad. Summoning all twelve at once… it's destroying her body!"
His expression hardened.
Blood trailed from the corner of Nagisa's mouth. Her skin cracked beneath the turbulence of magic. She trembled, breaking apart, her life force consumed by the Familiars until she seemed like a candle about to gutter out.
Kaiser could ignore Giada no longer. He tossed her aside and activated Assaratana, teleporting instantly before Nagisa.
"■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■——!!!"
The twelve star Familiars reacted like a reflex, diving toward the Keystone Gate in a stampede. The charge of calamities shook the heavens and earth alike.
"Out of my way!"
Without sparing them a glance, Kaiser clenched his empty left hand. A weapon appeared—a spear radiating divinity, its shaft carved from the World Tree, runes etched upon its blade.
Without hesitation, he hurled it skyward. A meteor streaked toward the twelve beasts.
Brilliant. Blinding. Inescapable.
Every Familiar felt it: they had been marked. This strike could not be dodged or blocked.
They scrambled to resist.
Nathra Cinereus raised a barrier of crystalline mirrors to reflect all attacks. Cor Tauri Ochre unleashed molten spikes of magma. Al-Nasl Minium opened its jaws to devour meteor and space alike. Dabih Argentum spread mist to dissolve all into nothing. Regulus Aurum cloaked itself in lightning. Mesarthim Adamas seized Kiffa Ater, preparing to sever fate itself. Shaula Viola wove poison. Al-Kaph Marak released shockwaves of vibrating horns. Al-Giedi Gyrus cast spiritual domination, only to be nullified by Kaiser's Curse Power Resistance. Sadalmelik Albus stirred a vortex of temporal reversal. Al-Meissa Mercury blanketed the skies with snow and frost.
Their combined fury warped sea and sky. Itogami Island itself groaned as if ready to split apart.
And yet—
The meteor cut through it all.
"Whrrrm…"
It tore past every defense, tracing the thread of destiny itself.
"Schhk!"
First fell Nathra Cinereus, its jeweled barrier and body pierced in one.
"Schhk! Schhk! Schhk! Schhk! Schhk!"
One after another, Cor Tauri Ochre, Al-Nasl Minium, Regulus Aurum, Shaula Viola, Al-Kaph Marak, Al-Giedi Gyrus, and Al-Meissa Mercury were skewered and annihilated.
Dabih Argentum and Sadalmelik Albus tried to erase the meteor—dissolving, reverting it to atoms—but Gungnir ignored them, piercing through as if they weren't there.
The Eternal Spear, Gungnir. A god-weapon that never misses, its victory sealed at the moment of release. Unless destiny itself were rewritten, nothing could halt its flight.
Only Mesarthim Adamas, wielding Kiffa Ater—the blade that severs causality—could have stood a chance.
But the chance never came.
"Boom!!!"
Two clubs crashed down from the heavens, bursting from broken space. Aymur and Yagrush, once exiled by Giada, had returned. Storm and lightning obliterated Mesarthim Adamas and its blade alike.
With Giada weakened by Divine Dividing, her summoned beasts could no longer contain them. The clubs shattered free, crushing the last two Familiars.
In less than three seconds—twelve calamity-class Familiars, the embodiment of disaster, the very reason the Fourth Progenitor was the strongest vampire—were destroyed.
It was like a nightmare made real. Observers could only stare wide-eyed, their terror beyond words.
But Kaiser had no time for them. He turned to Nagisa.
"Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide!"
The inorganic voice rang inside him. Nagisa's overwhelming power, just like Giada's before, was halved again and again, stripped away until it weakened.
Once her strength was suppressed, Kaiser raised his hand. A jeweled branch, radiant and sacred, appeared—pearls dangling from its boughs.
The Jeweled Branch of Hōrai.
Its light washed over Nagisa, healing her torn flesh and restoring the vast life force she had lost. A treasure of immortality, it extended lifespans. For Nagisa, whose vitality had been nearly devoured to nothing, it was salvation itself.
It was because Kaiser possessed this relic that he hadn't already torn the island apart in fury at Giada's recklessness. Only its presence let him hold back and remain calm.
"Itthiratana!"
Once her injuries were mended, Kaiser flung one of the black spheres behind him. A prison that sealed female powers descended upon Nagisa, restraining her for now.
"Phew…"
At last, he exhaled, gently laying her down before turning back to Giada.
"…Impressive."
She hadn't moved from her spot. Meeting his gaze, she offered a bitter smile.
"To think the god-slaying weapon created by the three Progenitors and the Devas could be crushed so easily… it's humiliating."
Her words held resignation. Her power, shredded by Divine Dividing, had fallen below even that of an Old Generation Vampire. She could no longer fight.
"You're still controlling her, aren't you?" Kaiser's voice was cool. "Release it."
"Relax. Freeze Mode was always meant to be temporary. As a safeguard against the Fourth Progenitor, its effect on Nagisa is limited," Giada answered calmly. "Besides, Avrora Florestina lost her body long ago. Even if Freeze Mode still works, no one knows how long it will last."
"I'll tell you how to activate it, how to shut it down, even how to destroy it. What you do with that knowledge… is up to you."
And so, she passed on everything she knew about the safeguard embedded in the Fourth Progenitor.
Kaiser listened in silence, committing it to memory before finally speaking.
"So what? You think this is enough to buy your life?"
Before Giada could reply, another voice cut in, accompanied by a bold laugh.
"Sorry, mind if I say a few words?"
Chapter 472 – The Three Progenitors' Compensation
"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."
Chapter 473 – Secrets of the Ancient Era
"Research on artificially creating vampires…?!"
Ki's words stunned everyone present except the Progenitors themselves. Even Kaiser raised an eyebrow, giving him a long, searching look.
"Something that valuable, and you're just handing it over?"
Vampires were the very definition of immortality—fragile-bodied among the demon race, yet elevated to the strongest of all thanks to their Familiars. To create such beings artificially was unthinkable.
Artificial life wasn't rare in this world. From clones to bioengineered organisms, humans had long experimented with creating life for labor or companionship. Records traced the earliest attempts back to the 16th century. But because of ethics, human rights, and prohibitive costs, the practice never spread. These days, artificial life was mostly confined to pharmaceutical research, where genetic alteration and controlled test bodies were indispensable. Every major drug company maintained its own artificial life labs.
But artificial vampires—that was something else entirely.
Modern technology had never produced one. The only man-made vampires in existence were the twelve girls once created as vessels for the Fourth Progenitor's Familiars—Avrora Florestina among them.
Yet now, Ki had handed over that forbidden knowledge to Kaiser. That alone was shocking.
"This was never something meant to exist in this era," Ki said with a shrug. "We've been keeping it under lock and key all this time."
The three Progenitors' history stretched back to the age of myths—when the Devas still walked the earth. Together with them, they had created the so-called god-slaying weapon, the Fourth Progenitor. Of course they would have retained the technology to manufacture vampires.
Kaiser knew what few others did: the Progenitors themselves had once been Devas. The so-called ancient superhumans, demi-gods of legend.
In truth, the Devas were not of this world. They descended from beyond, their lifespans vast, their bodies near-indestructible, their minds wielding godlike psychic force. They built civilizations that dwarfed human history, forged weapons of impossible power, and fashioned countless lesser species to serve them—beastmen for battle, giants for labor, fairies for household tasks, merfolk for underwater work. Many of today's demon races were their creations.
With their power, the Devas drove back the rampaging monsters that plagued the world before their arrival. They built shining cities, reshaped the earth, and for an age were hailed as gods.
But they were cruel. They waged endless wars for sport, enslaved other races, and incited slaughter among humans and demons for amusement. Eventually, rebellion rose. Humanity and the demon race fought back, dragging the Devas into ruin. Their empire collapsed, and they vanished from history.
Ki, Aswad, Giada—these three were survivors. Vampires born from a whim of the Celestials.
To control the Familiars—their greatest weapons of mass destruction—the Devas had turned to artificial vampires. Familiars, once summoned, burned forests and cities alike, reshaped the land, and drained the memories of every living being to sustain themselves. Even the Devas couldn't contain them. So they bred living vessels that could shoulder the curse. Thus were the first vampires born—eternally cursed to immortality, binding calamity within their blood.
The Progenitors, cursed to carry these beasts, birthed the vampire race. Only then could the Familiars—ultimate weapons of indiscriminate annihilation—be tamed.
No one alive knew vampire origins better than the three Progenitors. They had made themselves vampires, created the Fourth Progenitor, and even helped forge the twelve vessels. Naturally, they possessed the knowledge to create vampires artificially.
But they no longer believed in using it. Why bother, when their blood alone could turn humans into vampires, and their descendants would inherit the power? The vampire race already existed as the strongest of all demon races, shaping world affairs.
The research had become a useless relic, something too dangerous to discard yet too pointless to use.
Until now.
"You'll need this, won't you?" Ki winked with a grin. "So it should be worth something as a bargaining chip."
Kaiser stared at him, silent.
Why would he need it?
Because of Nagisa Akatsuki—or rather, the Avrora within her.
Avrora had lost her body. Her soul survived only because Nagisa carried it, but that union put Nagisa's life at constant risk.
There were only two ways to save her.
Nagisa could be turned into a vampire herself, so she could withstand the cost of summoning Familiars. Or Avrora could be separated from her, given a new body of her own.
Either way, this research was essential. Especially the second option—without a body, Avrora had no future.
Of course, Kaiser had other paths. With a Zanpakutō, he could perform a soul burial and send Avrora to wherever souls belonged—if this world had such a place. Athena, too, had whispered to him:
"With my dominion over the underworld, I can claim the soul of this Fourth Progenitor, make her your servant, as the Godslayer Voban once bound the dead with his Authority."
Athena could enslave souls as easily as breathe. But that would put Avrora in her hands, no matter how prettily she framed it. Kaiser would never let the goddess hold that leash.
And sending Avrora into the unknown with a soul burial—who knew where she'd end up, if anywhere?
So the problem had lingered.
But now, with this knowledge, Kaiser finally had another way.
"As for ownership of Itogami Island…" Ki suddenly turned, addressing the air. "How about you, one of the island's guardians, serve as witness?"
As he spoke, space rippled. A magic circle blossomed, and a small figure stepped through.
"I'm just a teacher. An attack mage," said Natsuki Minamiya flatly as she emerged. Her sharp gaze fell first on Giada before she sighed. "I don't have the right to decide this island's fate. But if all I need to do is witness so you lot will leave, then I'll gladly do it."
Her annoyance was clear. To her, the Progenitors were nothing but calamities. Their presence here was already bad news. But if conceding Itogami Island to Kaiser meant the three Night Empires would finally back off, then so be it.
"Good. Settled." Ki clapped his hands, still smiling. "With the jail barrier's administrator as witness, the Island Management Corporation won't think we're joking. We'll convince Japan's government. Their prime minister isn't foolish enough to risk fighting the Warlord's Domain, the Extinction Dynasty, and the Chaos Realm just to hold onto a single demon district."
"The Fourth Progenitor, and this island as well—they'll be your territory, your property. I'll raise it at the Garden of Whispers. And in the name of the Sacred Treaty Organization and its member states, we'll make the declaration official."
"Aswad? Giada? Any objections?"
Their reactions differed.
"…Fine," Aswad said with a shrug, as if indifferent.
"…Guess I've no choice," Giada muttered bitterly. She clearly hated owing favors to the other two, but she wasn't foolish enough to push back here.
Vatler, Aradahl, and Iblisveil exchanged looks, each lost in thought. They understood: a new sovereign had risen. A king equal to—or greater than—the Progenitors.
The fate of the Fourth Progenitor had been handed to Kaiser. Itogami Island would be his base. And once the Sacred Treaty Organization announced it to the world, he would step onto the global stage as a recognized ruler.
What kind of change would that bring? None could say. But it would not be small.
Some feared it. Others, like Vatler, secretly longed for it—for new chaos, for a world reborn in upheaval.
And so, with Kaiser's tacit consent, the three Progenitors departed. The nobles followed suit.
Kaiser stood, flash drive in hand, Nagisa unconscious in his arms, as Natsuki Minamiya glared at him.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm the one they came after," Kaiser said dryly.
"Hmph!" Natsuki snapped. "Once I'm done cleaning up this mess, I'll be coming after you next."
She vanished on the spot.
Kaiser was left alone, holding Nagisa, when a voice rang through his mind:
[You have reached an important juncture in this world. Life experience complete.]
[You may now return to the Library to settle this record.]
He let out a long breath.
"So… it's time to go again."
The lazy life he'd been clinging to was over.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter 474 – A World Made Real
The next morning.
As the first light broke over Itogami Island, the alarms finally ceased. Residents and tourists, who had been cowering in fear after last night's chaos, slowly emerged from hiding. They shuffled back onto the streets, whispering to one another, desperate to piece together what had just happened.
Nobody really knew the truth. All they remembered was preparing for the Festival's eve celebration when the sirens suddenly blared. Then came the strange, unnatural phenomena centered around the Keystone Gate—tremors shaking the island again and again, entire districts rattling, structures collapsing, even entire blocks freezing over. For a moment, people genuinely believed they were going to die.
After an ordeal like that, how could they not demand answers? The Island Management Corporation's emergency lines lit up—complaints, reports, desperate questions. The sheer volume alone showed just how massive the fallout was.
Eventually, after scrambling to contain the panic, the Corporation—under Natsuki Minamiya's direction—issued an official statement:
"The disturbance was caused by instability in the space-time continuum. The source of the instability has been eliminated. We apologize for the inconvenience to residents and visitors."
A convenient excuse. And one with enough folklore attached to sound plausible. After all, old Celtic belief held that during early winter, the boundary between worlds thinned, allowing spirits and witches to cross over. Masks, bonfires—Halloween had grown out of those very fears.
On Itogami Island, a Demon District, such things weren't entirely superstition. There had been past reports of visitors from divergent timelines or intruders from other realms. So the idea of "space-time instability" during the festival season wasn't unbelievable.
The Corporation leaned on that narrative, shrinking the incident down to nothing more than a seasonal anomaly. And the public—already primed by the Horōin Festival's myths—swallowed it. Even the Akatsuki siblings bought into it.
"So all that weird stuff was just the space-time continuum acting up?" Kojou Akatsuki muttered, looking like he'd finally solved a puzzle.
He had no idea what had actually gone down. After Yukina Himeragi brought him and Yuuma Tokoyogi to the Lion King Agency's office, Yume Rengoku had personally erased parts of his memory. To him, last night was nothing more than a normal evening spent sleeping at home. He didn't even remember Nagisa's disappearance.
"Shame we missed it," Nagisa said with a pout. "I heard the Keystone Gate was frozen into a giant iceberg, but the Corporation cleaned it up too fast."
Her memories were the same—ending the night chatting with Yuuma before drifting off. She had no recollection of her battle with Kaiser, no awareness that she herself had frozen the Keystone Gate.
Kaiser had checked her over. She hadn't lost her memories. They'd simply gone dormant when Avrora's Freeze Mode disengaged. Everything she had done during that time—every moment as the Fourth Progenitor—had gone to sleep along with Avrora.
If Kaiser ever succeeded in giving Avrora her own body, separating her from Nagisa, then Nagisa would remember everything. Her battles. Her awakening as the Fourth Progenitor. Her clash against him. When that day came, it would mean salvation for both her and Avrora—an end to their dangerous coexistence.
Kaiser smirked to himself. Can't wait to see her face when she remembers.
As for Yuuma, she hadn't been thrown into a cell. Natsuki Minamiya had taken her aside instead, saying she had things to discuss with Aya Tokoyogi's daughter. When Yuuma returned the following night, she was… different. Brighter. Like Natsuki had given her a path forward.
Kaiser sensed it. Yuuma wouldn't try to use Nagisa to tear open the Prison Barrier anymore.
"Thanks for stopping me," Yuuma whispered quietly when no one else was listening.
Kaiser knew what she meant. Not for blocking her attempt to save her mother. But for stopping her from hurting Nagisa.
Still, the rift between them remained. Yuuma avoided him afterward, spending her time with Kojou and Nagisa like an ordinary tourist. To him, she was practically invisible.
And Kaiser? He didn't mind. He had bigger things to handle.
Giada Kukulcan and the other Progenitors kept their word. They immediately convened the Garden of Whispers, rallying the Three Great Night Empires and allied Sacred Treaty nations. Together, they pressured Japan's prime minister to relinquish Itogami Island to Kaiser.
Deals were struck. Concessions made. And soon, the transfer was official. The island's autonomy remained intact, but its sovereignty quietly shifted to Kaiser. He was now, in every sense, the Lord of Itogami Island.
Naturally, the Island Management Corporation bristled. Old bloodlines like the Yaze family protested furiously. But they were powerless. The island was only semi-autonomous—still, legally, part of Japan. And if Japan itself ceded it? Then it was done. Unless they wanted open rebellion.
But who in their right mind would rebel against the man who had defeated both the Third Progenitor and the Fourth Progenitor in open combat? They had seen the battle with their own eyes, through cameras, sensors, and spellwork.
Rebellion was suicide.
Especially with the Progenitors themselves promising to back Kaiser with resources, manpower, even weapons. No one wanted to fight the entire Night Empire.
And so, overnight, Kaiser became ruler of the island.
He barely cared. To him, it was just compensation. A playground, a place to retreat to when he grew bored of other worlds.
So when Natsuki suggested he meet with the Corporation's upper brass, he refused outright. Instead, after the festival, he slipped away to the Lion King Agency's headquarters to meet the Three Saints.
"From this day forth, you are no longer ours to command."
"You stand as an independent sovereign."
"To us, you are no longer an agent—but a king."
Their message was clear: Kaiser was no longer a subordinate. He was an equal, to be treated with reverence.
As long as Japan maintained friendly ties with Itogami, they hoped the Lion King Agency would be allowed to remain on the island.
Even the fate of the Fourth Progenitor had been sealed. International law now recognized her as Kaiser's responsibility alone.
He accepted with a nod, nothing more, before returning to Itogami and handing Giada's flash drive to Natsuki. "Research it. Build Avrora a new body."
"You're treating me like your subordinate?" Natsuki scowled.
"The island's mine now. You're its national attack mage. If you're not my subordinate, whose are you?"
She gritted her teeth, but said nothing.
Creating Avrora's new vessel would take time. Even with Giada's research, it wasn't a quick process. Kaiser wasn't in a hurry. He tossed the island's day-to-day affairs to whoever looked competent enough, washed his hands of management, and treated the whole thing like background noise.
Even the Fantasy Library could wait. Only after the Festival ended, after escorting the Aldegyr royal family home, did he finally prepare to depart.
Kanase Kanon chose to stay behind on the island, still living in his house. La Folia whispered that she'd return after settling her kingdom's affairs. Her father Lucas exploded, challenged Kaiser again, and wound up frozen solid.
Polifonia, with a pointed smile, invited him to Aldegyr Kingdom. Kaiser had a sinking feeling that "visit" translated to "marry our princess and become a royal consort."
"Aldegyr, huh? Yeah… hard pass."
Decision made, Kaiser stepped out of that world and back into the Fantasy Library.
—
The moment he emerged from the blank tome, the Library stirred. But this time, it wasn't here to pay him.
[Librarian has completed essential life experiences, fulfilling the conditions for Realization of the current Fantasy Worlds.]
[Initiating Realization…]
[Granting new permissions…]
Books lit up around him, glowing brilliantly as they flew into the air.
Kaiser's eyes widened as he read the covers:
— The Asterisk War.
— High School DxD.
— Bleach.
— Campione!.
— Strike the Blood.
Every world he had lived through until now.
[Collected Fantasies become books. Fantasies become reality. Dimensions upon dimensions, infinite universes—that is the purpose of the Fantasy Library.]
[To make a Fantasy real, someone must truly live within it.]
[Fantasies without lived experience remain illusions forever.]
[But you, Librarian, by walking these lives, have made them real.]
From this day forward, those worlds were no longer illusions. They were real.
And the Library bestowed him new power:
[You may summon companions from these worlds as your comrades.]
[They may walk with you into new Fantasies—or walk their own paths, hastening Realization.]
[Picture them in your mind.]
Faces surfaced instantly in Kaiser's thoughts. Allies from the Phoenix Festa. Companions who'd fought gods by his side. Classmates, officers, knights, priestesses, sworn followers. And… the girl who'd once been his target, his housemate.
Light burst in the Library, taking shape. One figure, then another, until he was surrounded.
Kaiser looked at them, warmth tugging at his lips. For the first time, his smile was unguarded.
"Welcome to the Fantasy Library, my partners."
And at last, he wasn't alone.
(End of Chapter)
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Note: The story is pretty much over here
Next volume is more like a side story
I can understand your disappointment but yeah