The result of the Kudou Sisters' battle was that Queen Halloween could only watch helplessly as Shiroyasha enjoyed the fruits of victory, again and again, until her own petite belly was stuffed completely full.
To top it all off, she had to endure Shiroyasha's smug scorn.
Queen Halloween was so furious she nearly pinned the silver-haired loli to the ground for a beating.
Naturally, the defeated Queen Halloween was in a foul mood, the pressure around her suffocatingly low.
"My apologies, Your Majesty. This subordinate was utterly useless!"
Faced with Queen Halloween in this state, even her personal disciple, Kudou Ayatori, couldn't help but tremble. She knelt obediently on the ground, head bowed in dejection, awaiting her punishment.
She herself had never imagined she would actually lose to Kudou Asuka.
She had held the absolute advantage in both martial skill and physical conditioning, yet she had lost to a high-class lady with no combat training. It was the greatest shame of her life.
"You are indeed useless," Queen Halloween said coldly in response to Kudou Ayatori's apology.
"If you were simply not strong enough, I could accept that. It would be my failure as a teacher—Scáthach's failure."
"But you and your sister know each other inside and out. To lose even after successfully closing the distance—is that truly a gap in power, or is your mentality simply weaker than your sister's?"
"..."
Kudou Ayatori fell silent.
Unlike her own incredibly powerful physique, Kudou Asuka's body was no different from a normal person's—in fact, she was even more fragile than Percher was now.
Although neither sister had any genuine killing intent—the battle was merely a way to prove themselves—the very lack of killing intent meant they had far more to consider.
Kudou Asuka had it easier. Given Kudou Ayatori's physique, only a Divinity-level Gift could deal her a fatal blow. All Asuka had to do was control the output of her Prestige and keep it within safe limits.
Kudou Ayatori, however, was in a different position. Close-quarters combat is inherently perilous.
Forget her Divinity-level physique; even without that advantage, her martial skill was such that she could have dealt a fatal blow to Kudou Asuka with a simple kitchen knife.
There was also the matter of timing in close combat.
If Kudou Asuka made a mistake, the watching Kasukabe Yō could have reacted in time to intervene.
But if Kudou Ayatori slipped up, even Kasukabe Yō would have struggled to react quickly enough.
Thus, in order to avoid killing her older sister, she was under far greater unspoken constraints. Defeat was an understandable outcome.
Realizing this, Kudou Ayatori offered no excuses, only lowering her head further.
"My apologies, Your Majesty. My mentality was at fault."
"And what good is an apology?" Queen Halloween glared at her disciple, fuming.
"Can an apology make up for my losses?"
"Losses?"
Kudou Ayatori looked up, confused. She assumed Queen Halloween was referring to how all her painstaking training had gone to waste.
Although, in truth, the Queen hadn't trained her that painstakingly—more often, she just ordered her to cause trouble—the debt she owed to her teacher, Scáthach, was undeniable.
With that in mind, she bowed her head in shame.
"Whatever Your Majesty has lost, I am willing to face a mountain of blades or a sea of fire to make amends!"
"Make amends?"
Queen Halloween snorted.
She wanted to ask, *how* could she possibly make amends? With *what*?
If it weren't for this troublesome disciple, would she have been so thoroughly humiliated by an idiot like Shiroyasha? Would she have lost a valuable learning opportunity?
No matter what Ayatori did, it couldn't possibly compensate for what was lost with Su Mo, could it?
But before she could say it, she saw Kudou Ayatori's slender frame trembling, her expression tense. She held back the sharp words.
*Forget it. There's no point in scaring the child.*
Besides... as she looked at Kudou Ayatori's slender, youthful figure, she recalled how Su Mo doted on that pair of vampire princess sisters. A sudden realization struck the Queen.
"You're still a bit young, but... if you were with your sister, perhaps you could indeed make up for my losses. Not only that, you might even help me get one up on that idiot Shiroyasha."
With the air of a true queen, she surveyed Kudou Ayatori's delicate features from head to toe and nodded in satisfaction.
"With my sister? How would we do that?"
Kudou Ayatori tilted her head, completely lost.
"Ahem! Now is not the time for that. No questions. When I give the order, you will obey without complaint."
Queen Halloween cleared her throat, having no intention of elaborating just yet.
It wasn't that she thought Ayatori was too young, but simply that she knew Su Mo was occupied with important matters. Compared to that, other... amusements were trivial.
"Yes, ma'am!"
The ever-obedient Kudou Ayatori immediately accepted the command.
With her loyal, puppy-like personality, she might occasionally grumble about the Queen, but she was fundamentally obedient. She would do whatever her master commanded.
"Alright, we'll save your punishment for later. For now, let's discuss your physical condition."
Putting trivialities aside, Queen Halloween fixed the young swordswoman before her with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Ayatori, you've lost your Divinity. You're completely human now, correct?"
At these words, Kudou Ayatori's slender frame gave a slight shudder, and she went completely rigid.
This was her greatest fear.
The duel between her and Kudou Asuka, while a battle of wills between sisters, had also determined the ownership of their respective Gifts.
Prestige and Divinity were originally two halves of a whole, a single, complementary Gift. It was only because they were twins that the Gift was split and inherited separately.
Once a victor was decided, the loser's Gift would be stripped away and granted to the winner.
As a result, Kudou Asuka now possessed both Divinity and Prestige, achieving the ultimate state theorized by Saigou Homura—a state powerful enough to command even Divine Beasts.
And in turn, Kudou Ayatori had lost her Divinity. Her physical abilities had plummeted to that of a normal human, for a time making her even weaker than Percher.
While Percher at least still possessed a Gift and the potential to grow stronger, Ayatori, now completely human, had lost almost all hope of ever improving.
"Yes... but I haven't lost my martial skills. It's just my power..."
Kudou Ayatori tried to protest, but her words trailed off into silence.
While there wasn't exactly fierce internal competition at the Holy Cross Orphanage, the thought of becoming a mere human, weaker even than Percher, was a devastating blow.
She didn't want to be useless.
But with the body of a normal human, even God-tier martial skill was practically useless.
Forget the bull-headed monster she had once casually insta-killed. Now, even the lowest-level youkai—one that wouldn't even rank as a Seven-Digit in Little Garden—could pose a lethal threat if it possessed a special ability like hypnosis or petrification.
It was safe to say that Kudou Ayatori was now in the weakest tier, liable to be surpassed by Percher at any moment.
"At your current level, you are no longer qualified to participate in the coming trials."
Queen Halloween's icy declaration shattered the last vestiges of hope in Ayatori's heart.
Hearing what was tantamount to a declaration that she was disqualified from the running to be a Savior, Kudou Ayatori opened her mouth to object, but she lacked the conviction. In the end, she could only nod in defeat.
"Yes, Your Majesty. I understand."
"Therefore, Ayatori, I have a mission for you," the Queen continued in that same cold tone, observing Ayatori's repentant posture.
"..."
*What kind of mission could there be for a powerless failure like me?*
*Her Majesty is a woman of standards. How could she possibly keep a good-for-nothing around to tarnish her name?*
*This "final mission" is probably just an order to leave the orphanage and withdraw from the competition for good.*
*And what she said before, about me and my sister making amends... that was probably just a passing comment.*
With that thought, she spoke her mind. At that very same moment, the Queen also spoke, issuing her command.
"You, Percher, and Homura are to go to Athena and request the Blessing of the Stars. It is time for a new era to begin."
"I understand. I will withdraw from the competition and leave. Thank you for your care all these years, Your Majesty, and you too, Teacher Scáthach... Huh?"
Ayatori's farewell was cut short as her eyes flew wide open. Her astonished gaze met Queen Halloween's own look of confusion.
"What is this nonsense about withdrawing? Ayatori, what are you talking about?"
"Aren't you... telling me to leave?"
They both spoke at the same time.
An awkward silence fell over the room.
Queen Halloween finally realized what Ayatori had misunderstood. A cold, teasing smile touched her lips.
"So, in your mind, I am the sort of heartless woman who would cast aside her own adorable disciple so easily?"
Hearing that, a cold sweat instantly soaked Ayatori's back.
"I would never dare! Please forgive this subordinate's foolishness, Your Majesty!"
"Hah!"
The Queen let out a cold laugh. Her emerald eyes stared Ayatori down, making the girl squirm in terror for a full three minutes before the Queen finally huffed in dissatisfaction.
"For my own disciple to be so insecure... it is a disgrace to me! Rest assured, I have no intention of letting you go until you have completely compensated me for my losses."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Kudou Ayatori nodded, overjoyed.
Seeing the foolish girl's delight, Queen Halloween took a sip of her tea before speaking in a deceptively gentle tone.
"I forgot to mention. The 'losses' you must compensate for include not only your defeat, but also your recent offense against me. A transgression of that magnitude... a thousand lifetimes would not be enough to atone for it. And my demands are not easily met. You had best be prepared."
"...Yes, ma'am."
As if doused with a bucket of cold water, Kudou Ayatori was instantly reminded of just how demanding her Queen could be, and her joy evaporated.
*Atoning for my sins on Her Majesty's terms... is that even possible?*
But now was not the time for such thoughts. After quietly agreeing, Kudou Ayatori asked, her confusion returning.
"Your Majesty, you mentioned we should go to the goddess Athena and request the 'Blessing of the Stars.' What is that?"