Clank—clank clank—!
Gear-like sounds emanated from the guardian.
The moment Natsuki Minamiya signed the contract, the guardian, sensing a threat, chose to act.
Yet its target wasn't the betrayer Natsuki Minamiya, but the signed contract in her hand.
It seemed intent on destroying the document to nullify the danger without harming Natsuki Minamiya.
The massive golden gauntlet pierced through space, its palm coated with turbid, foul magic power, striking directly at the contract.
The attack distorted the surrounding air instantly, the resulting wind pressure pinning Natsuki Minamiya in place while generating gales that threatened to sweep everything away.
Realising this, Natsuki Minamiya instinctively tried to open a spatial escape route.
But then, her habitual spatial magic failed her at this critical juncture.
In that moment, Natsuki Minamiya finally understood the crux.
'Of course... The spatial magic I gained through my contract with the demon was never truly mine—it belonged to the demon all along.'
'I merely borrowed the demon's spatial abilities through the guardian as an intermediary.'
This realisation turned Natsuki Minamiya's face ashen. She attempted to switch techniques, to use other learned magic to break free, but the sudden change caused a fatal delay, robbing her of any escape opportunity.
The golden gauntlet came crashing down.
Then came a cold laugh.
"Foolish."
At the sound, Luo Shu glanced at Tenrin-Ō.
The five-metre-tall guardian froze mid-action.
Like an insect trapped in amber, it hung motionless in the air, fist still extended in its attacking stance.
Witnessing this, Lacus showed no surprise, merely sighing softly:
"The moment the contract took effect, the Divine Pantheon's power was already in motion."
"How could a mere demon's familiar hope to oppose divine might?"
Simultaneously, Natsuki Minamiya's restraints vanished.
She immediately leapt aside, landing near Luo Shu before looking up at Tenrin-Ō hovering mid-air.
"So it's stopped then..."
As the witch who'd signed the contract, Natsuki Minamiya knew her guardian's power all too well.
That was a terrifying lifeform on par with the familiars possessed by the so-called strongest True Ancestor from the world she once knew—capable of annihilating a small nation.
Even in this current world, the destructive power wielded by the guardian would likely be rated as Demigod Rank.
And now, such a fearsome entity was frozen mid-air, like a lamb awaiting slaughter.
The reason for this was that she had signed her name on a contract.
"Is this... a fragment of divinity?"
Natsuki Minamiya murmured to herself.
Hearing this, Luo Shu replied calmly:
"This is only the beginning."
"Only the beginning?" Natsuki was startled.
Then, she suddenly saw Luo Shu's eyes transform into an abyssal black in that instant.
At that moment, it was as though something had descended upon Luo Shu, possessing his eyes and turning them into something indescribable.
"What is that?"
Natsuki felt a chill run down her spine, as if she were standing naked in the cosmos, facing the endless dark void.
She didn't understand what was happening, but one thing was clear—she needed to get as far away from Luo Shu as possible.
Yet, just then, a hand gently rested on Natsuki's shoulder.
A soothing voice then sounded in her ear:
"Don't be nervous. That power won't harm us, as we are Familia."
The words carried a comforting force, easing the tension in Natsuki's nerves slightly.
Only then did Natsuki notice Luo Shu's gaze, seemingly fixed on the guardian in the sky.
"This is...?" Natsuki hesitated.
At that moment, Lacus released her and said softly:
"Isn't it only natural that attacking a contract established by a god would incur divine punishment?"
As Lacus's words fell, Luo Shu glanced at the guardian.
Those abyssal eyes seemed to pierce through everything about the guardian, following an unseen connection to gaze into a dim, distant world.
In that instant, within the darkness, a massive humanoid figure forged of golden light abruptly raised its head, opening its crimson demonic eyes.
And it was none other than the demon itself—the one who had signed the contract with Natsuki Minamiya.
In that split second, the demon could only widen its eyes, its crimson pupils filling with boundless terror:
"No—!!!"
A shrill scream echoed.
The demon's body stiffened on the spot, then gradually dissolved into nothingness.
Once the demon had vanished entirely, Luo Shu withdrew his gaze and looked at the guardian once more.
Crack... crack...
An odd sound rang out at an inopportune moment.
Hearing it, Natsuki instinctively turned toward the source—only to realise it was the guardian trembling, producing the strange noise.
The demon's familiar was trembling in fear.
Realising this, Natsuki couldn't help but look at Luo Shu again. At that moment, she noticed he had already closed his eyes, raising a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose as if to soothe the soreness.
"Are you alright?" Lacus stepped forward, gently placing a hand on Luo Shu's shoulder, trying to guide him to lean against her in case he collapsed from exhaustion.
"Nothing serious. Just a bit of eye strain."Luo Shu pinched the bridge of his nose and blinked, the fatigue dissipating completely.
He raised his head, giving a slightly surprised glance at the trembling guardian before him, then turned to Natsuki Minamiya:
"Natsuki, can you sense if your contract has disappeared?"
Hearing this, Natsuki closed her eyes, focusing intently before opening them again in astonishment:
"...It really seems to have vanished?"
"How?"
"Did you do something just now?"
At Natsuki's question, Luo Shu responded with a somewhat odd expression:
"How should I put this..."
"Roughly speaking, the guardian's actions triggered a countermeasure, causing the Concept of Calamity to reverse and spread back to its master... and then, it absorbed its master."
"A-absorbed?" Natsuki froze. "The demon?"
"Yes."
Luo Shu nodded, stroking his chin thoughtfully:
"But come to think of it, the absorption of misfortune can even take in the demon itself?"
"Does that mean the demon itself is considered a disaster?"
Natsuki, unable to follow Luo Shu's reasoning, twitched her cheek and asked:
"What exactly just happened?"
Luo Shu pondered briefly before explaining:
"In short, the demon you contracted with was unfortunately absorbed by me and has now become a calamity under my control."
"Though I can't fully utilise it yet, if I wanted to, I could probably bestow someone with the state of Witch of the Void out of thin air."
Natsuki rubbed her temples at this, her thoughts in disarray:
"Can you phrase that in a way I can understand?"
Hearing this, Lacus stepped in to explain:
"Simply put, Luo Shu now has the ability to judge whether someone is a Witch of the Void who has broken the contract and subject them directly to demonic judgment. That's roughly correct, isn't it?"
Lacus glanced at Luo Shu as she finished speaking.
To this, Luo Shu nodded:
"Your explanation is close enough."
Meanwhile, Natsuki, hearing Lacus's words, forcibly calmed herself, though her expression was barely holding together:
"So, the demon has become your enforcer? On call whenever you need it?"
"And the reason is that the demon's contract clashed with yours, triggering your counterattack, leading to this outcome?"
"That interpretation isn't wrong."
Luo Shu nodded calmly, but Natsuki could no longer keep her composure.
Her face twisted uncontrollably as she blurted out:
"No way... are you actually a god?!!"
If the deity the contract pointed to was truly Luo Shu, then...
Natsuki suddenly envisioned a scene:
Herself in casual homewear, holding a black-haired little boy with one hand and a black-haired little girl in the other, her belly swollen from pregnancy, while Luo Shu stood beside her, smiling as he watched her suffer under the children's torment.
—This must never happen!!!