Thick clouds spread like an umbrella, blocking the starlight, leaving only the faint glow of the moon shimmering hazily through the layers.
What should have been a tranquil night sky was shattered by a brilliant, rose-red radiance.
A magical circle dozens of kilometers in diameter enveloped the night sky over Itogami Island, shimmering with a dense, intricate light beneath the clouds.
In the next moment, a night breeze suddenly swept through.
The fierce gust seemed ready to tear the night sky apart, startling the clouds into swiftly scattering and revealing the pure, flawless moon.
The night sky hung like a curtain, the moonlight spilling like liquid silver, gently coating the earth.
Arcueid's figure quietly materialized within this profound darkness.
Her golden hair flowed like water in the gentle breeze, carrying the scent of the ocean towards her.
She gazed indifferently at the artificial island situated in the very center of the Pacific. The magical circle shrouding Itogami Island caused a faint frown of displeasure to crease her brow.
It seemed that after lying low for a while, the prestige of her title as the strongest Primogenitor had begun to dim.
A slender, elongated sword gleamed with silver light, tracing an arc like a shooting star across the night sky.
Her slender fingers gently closed, and then—
She grasped the hilt.
The Demon Sword: True World.
It was the terminus of the Land of Steel, the end point for all primates.
The long sword trembled. Mana swirled into a vortex beneath the night sky, silver and purple light interweaving around Brunestud.
An intense heat erupted within her grip. Such intensely concentrated mana was perceived by the senses as something akin to heat.
Observing the Four Sacred Beasts roaring down at her from the sky, Brunestud casually swung down her blade.
"Sever. Silently."
Time seemed to freeze in that instant.
Exactly as her words commanded, the world was silently cleaved apart.
The fleeing, dispersing clouds shattered at the farthest edge of vision; the thick sea of clouds was split apart by an invisible force, dissolving into specks of starlight that vanished into the night air.
The sea's surface was sliced in two; the seawater abruptly receded, revealing the seabed, itself split open. An unlucky fish, cut cleanly in half, swam away in opposite directions.
The earth silently fractured. Dust, as if asleep, lay quietly upon the ground where it should have danced and clamored.
Several seconds later, the ear-splitting shriek of annihilated air finally echoed through the night.
Crack.
Simultaneously, the complex and sturdy barrier constructed through feng shui arts, utilizing the land's ley lines, shattered like fragile glass. Fragments of the magical array drifted down soundlessly.
The Four Sacred Beasts, sovereigns of the celestial directions, dissipated like soap bubbles without even a whisper of protest.
There was no warning, no omen, no sign whatsoever.
A single slash had rent the world.
A slash... was it truly a slash?
No one could have perceived this attack; 'slash' was merely a guess.
On the impossibly smooth cross-section, blue-white flowers rapidly sprouted, firmly anchoring the artificial island that had begun to tilt to either side.
Don't go sinking this island now.
After a brief glance, Brunestud vanished from the spot.
--+--
Root's aggressive posturing came to an abrupt halt.
Fear surged in her heart.
The shadows of the past had returned.
"It's her... it must be her. She's taken that form again."
Staring at the split earth before her, Root let out a panicked meow and leaped into Avrora's embrace.
"Wha... what's wrong?"
Avrora tilted her head, watching Root—who just moments ago had been puffing herself up, ready to pick a fight with December—burrow into her arms like a frightened kitten.
She hadn't even made a move yet.
Although Root was skilled at using her Beast Vassals, the highest authority lay with Avrora. She had been prepared to rein Root in if a fight broke out.
For that very purpose, she had even learned a few tricks from Kanase Kanon, guaranteed to make any cat succumb quickly, turning into a cute little thing that could only mewl.
"You wouldn't understand. I can sense it. Arcueid has taken that form." The cat ears pressed flat against her head, Root didn't look up as she replied.
"What form?" A calm, questioning voice drifted into her ears.
"That Princess, you know?" The Root buried herself deeper into Avrora's embrace. "You know, the really scary one."
"...The scary princess?"
"Is there even anything to ask?" The Root lifted her head, looking strangely at the one who had posed the question. "It's not like you don't know…"
Avrora's tightly sealed lips made her stop mid-sentence. Silently staring at those delicate, pink lips, the answer already formed in her mind.
That face, so similar to Avrora's yet noticeably younger, instantly drained of all color.
It's over.
For some reason, facing her apparent demise, her heart was eerily calm, like a windless lake without a single ripple.
With an air of resignation to her fate, Root raised the corners of her mouth in a smile—one that held a fearless acceptance of destiny and a resolute defiance of the challenge.
The next moment, the scruff of her neck was gently pinched, and her petite body was lifted into the air.
"Continue."
Continue? Continue what? What was there to say?
The Root snorted coldly in her heart, then lifted her head and proclaimed loudly,
"I said, the princess's beauty is peerless in this world!" Her blue eyes swept around, glancing over Minamiya Natsuki and the others. "Who agrees? Who disagrees?"
Silence.
Several seconds later, Root was rolling around frantically in Avrora's arms, mewling incessantly.
"I-I can't help it! It's the princess's command!"
Avrora continued applying the most perfect technique to Root's ears and tail, her eyes closing slightly with what seemed like pity.
But her hands moved faster and faster, betraying her true feelings.
What kind of puppy is this?
Brunestud glanced at Carly, bound by chains on the ground. She wasn't particularly fond of dogs.
"They are members of Tartarus Lapse, the organization behind this attack on Itogami Island." Minamiya Natsuki gently twirled her parasol as her guardian, Neco-Arc, gradually faded away.
She looked towards the Keystone Gate, surrounded by flowers. "Princess, did you happen to see a middle-aged man, around forty or fifty years old? He was also one of the assailants. His objective was likely the Saint's Corpse stored in the lowest level of the Keystone Gate."
Brunestud tilted her head. "Who?"
"He's already been taken away."
At that moment, a strange, mechanically synthesized voice sounded from Minamiya Natsuki's phone, and an ugly doll appeared on the screen.
"He's already been taken away by those police cats." Mogwai cackled with laughter. "Gotta say, those kitties showed up right on time. Much better than the previous security teams."
As a currently active National Attack Mage and former member of the Security Team, Minamiya Natsuki's lips twitched slightly.
"Oh, right. Just go ahead and collect the [Priestess of Abel] from the museum later." Mogwai jerked its chin at Minamiya Natsuki.
The [Priestess of Abel]...
"I see. So she was the one who used [Cleansing]."
Long ago, Minamiya Natsuki had received a report about a corpse being smuggled onto Itogami Island.
She slowly let out a sigh of relief.
Thankfully, the one who used [Cleansing] wasn't Asagi Aiba.
A soft sigh dispersed with the gentle breeze, and a feeling of weariness quietly seeped into her heart.
The clear, bright moon was gradually setting, replaced by a new color staining the horizon.
"It's already that time, huh."
The sun had yet to show its face, but the hazy crimson of dawn had already brightened the sky ahead of it, casting a faint, gentle glow upon the golden chalice held in the princess's hands.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.