A transparent vortex of magical energy transformed into a storm that swept through the streets.
"Because I noticed an explosion over here..."
Pressing down lightly on her fluttering skirt, Kanase Kanon blinked her eyes and responded meekly.
"N-no... you mustn't, hurry and go."
Avrora stood before her, shielding her from the storm while shakily pushing Kanon away. "It's dangerous for you here."
The magical energy within the cat-angel trembled once more, a violent shockwave causing them to stagger back several unsteady steps.
Scattered, massive chunks of rubble were caught up in the storm, appearing right above the girls' heads.
"Ah..."
Avrora fearfully hunched her shoulders, the blue of her eyes reflecting the falling debris. Root perched on her head suddenly raised a tiny paw.
Crystalline jewels materialized around them.
But just before the rubble could crash down upon them, a beautifully crafted, fully metallic spear shattered it to pieces.
"Please don't worry."
The silver spear, flashing like lightning, knocked aside the incoming fragments. Himeragi Yukina gave them a nod. "Please come with me now."
Behind the rushing girl, numerous Neco-Arcs were advancing in an orderly fashion.
They spread across the entire street in mere seconds like a floodgate had opened, their figures filling both the sky and the ground.
Repairing buildings, clearing debris, putting up caution tape.
The streets passed over by the Neco-Arcs were like a feast before Artoria at the dinner table—all the rubble and debris vanished in the blink of an eye.
Their seemingly chaotic movements held a hint of order. After swiftly clearing the street, all the Neco-Arcs turned their heads in unison, then—
Casually looked up at the suffering, pained cat-angel in the sky.
Their leisurely demeanor slowly eased Avrora's tension. She nudged Yukina's arm beside her. "How did you end up with them?"
Even within the safe perimeter formed by the Neco-Arcs, Yukina kept her spear raised warily, not looking back as she replied, "Senpai brought me here."
"Senpai?"
"Mhm." Yukina gave a slight nod, planting her demon-destroying spear before her. "To investigate the Mystic Eyes that can kill a Primogenitor, I took a part-time job at a café."
She pointed towards a barista Neco-Arc watching the commotion from afar. "That senpai over there is the one who brought me."
To investigate the Mystic Eyes... and she just said it out loud like that.
"Those Mystic Eyes are just something the princess can make on a whim." Avrora steadied Root wobbling unsteadily on her head; her scalp was starting to ache.
"You could probably just ask and get the answer directly." Root gripped Avrora's hair, pursing its lips.
"Huh? Is that really true?"
"Of course—"
A thunderous roar cut off Root's words. The cat-angel within the chains opened its mouth wide again.
"Meeeooow—!"
The cat-angel clutched its stomach, its shriek filled with agony.
It raised its head high within the chains, looking around frantically, its expression urgent as if searching for something terribly important.
Its gaze swept rapidly over the surrounding buildings, then...
Landed on Kanon.
Its crimson pupils fixed directly on Kanase Kanon's location, visible joy bursting across its face.
An immense amount of magical energy spilled from its body. The chains binding it trembled violently, driven by the surging power.
Its tiny wings flapped at a frequency imperceptible to the human eye, its body pulling against the chains as it shot towards Kanon.
Looking for Kanon?
Arcueid Brunestud leaped lightly, flashing through the air to appear instantly before Kanon. Her golden hair seemed to have grown slightly longer, her crimson eyes radiating boundless authority.
The Faux Angel ritual within Kanon's body should have already been purged.
"Why?" she asked.
The cat-angel didn't respond, merely crashing towards them with a ferocious expression. Its form fell like a dropped anchor, slamming down hard. The chains suddenly snapped taut, then—
Yanked it to a stop right in front of Arcueid.
The cat-angel's strength seemed to vanish; no matter how it struggled, the chains didn't loosen in the slightest.
"Meee—"
A pained, wretched screech tore from the cat-angel's throat, a desolate, tragic scream that made everyone nearby cover their ears almost instinctively.
Its small wings instantly began to emit a blinding, sun-like radiance.
The released flashes formed a massive sword of light, slashing repeatedly at the chains.
"Impossible..." Kanase Kensei, teleported over, lay on the ground.
His arms were firmly pinned by police Neco-Arcs, and he kept muttering to himself, "To be nearing the final stage already..."
"Final stage?"
Arcueid glanced sideways, giving him an indifferent look. "Is there a problem?"
"Entering the final stage is inevitable, but it shouldn't be now." Kensei's gaze remained locked on the cat-angel in the sky.
"The nurturing contest hasn't begun yet. The existing Spiritual Centers within the Faux Angel's body are absolutely insufficient for it to advance to the next stage."
Spiritual Center...
That circuit everyone possesses in their body, located roughly around the diaphragm and kidneys—the so-called solar plexus.
Arcueid watched the cat-angel trying to break free, narrowing her eyes.
The mutual slaughter among Faux Angels involved devouring this very region, thereby increasing their own psychic cores.
She probably understood now why the cat-angel had entered the final stage.
"The innate Spiritual Center within a human body isn't enough to initiate evolution." Arcueid lightly smoothed the hair by her ear behind it, her crimson eyes glinting with understanding in the sunlight.
"But the ones inside the Neco-Arcs... that's a different story."
If that's the case, then...
Arcueid reached out a hand, gently placing it on the head of the cat-angel before her. The struggling creature paid no attention to her touch, focused entirely on breaking the chains.
Indeed, the Neco-Arc wasn't affected by the Faux Angel ritual.
Through physical contact, the state within the cat-angel's body became clearer in her perception.
Inside, two massive sources of magical energy stood in opposition, occasionally clashing violently.
One was the magical energy drawn from the ley lines.
And the other—was the divine energy from the Faux Angel ritual.
"...I understand why this Neco-Arc is acting like this." Arcueid quickly turned to look at Kanon, blinking in mild surprise.
She let out a soft sigh and said to Minamiya Natsuki, "Natsuki-chan, let her go."
"Are you sure?" Natsuki asked.
She wasn't worried about Arcueid getting hurt, but it wouldn't be good if Avrora and the others behind her were harmed.
"Mhm." Arcueid gave a slight nod. "She's not dangerous. Let her go."
The crisp sound of chains slowly faded from the surroundings, and the cat-angel was instantly free.
It immediately began flapping its tiny wings, flying towards Kanon at a speed invisible to the naked eye—
Heading straight for the restroom behind her.
"I knew a Neco-Arc couldn't be controlled by a Faux Angel's ritual." Arcueid shook her head helplessly, turning back to explain to Natsuki. "Remember the familiars summoned during the last attack by Tartarus Lapse?"
"Them?" Natsuki tilted her head quizzically. "What do they have to do with this?"
"That bonfire feast."
"Bonfire..." Natsuki murmured, her gaze shifting to the restroom behind Kanon. "Don't tell me... they actually ate them?"
"They actually ate them."
Arcueid waved a hand lightly. "Curiosity, I suppose. Wondering what a creature formed of pure magical energy might taste like."
Tartarus Lapse summoned their familiars using ley line energy, while divine energy exists directly in a higher dimension.
The convergence of these two different energies inside a body was like putting ice cream into a hot pot—anyone, no matter how resilient, would end up with a stomachache.
So, the earlier magical tremors were actually...
'Honestly...'
Arcueid couldn't help but curve her lips into a slight smile, waving to the police Neco-Arcs. "Prepare to clock out—"
Boom—
A surge of air currents, a shower of light.
The cat-angel in the restroom seemed...
To be undergoing a new transformation.
--+--
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.