Tokoyogi Yuuma stood on the rusted bridge at the edge of the artificial island.
The surrounding space wavered and shimmered like a mirage. Within this bizarre, distorted vista, the girl slowly extended her right hand.
The air behind her rippled suddenly, and a knight-like figure gradually materialized.
Faceless Blue Knight—the demonic familiar Yuuma had named "Le Bleu." This was her guardian.
The Prison Barrier lay just ahead, yet it hadn't fully manifested into reality.
To truly drag this otherworldly construct into the present world required an immense amount of magical power to shatter the final seal.
"So this is why you needed to borrow Avrora's power."
Though Avrora couldn't freely summon her Beast Vassals now, the vast magical energy of the Fourth Primogenitor within her was very real.
Minamiya Natsuki swung her parasol, and from the distorted space, countless golden chains shot forth.
The chains blotted out the sky, aiming not only for Tokoyogi Yuuma but also ensnaring the stunned Avrora.
There were many solutions.
The simplest was to destroy Yuuma's own physical body.
Yuuma had merely swapped her own five senses with Avrora's, thereby utilizing the Fourth Primogenitor's body.
Destroying Yuuma's own flesh wouldn't inflict real harm on Avrora—at most, she'd have a few nightmares from Natsuki attacking her.
Alternatively, they could exploit the sensory link.
Natsuki shifted her gaze from the fleeing Yuuma, slowly settling it upon Avrora.
Yuuma's body, bound by the chains, displayed its graceful curves in the morning light.
Her fair, delicate skin was smooth, the gentle slopes of her figure radiating a healthy beauty.
"...Never mind."
Natsuki muttered, turning her head away.
"Doing that would probably give Avrora nightmares for a month straight."
She slowly raised her right hand, palm open toward Yuuma as if issuing an invitation.
Since her opponent was using spatial distortion to swap their senses, then...
She would just break the girl's magic head-on.
A breeze tousled the 'Witch of the Void's' raven-black hair. Her blue eyes, devoid of emotion, fixed upon the azure knight.
"To play with space before me... aren't you underestimating me a little?"
Intangible spatial ripples manifested with her words, surging toward Yuuma from all directions. The chaotic space seemed to solidify into tangible pressure, instantly slowing the girl's movements.
Yuuma desperately warped space, dodging the chains that shot at her like bullets.
Panting heavily, she offered a bitter smile, wiping away the crimson streak left on her cheek by a grazing chain. A bead of blood bloomed against her fair skin, searing itself into Avrora's vision.
"Natsuki-chan... take it easy, that's my body, you know." Avrora's lips drooped, and she couldn't bear to watch, closing her eyes.
"Don't worry!" As if recalling the earlier 'feast' on her own backside, Root suddenly brightened, raising both hands. "Go ahead! I can help too!"
"Y-yeah, right." Yuuma quickly seized the topic.
She relaxed her face, which had been taut with frustration. The chains flying through the air stirred her golden locks.
Her spatial control was far inferior to Natsuki's; from the start, she'd been purely on the defensive.
"Could you... go a little easier?" Yuuma took a deep breath, glancing sidelong toward the Prison Barrier.
"Do you have any idea why you're still standing before me?" Natsuki's lips curled coldly, and the chains' assault grew even fiercer.
"As long as you're manipulating that body, your guardian must devote most of its power to maintaining the spatial link. Want to guess why you still have any fighting capability at all?"
"...Then I should say thank you first." Yuuma flashed a cheerful smile, openly admitting her disadvantage.
If her opponent was holding back, then she just needed to find an opening, to make the Prison Barrier truly manifest...
Bzzzt—
Suddenly, a wave of dizziness overwhelmed her senses.
This is...
Yuuma lifted her head dazedly, staring blankly at Natsuki.
Across from her, Natsuki raised her delicate chin, closing her hand with an air of certain victory.
"My spatial manipulation spell is being interfered with..." Yuuma looked up, her expression pained.
This dizziness felt like a signal—the end. Her control over Avrora's body grew increasingly sluggish. In a few seconds, they would return to their own bodies.
"We've only just met, and you've already broken my spell...?"
The overwhelming gap in their abilities made even this cheerful girl close her eyes.
After a long moment, she slowly raised her eyelids.
Avrora's pale blue eyes now held a faint sorrow. Her glistening lips trembled slightly.
"...'Le Bleu'."
The witch softly called her knight's name.
The azure knight hovering behind Yuuma raised its hands, its armor creaking.
Then—
A thunderous roar, like divine retribution, suddenly echoed across the sea.
From between the knight's hands erupted a golden flash, a blinding burst of lightning that seemed ready to tear the very air.
Natsuki's eyes widened in shock, her lips parting involuntarily.
Avrora stared dumbly at the light. The Root bared her fangs toward Yuuma.
The moment the flash appeared, they had already sensed its true nature.
A massive, physical aggregation of magical energy. A golden lion wreathed in lightning. This was a Beast Vassal of the Fourth Primogenitor—
"Regulus-Aurum!"
Avrora shook her head in panic, tears welling uncontrollably at the corners of her eyes. "H-how can she use it...?"
"Idiot!" Root smacked Avrora on the head, the solid impact making her freeze. "That's not the real Regulus-Aurum!"
"I didn't steal control of the Beast Vassal. I couldn't even if I tried." Yuuma's voice, strained with pain, slowly reached them.
For a Beast Vassal—an otherworldly being with its own will—she could never command it.
"I merely distorted space-time, summoning a fragment of the power from when you previously activated it." The backlash of magical energy surged through Yuuma's entire being. Faced with boundless sensory pain, the girl managed a faint, serene smile. "Even if only for an instant."
A torrent of heat instantly poured from the spatial rift, rushing toward the wavering Prison Barrier.
The released Beast Vassal energy shattered Yuuma's already faltering spell in an instant. The rebounding magic crashed back into the azure knight, igniting pale blue flames across its armor.
The spatial manipulation magic, brutally destroyed, generated a violent recoil that immediately shook the atmosphere, whipping up a fierce gale.
The sharp, shattering impact, like breaking glass, made Avrora cover her ears in pain. The golden strands of hair by her ears shimmered faintly in the sunlight.
In her dazed vision, Minamiya Natsuki's figure suddenly appeared directly in the path of the rampaging lightning.
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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.