Aleister showed no intention of rejecting Izumi's proposal.
On the contrary—
He was eager.
The thought of what would come next made anticipation build within him.
How would the Magic Gods react?
How would the Magic Side struggle?
Just imagining it—
Was enough.
After ending the conversation, Izumi casually grabbed Index and prepared to head back into Talent Workshop.
But then—
A voice suddenly called out.
"Excuse me, sir. Could you please release that girl?"
"She's our companion."
Izumi stopped.
Then—
He smiled.
"…A fourteen-year-old delinquent priest, huh? That was fast."
Turning around, he looked at the man who had appeared.
Over two meters tall.
Bright red hair.
And on his face—
A barcode tattoo beneath his right eye.
Izumi stared at it for a moment.
Then, as if struck by a thought, he took out his phone.
Zoomed in.
And—
Beep.
He scanned it.
A product listing immediately popped up.
Izumi read it aloud without hesitation.
"…Durex. 12 yen per box."
He nodded to himself.
"As expected of you. No wonder you matured so early."
"…You actually tattooed that on your face? How much do you love the brand?"
"Wouldn't contraceptive pills work just as well?"
Stiyl Magnus froze.
The cigarette in his mouth dropped to the ground.
"…That's impossible!!"
"That's not what this is—!"
Before he could finish—
Izumi cut him off.
"Yeah, yeah. No need to explain."
"I get it."
He even gave him a sympathetic look.
Then turned around—
And walked away with Index in hand.
"…Damn it!!"
"Stop right there!!"
Stiyl snapped back to his senses, rage flooding his expression.
A fireball shot toward Izumi—
Exploding near his feet.
Izumi paused.
Slowly turned around.
"I can take that as a provocation… right?"
Stiyl snorted coldly.
To him, this was just a researcher.
Someone with no combat ability.
Flames gathered in his hand as he glared.
"I'll say it one more time."
"Put the girl down."
"Or don't blame me for what happens next."
Izumi clicked his tongue.
Then—
Raised his middle finger.
"Idiot."
And turned to leave again.
He had no interest in dealing with this clown.
That was the final straw.
"Fortis."
Stiyl's voice dropped.
"Then don't blame me."
The flames in his hand surged violently—
Condensing into a blazing sword that slashed toward Izumi's arm.
Izumi stopped.
Turned his head slightly.
His gaze turned cold.
Originally—
He had no intention of bothering with him.
But since the man insisted on courting death…
Izumi raised a finger.
And flicked it lightly.
BOOM—!!
A terrifying shockwave erupted from that single motion.
A violent storm formed instantly—
Blowing apart the flaming sword.
And then—
It struck Stiyl directly.
It was as if he had been hit by a speeding truck.
His body flew over ten meters—
Before smashing into a wall across the street.
CRASH!!
"—Gah…!!"
Blood burst from his mouth.
His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Izumi.
"Cough…!! Who… who are you…?!"
His voice trembled.
Just one casual move—
And he had been reduced to this.
Weren't researchers supposed to be powerless?
Was the intel wrong?
Gritting his teeth, Stiyl no longer dared to underestimate him.
Magic power surged.
Flames erupted around him, forming a blazing domain.
At the same time, he threw out several rune cards.
They scattered across the surroundings—
Like flyers plastered onto every surface.
"Innocentius—!"
"The King of Witch Hunters, come forth!!"
He roared.
Without hesitation—
He unleashed his strongest spell.
Even at the cost of rapidly draining his stamina.
The sudden inferno—
Woke Index.
"Huh…? W–What?!"
Seeing the flames, she panicked.
"Hey! Let go of me!"
"Run!!"
She began struggling wildly.
Izumi rolled his eyes.
Then set her down.
"Relax. This is nothing."
As he spoke—
He casually waved his hand.
Fwoosh—
The massive flame entity—
Was instantly dispersed.
The surrounding rune cards were blown away without a trace.
And Stiyl—
Was sent flying again.
BOOM!!
This time—
He didn't get back up.
His body collapsed, limp.
Countless bones shattered.
Completely incapacitated.
Index stared in shock.
"…Amazing!!"
She was genuinely stunned.
Was this really human strength?
There hadn't even been any magical power.
Just a wave of his hand—
And that level of destruction?
Izumi smiled faintly.
"See? Nothing to worry about."
"Let me finish dealing with him first."
"Then we'll talk."
Index's eyes sparkled.
"Okay!!"
"Take down that bad guy! He's been chasing me forever!"
She glared angrily at Stiyl.
Clearly holding a grudge.
Izumi's lips twitched.
…As expected of her.
Though, to be fair—
Stiyl did bring it on himself.
Lying there like a corpse—
Stiyl's eyes dimmed.
A trace of despair surfaced.
…So this is it.
I'm going to die here…
Just then—
A clear, sharp voice rang out above.
"Nanatsu Sen—!"
SLASH—!!
Invisible steel wires sliced through the air—
Cutting straight toward Izumi.
Izumi didn't move.
He simply stood there—
Watching.
The attacks never reached him.
Instead, they veered off—
Striking toward the facility behind him.
But even those—
Were blocked by an unseen force.
The one who appeared—
Was Kanzaki Kaori.
Long black hair tied in a ponytail.
Fair skin.
And a bold, revealing outfit that contrasted her composed aura.
A beauty—
No matter how one looked at her.
But beneath that appearance—
She was one of fewer than twenty Saints in the world.
And among them—
A top-tier existence.