The construction of this entertainment facility hadn't taken long, but due to a continuous lack of subsequent funding, the completion date had been repeatedly delayed. This left the interior filled with various types of trash and waste, and the air was even permeated by a foul smell, making one want to keep their distance.
However, as they walked further, the expressions of disgust on the faces of both Leon and Yukino Yukinoshita changed.
This was because the foul stench lingering in the air, as the two of them proceeded deeper, had gradually transformed into a pungent, fishy odor.
A Devil's keen sense of smell told them both that this was the scent of blood, and a very strong one at that.
Yukino Yukinoshita's complexion had already turned grim, even slowly becoming pale.
She saw it: large patches of deep red bloodstains had appeared on the ground at some point, a very shocking sight.
Even more shocking than the bloodstains were sections of stark white bones and pieces of tattered clothing scattered atop them.
The meaning of this scene was obvious to anyone who wasn't foolish.
"It seems we were still too late."
Leon spoke these words flatly, his tone cold, making it clear how bad his mood was.
Just looking at the large patches of blood, bones, and clothing on the ground made it apparent that the stray Devil had had many feasts during this time.
"That monster deserves to die."
Yukino Yukinoshita's face was pale, yet she still gritted her teeth and spoke those words.
She felt that, compared to herself and Leon, that monster was the genuine Devil—the evil and hideous existence perceived by the general public.
"Judging by the ruined state of these clothes, the ones eaten by that bastard must have been mostly homeless vagrants." Leon walked around the area, speaking with unexpected calmness. "No wonder it wasn't discovered until now. If his victims hadn't been these homeless people, whose disappearance no one would notice or care about, the Underworld would have found him much sooner."
"Didn't he also say he captured a girl?" Yukino Yukinoshita remembered this and asked urgently, "Where is that girl?"
Leon stopped walking, no longer proceeding forward.
Yukino Yukinoshita stopped as well, and then saw the most heartbreaking scene.
In the deepest part of this hellish landscape, a young girl lay quietly.
The girl was very beautiful, with a graceful figure and waist-length chestnut hair. She was indeed as beautiful as the stray Devil had claimed, in no way inferior to Yukino Yukinoshita.
Unfortunately, the ground beneath her was also covered in bloodstains. Although her body parts were mostly intact, her abdomen was badly mangled, as if chewed on by a savage beast.
Her breathing had thus stopped.
A life in the prime of youth had quietly withered away in this unnoticed corner.
"Crack, crack, crack—"
Yukino Yukinoshita could not suppress the emotions in her heart. Freezing air whipped around her like a snowstorm, causing the ground beneath her feet to begin icing over.
In contrast, a slight look of surprise suddenly appeared on Leon's face, which had been as cold as ice, before turning peculiar.
He suddenly extended his hand, unfolding a magic circle in his palm.
From the magic circle, a deep red chess piece flew out, landing in Leon's palm.
"A Devil Piece?" Yukino Yukinoshita was attracted by this sight, first stunned, then her eyes widened, and she said instinctively, "It's glowing!"
Yes.
The Devil Piece in Leon's palm was glowing, and the light was very intense.
As Leon's subordinate, Yukino Yukinoshita was very clear about what this phenomenon represented.
"Though we came late, this girl seems destined not to perish."
Leon murmured this, then stepped forward, arrived in front of the girl, and crouched down.
Then, Leon placed the Devil Piece in his hand on the girl's chest, chanting an incantation. The glowing piece shattered, transforming into dense particles of light that merged into the girl's body.
The next second, the power of the Devil Piece began to take effect, reforming the girl's body while causing the blood beneath her to continuously flow back into her, and the gruesome wounds on her abdomen healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The girl's breathing recovered, and her heart began beating again, perfectly synchronizing with Leon's suddenly strong and powerful heartbeat.
Just as it had a month ago when he took Yukino Yukinoshita as a subordinate, Leon's 'Peerage Assimilation' characteristic was triggered.
[Characteristic: Peerage Assimilation, currently active...]
[Gained Basic Feedback—Magic Power (Medium amount).]
[Gained Advanced Feedback—Sacred Gear (Proficiency).]
In an instant, the Magic Power within Leon's body surged again, following the increase a month prior.
Although the magnitude of the increase wasn't as great as the one from Yukino Yukinoshita, who possessed a Longinus, it wasn't far off. It suddenly boosted Leon's Magic Power, which was already trending toward the upper end of the High-Class Devil rank, to one of the best within the same rank, nearly touching the limit's barrier.
Simultaneously, Leon also felt his spirit and even his soul being touched, as if his own Will had suddenly strengthened significantly. This allowed him to clearly feel that his ability to utilize the Aura of the Zenith Tempest within him had dramatically surged.
Sacred Gears feed on the wielder's Will and aspirations. As the Will and aspirations strengthen, the Sacred Gear also strengthens, and becomes much easier to use.
Under the feedback of the 'Peerage Assimilation' characteristic, Leon gained proficient use of the Sacred Gear, and the means to achieve this effect was to enhance his Will as the Sacred Gear wielder.
In this scenario, if the previous Leon was merely a novice Sacred Gear user, his current familiarity and application of the Sacred Gear would be comparable to a veteran who had meticulously studied it for several years or even more than ten years.
"Another significant leap in strength."
Leon's mood, which had been somewhat grim due to coming here, finally began to improve.
At the same time, this activation of the 'Peerage Assimilation' characteristic also allowed him to perceive more things.
The feedback from the 'Peerage Assimilation' characteristic is determined by the potential and strength of the subordinate Leon takes in. Judging from the last feedback and this current one, it seems likely that the strength of the feedback can be roughly divided into three tiers.
The first tier is taking in subordinates with low potential, like those under Sona Sitri who came from ordinary backgrounds and were previously just normal humans. This type of subordinate will only bring Leon the minimum level of feedback, likely only one Basic Feedback item, and if the feedback is Magic Power, it might only be a small amount.
The second tier is taking in subordinates with moderate potential, such as humans possessing a Sacred Gear, or those with special abilities or bloodlines. This type of subordinate can already bring Leon sufficiently satisfying feedback, usually encompassing both Basic Feedback and Advanced Feedback, and if the feedback is Magic Power, it will be a medium amount.
The third tier is taking in subordinates with high potential, like Yukino Yukinoshita, who possesses a Longinus. Their potential and talent rank among the world's best. This type of subordinate will bring a total of three feedback items: Basic Feedback, Advanced Feedback, and Extra Feedback. Furthermore, if the feedback is Magic Power, it will be a large amount, enough to significantly boost Leon's strength.
The girl before him should belong to the second tier of subordinates; Leon could already sense the Sacred Gear fluctuations within her body.
Of course, this is only a broad categorization, and there should be distinct differences even within the same tier.
Take the girl before him, for example: although Leon only received two feedback items after taking her as a subordinate, and the Magic Power feedback was only a medium amount, Leon felt that the Magic Power increase this time was not far from the one from Yukino Yukinoshita, likely only slightly shy of a large amount.
Coupled with the fact that the Advanced Feedback was considerable, raising Leon's control over the Aura of the Zenith Tempest by several levels, Leon felt that this subordinate must be close to the boundary of high potential. The only difference between her and Yukino Yukinoshita might be the grade of the Sacred Gear.
Yukino Yukinoshita's Sacred Gear is a Longinus; this girl's Sacred Gear should not be.
But this was normal. There are only thirteen Longinus in total, and each one is unique, with no second one existing. Once one appears, the wielder is immediately targeted by all major factions. Leon was lucky enough to encounter one Yukino Yukinoshita; how could he possibly encounter a second one just by going out on a simple mission?
Leon had never expected all his subordinates to be as high-quality as Yukino Yukinoshita; that was simply unrealistic. So, seeing the Devil Piece react so strongly, barely weaker than the time with Yukino Yukinoshita, he did not hesitate and decided to take the girl in.
"Is she... going to be alright?"
Yukino Yukinoshita finally approached, asking softly.
"Of course." Leon looked up at Yukino Yukinoshita, smiling. "Congratulations, you'll have one more companion soon."
"Shouldn't I be congratulating you?" Yukino Yukinoshita's heavy mood eased considerably when she saw Leon smile. She crossed her arms and scoffed, "You've taken in another beautiful subordinate; you must be very proud, right?"
"A little bit." Leon flashed a toothy grin, stating without reservation, "After all, I am a Devil who is loyal to my own desires."
With that, Leon picked the girl up.
"Let's go, let's take her back to the mansion first."
Leon walked straight toward the exit.
Yukino Yukinoshita raised her foot, just about to follow, but then noticed a school bag dropped where the girl had been lying.
"Is this her belonging?"
Yukino Yukinoshita remembered the girl's attire, which seemed to be the uniform of a famous school.
The girl must have been attacked on her way home from school, right?
Thinking of this, Yukino Yukinoshita picked up the girl's school bag and saw the name of her future companion on the name tag hanging from it.
"Yuuki Asuna..."
Yukino Yukinoshita was stunned.
She felt like she had heard this name somewhere...
"The young mistress of the Yuuki family..."
Yukino Yukinoshita recalled something and frowned.
A moment later, she muttered to herself.
"Another Ojou-sama (young mistress), that guy is really lucky..."
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