Shirou recalled the conversation on the train. "Gold"-rank Mystic Eyes were not uncommon among high-ranking Dead Apostles.
This guy... is much stronger than Frolov...!
The instant he saw the Dead Apostle in the Black Robe, Shirou thought of an old acquaintance from the Fae Kingdom.
The Fang Clan's patriarch, the strongest warrior in the Fae Kingdom, Reinek.
The man in black was tall and powerfully built, with an extremely stern face. However, Shirou could not sense Reinek's imposing martial aura from him.
Even so, Shirou still felt that they resembled each other in certain ways.
That's right... it's the smell of a beast...!
Shirou sniffed.
Was this a by-product of studying Cooking Skills? Even he had to admire himself for maintaining a normal sense of smell at minus one hundred degrees.
"Nero Chaos... Don't get in my way."
Frolov bared his fangs in displeasure and glared at his kinsman, the Dead Apostle who had entered his domain.
The Dead Apostle called "Nero Chaos" unhurriedly closed the distance to Shirou and spoke.
"This time, I gave you the precious opportunity to 'sample' him out of consideration for my friend Roa...
"And yet you failed to finish him off, didn't you? From beginning to end, you were simply toyed with and humiliated."
"...The battle has only just begun. I'm about to kill him."
"Battle? It was clearly a hunt from the very beginning, not a battle."
Nero Chaos said disdainfully, "Besides, you're incapable of killing him.
"Even if you use your 'Principle,' you still won't be able to defeat him.
"So, let us follow the White Wing's wishes and complete this joint hunt amicably."
"Hey, you've been ignoring me this whole time, old man." Shirou narrowed his eyes unhappily.
"My apologies."
The black-clad Dead Apostle turned toward the red-haired youth.
"In any