You Can Be Proud of This

The various roars, wails, and crashing sounds that had been echoing throughout the entertainment facility vanished completely the moment the sky filled with ice shards and powder.

"Whew..."

Yukino Yukinoshita finally lowered her raised hand and let out a soft breath, as if exhaling the complex emotions weighing on her heart.

"Clap, clap, clap!"

Leo, who had been observing the entire time, only began to applaud now, his eyes and face full of admiration.

"Well done, Yukino," Leo praised with a smile. "I thought you might not be able to bring yourself to do it."

"...I suppose it's thanks to the fact that the monster didn't look human," Yukino Yukinoshita said, her expression complex. "If he had looked like a human, perhaps I really wouldn't have been able to strike."

She didn't want to appear too weak, but having just ended a living life with her own hands, it was difficult to put on a brave front, no matter what.

For Yukino Yukinoshita, who had been an ordinary human just a month ago, killing a person with her own hands was something she couldn't remain indifferent to, even if she tried.

It was fortunate that the stray devil was no longer human—he was a complete monster who had committed such heinous acts—that allowed Yukino Yukinoshita to make up her mind.

Otherwise, her performance tonight would certainly have been discounted.

"You did very well." Leo seemed quite satisfied. Seeing that Yukino Yukinoshita still wore a complex expression, he reached out and ruffled her hair. "To have such a performance in your first battle—even many of those who have grown up in environments exposed to the supernatural from a young age wouldn't be able to manage it."

"I can tell you with certainty that your performance tonight surpasses at least ninety percent of peerage devils."

"And the opponent was just a damn piece of trash; there's no need to wear such a complicated expression."

Yukino Yukinoshita remained silent, letting Leo have his way for a few seconds before she swatted his hand away and returned to her usual demeanor.

"I know. That guy deserved to die, and what I'm doing is right. You don't need to comfort me."

Since the opponent was an existence not bound by the rules of the human world, they had to be dealt with according to the rules of the supernatural world.

In the supernatural world, that guy had already been sentenced to death, and there was no injustice in it.

Since that was the case, what she did was absolutely correct. After all, she had accepted the task of carrying out the execution, just like the law enforcement officers in the human world.

Thinking of this, Yukino Yukinoshita's emotions calmed down significantly.

Then, a few doubts began to sprout in her heart.

"That stray devil just now... he must have been a very vicious person before he was reincarnated, right?" Yukino Yukinoshita hesitated for a moment before finally speaking up, tentatively. "Why did it feel like he was... a bit weak?"

That's right, weak.

The opponent was an existence who had indulged in power and desire to the point of turning into a monster. Yukino Yukinoshita had originally thought such an existence would be extremely dangerous, as Leo had previously described. Because of that, she had almost planned to summon the ice princess and use her sacred gear to fight from the very beginning.

Yet, the result was that the opponent's performance was nowhere near as terrifying as she had imagined. Aside from a dazzling display of speed, the creature failed to give Yukino Yukinoshita any sense of awe.

Could such an existence truly be worthy of the label "dangerous"?

Yukino Yukinoshita felt a bit skeptical.

Leo, however, just smiled at this.

"Do you think he's weak?" Leo said with profound meaning. "What if I told you that the stray devil you just fought actually exceeds the strength of the low-class fallen angel who killed you a month ago?"

"What?" Yukino Yukinoshita was stunned, then asked in astonishment, "That monster... is stronger than the fallen angel from a month ago?"

Is that for real?

To this day, the fallen angel Vaden remained a significant shadow in Yukino Yukinoshita's heart.

Because of this, Yukino Yukinoshita had a deep impression of that day. She remembered clearly that she couldn't even escape from him; with just a turn, he had appeared behind her, pierced her abdomen with a spear, and killed her.

One must realize that although Yukino Yukinoshita was only an ordinary human back then, that didn't mean she was a weakling who couldn't even truss a chicken.

Basically, Yukino Yukinoshita was gifted in many areas. She was not only intelligent and academically excellent, but she was also proficient in all domestic arts—cooking, laundry, cleaning, and anything else she turned her hand to, she could perform at an excellent level. She was a master of housework. She had also dabbled in horsemanship and knew how to ride. Although her stamina was somewhat lacking, she had studied aikido. As long as endurance wasn't a factor, her performance in various sports was well above average, not losing to those club members who trained day in and day out.

Knowing that someone like her couldn't even take a few steps to run away, and was killed the moment she turned around, one could imagine the strength of the fallen angel Vaden.

Yukino Yukinoshita had always believed he was very strong. Who would have thought that Leo would tell her that the fallen angel was actually weaker than the stray devil she had just toyed with?

Seeing Yukino Yukinoshita's utter bewilderment at his words, Leo didn't keep her in suspense and offered an explanation.

"Although that fallen angel could easily kill the old you, that was only because he was using his supernatural powers to bully an ordinary human like you. It doesn't prove anything."

"Don't let his big talk fool you, always calling others inferior beings. That guy was just a two-wing level low-class fallen angel. In any faction, he was the bottom of the barrel."

"As for the stray devil just now, before he betrayed his master, he was already approaching the level of a middle-class devil. After mutating his body and falling into that state, he had completely crossed into that threshold. He was significantly stronger than the average low-class devil, low-class angel, or low-class fallen angel."

If Vaden and that stray devil were to fight, Vaden would likely win.

But that was only because he was a fallen angel who possessed light power that restrained devils, while the stray devil's mind had fallen into a semi-manic state. Even though he was stronger, he only knew how to charge blindly like he did just now, without any decent combat techniques. That was why Yukino Yukinoshita could easily toy with him, and why Vaden could eventually secure a victory by relying on his light power.

However, in terms of raw stats, that stray devil was undoubtedly superior to Vaden. If nothing else, that super-speed derived from the knight rank was not something a mere low-class fallen angel could compare to.

"The reason you think he's weak is, first, because he has truly fallen to the point of losing the discipline required for combat, becoming a beast that only knows how to roar and scream. Second, you are slightly underestimating your current strength."

Leo did not hold back his praise for Yukino Yukinoshita, stating the evaluation she deserved.

"The moment you were reincarnated, you possessed demonic power that stood head and shoulders above other middle-class devils. Furthermore, you have been diligently reading for the past month, memorizing and learning all the techniques and methods for manipulating demonic power recorded in those books."

"The books collected in our manor's study are not cheap, common texts. They are ancient books that my Eligos clan has treasured since time immemorial. All the knowledge recorded within is extremely precious and high-level. Anyone who could learn even a trick or two from them would stand out among ordinary devils."

"Therefore, you have already completed your transformation without even realizing it. Even without using a sacred gear, you could be rated as comparable to a middle-class devil."

Leo patted Yukino Yukinoshita on the shoulder as she stood there in a daze, his voice filled with gratification.

"Your talent, your excellence—they far exceed my initial estimates. It makes me realize that even though you were already an honor student in the human world, you are an out-and-out genius even in our world."

At the very least, in terms of raw talent alone, Leo, who possessed half pure-blood devil blood, was inferior to Yukino Yukinoshita.

At the very least, when he first stepped into the supernatural world, it had taken him three whole months of grueling training just to possess strength comparable to a middle-class devil.

Although he was young at the time, his soul was that of an adult, and demonic power had little to do with the size of one's physical body. Even for a small child, as long as their demonic power was strong and their application techniques were sufficiently high, it wouldn't be strange for them to rival a high-class devil.

"If that fallen angel were still here, you would be able to wash away your shame with your own power, unilaterally trampling them just like you trampled that stray devil just now," Leo said with great certainty. "This is the strength you possess now. You can be proud of it; you can take pride in it."

Leo's words blew into Yukino Yukinoshita's heart like a gust of wind.

Looking at Leo, who was watching her with a smile, Yukino Yukinoshita felt an inexplicable emotion budding within her.

"That..."

Yukino Yukinoshita wanted to say something, but as someone not good at interpersonal interactions, she had no idea what she should say at a time like this.

"It's a pity I didn't get to see you use your sacred gear, and I don't know what level you'd be at if you brought out your full strength." Leo seemed not to notice her hesitation, muttering with some regret, "It looks like I'll have to find you a stronger opponent next time; otherwise, it won't serve as any kind of training at all."

Yukino Yukinoshita immediately stopped talking, responding with silence.

"The matter is resolved. Should we head back?"

After a long while, Yukino Yukinoshita finally turned around and said those words.

"Wait." Leo looked at the entertainment facility before them, squinting his eyes as he said, "Let's go inside and check first to confirm if there are any survivors and what the casualties are."

Hearing this, Yukino Yukinoshita, remembering what the stray devil had said, darkened her expression and nodded.

The two walked together, stepping into the building shrouded in darkness...