Do You Want to Join Us?

"Yukino!"

As Yukino Yukinoshita was swallowed by the enormous pillar of light surging into the sky, Mrs. Yukinoshita and Haruno Yukinoshita both shuddered, nearly collapsing on the spot.

However, Sharon, who had unleashed the Exorcism Spell Formula, wore a dark expression. There was not the slightest hint of triumph on her face.

"Swoosh!"

Just as the soaring pillar of light was about to engulf Yukino Yukinoshita, Leo finally moved.

Three pairs of Devil Wings spread behind him. Demonic Power surged around his body, nearly dozens of times stronger than Yukino's. Leo appeared abruptly in front of her and stretched out one hand toward the pillar of light rising from below.

In the next instant, a magic circle transformed into an impregnable barrier, unfurling in a sudden, spinning bloom like a mandala and blocking the pillar of light.

"Boom!"

The pillar crashed against the spinning magic-circle barrier. Like a raging Torrent of Light striking an immovable reef, it roared and sprayed sparks of light in every direction, illuminating the entire Frozen Land.

The Torrent of Light could not break through the barrier. Like floodwaters splitting around an obstacle, it surged past both ends of the magic circle, unable to touch Leo and Yukino, who were protected behind it.

Keeping one hand outstretched as he stood in front of Yukino, Leo glanced at Sharon below.

Then he raised his other hand.

"Vmmm!"

Vast Demonic Power surged in his raised hand, quickly forming a dazzling Magic Bullet, like a miniature Neutron Star.

"Go."

Leo flicked the Magic Bullet from his hand as if shooting a marble. It became a streak of red light, shot through space, and struck the light magic circle below.

"Crack!"

This time, there was no deafening roar or extraordinary spectacle of destruction. Like a bullet that shattered the balance of the Spell Formula, the Magic Bullet struck the light magic circle like a sharp dagger. The instant it hit, the circle collapsed, breaking apart like a shattered mirror.

The Light Power that had been surging skyward gradually dissipated, and the pillar dimmed until it disappeared completely.

"Swoosh!"

Only then did Leo place a hand on Yukino's shoulder and whisk her away to Mrs. Yukinoshita and Haruno.

"Yukino!"

"Are you all right?!"

Seeing Yukino, who still hadn't come to her senses, the two women looked overjoyed.

"I..."

Yukino looked at her sister and mother, their alarm still etched on their faces. She parted her lips, but for a moment, she didn't know what to say.

"Enough. You can talk about it later."

Leo released Yukino and pushed her toward Mrs. Yukinoshita and Haruno before flashing back to Sharon.

"You hit pretty hard."

Folding away his three pairs of Devil Wings, Leo landed on the ground and faced Sharon from a distance.

"I've never seen that move before. Didn't expect you to have something like that up your sleeve."

Leo spoke as if making casual conversation, his expression relaxed, but his eyes held no warmth.

That was enough to set off every alarm in Sharon's mind.

Yet on the surface, she merely smiled.

"I was going to save it for you. But the people above wouldn't let me attack a true Pure-blood Devil, in case it upset the balance they've worked so hard to maintain."

Leo's casual expression turned into a faint, knowing smile.

"So you used it against my servant instead?" Leo asked indifferently. "Because killing a servant Devil wouldn't upset the balance the Three Factions are so carefully maintaining?"

"You taught me that yourself." Sharon met Leo's gaze. "Just as you can kill an unimportant Low-Class Fallen Angel without a second thought, I can kill an unimportant Low-Class Devil too. Isn't that right?"

"That's true." Leo nodded. "Then I assume you're prepared for me to retaliate?"

As soon as Leo said that, Sharon leaped backward without hesitation.

"Bang!"

At that very instant, a powerful Magic Bullet appeared out of nowhere and struck the spot where she had stood a second earlier, pulverizing the ground.

A violent shock wave erupted in every direction. The ground cracked apart, and countless chunks of stone and rubble flew through the air, leaving a ten-meter-wide crater that was horrifying to behold.

"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"...

Leo stood where he was, calmly holding out one hand and firing Magic Bullets at Sharon. As she frantically dodged, they struck the ground or the surrounding icebergs, smashing them to pieces and sending dust and shattered ice billowing through the air.

Sharon drew her Exorcism Pistol and tried to pull the trigger, but before the Light Bullet could fire, the Magic Bullets pursuing her suddenly changed course. As if controlled by an invisible hand, they paused, then swerved onto unpredictable paths, surrounding Sharon in an instant.

"Explode!"

Leo clenched his outstretched hand into a fist.

"BOOM!!!"

The Magic Bullets surrounding Sharon detonated like a cluster of bombs, unleashing a world-shaking roar and a burst of flames.

The explosion was far more violent than any of the previous ones, and the destruction it caused was staggering. The blast swept all the way to the three women of the Yukinoshita Family, making each of them cry out in alarm.

The ground trembled as smoke and dust billowed upward like a signal fire, lingering in the air.

Bathed in the incoming gusts, Leo let his clothes and hair whip wildly in the wind. A while later, he lowered his outstretched hand.

"Did she escape again?"

After murmuring calmly to himself, Leo casually released Demonic Power and swept away the dust, revealing a vast crater before everyone's eyes.

"Gulp..."

At that moment, not only Mrs. Yukinoshita and Haruno but even Yukino couldn't help swallowing.

Watching the man standing before the crater, still utterly relaxed despite the fierce winds and terrifying spectacle, the three women of the Yukinoshita Family felt their hearts tremble. For a long while, none of them could speak.

Leo glanced at the pool of blood and the tattered scrap of Nun Habit in the crater, then turned and walked away.

"Don't stare. That woman won't die so easily."

When he reached the three women and saw that they still hadn't recovered, Leo brought them back to their senses.

"Let's go back. There's no point staying here."

Without waiting for an answer, Leo set off toward the nearby Yukinoshita Family residence.

The three women looked at one another, but in the end, none of them could find anything to say. Silence fell over them.

"Let's go." Mrs. Yukinoshita looked at Leo, already walking away, then at the silent Yukino. Her expression was complicated. "We... need to talk."

Yukino nodded silently. Haruno, standing beside her, looked at her with a complicated expression.

The three of them followed Leo back to the Yukinoshita residence.

As for the place they had left behind, despite all the commotion, no one came to investigate. It remained there, utterly devastated, silently telling everyone what had happened...

"Cough...!"

In a deserted, secluded alley, a pained cough rang out, and a splash of bright red blood bloomed across the ground and wall.

Sharon appeared, battered and covered in wounds, leaning against the wall as she coughed up mouthful after mouthful of blood.

"...These injuries are bad."

Sharon slid down the wall and slumped onto the ground. Feeling pain throughout her body, she forced out the words, her face pale.

She could feel her consciousness growing hazy. Blood streaming down from her forehead had reddened her vision until she could barely make out anything else.

Realizing how bad things were, she tried to heal herself, only to find that she had used up her last bit of strength escaping here.

If this continued, she would surely die from blood loss. There was no getting around it.

"Am I really going to die here...?"

Sharon murmured, her consciousness fading, but there was no fear on her face.

She wasn't afraid of death. She was only resentful that she had been defeated so easily.

"He's become even stronger than I imagined... Damn it."

Why had this happened?

What could have changed him so drastically?

Was she really going to die here, forever unable to defeat him?

"Ugh...!"

The resentment that surged through her briefly restored a little of her awareness. Biting her bloodstained lip, she tried to get up.

Just then, a voice reached Sharon's ears.

"I'd advise you not to move around just yet, unless you want to lose even more blood."

It was a man's voice, somewhat like Leo's—both flippant and carefree.

"...Who?"

Sharon gathered herself and realized that someone had approached without her noticing. A figure stood right in front of her.

She couldn't make out what he looked like, but she sensed something familiar about him.

That feeling...

"Are you one of those warriors who inherited the Bloodline Factor of the Dragon Slayer Hero?"

Sharon recognized who he was.

He was a warrior belonging to the Church, just like her.

But...

"I'm not fighting for God right now. I'm fighting for myself."

The man spoke with a smile.

"I'm here to invite you, Sharon Holy Grail."

"Do you want to join us?"