Do You Want to Come Over to Our Side?

"Yukino!"

Watching Yukino Yukinoshita being swallowed by the massive pillar of light shooting into the sky, both Mrs. Yukinoshita and Haruno Yukinoshita shuddered, nearly collapsing to the ground on the spot.

However, Sharon, who had activated the exorcism spell formula, saw her expression darken. There was not a shred of joy on her face at having defeated her opponent.

"Whoosh!"

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

Three pairs of devil wings unfurled behind his back, and a magical power nearly dozens of times stronger than Yukino Yukinoshita's surged from his body. Leo suddenly appeared right in front of Yukino Yukinoshita and extended one hand toward the pillar of light rising from below.

The next second, a magic circle transformed into an impenetrable barrier, spinning open like a mandala flower to block the rising pillar of light.

"Boom!"

The pillar of light slammed into the spinning magic circle barrier, like a surging torrent of light crashing against an unmoving reef. It roared, sending sparks of light splashing everywhere and illuminating the entire frozen land.

The torrent of light could not break through the magic circle barrier; it could only split like floodwater, flowing around both sides of the barrier and failing to touch Leo and Yukino Yukinoshita, who were protected behind it.

Leo maintained his posture, one hand extended to shield Yukino Yukinoshita, while he cast a glance down at Sharon.

Immediately, Leo raised his other hand.

"Hum!"

Vast magical power surged in his raised hand, quickly forming a dazzling magic bullet that resembled a miniature neutron star.

"Go."

Leo flicked the magic bullet as if shooting a marble. It turned into a streak of red light, tearing through space and striking the light-based magic circle unfolding below.

"Bang!"

This time, there was no deafening roar, nor was there a scene of extraordinary destruction. The magic bullet acted like a bullet shattering the balance of the spell—like a sharp blade. The moment it struck the light magic circle, the circle collapsed, shattering like a broken mirror and disintegrating on the spot.

The light power that had been surging into the sky gradually dissipated, causing the pillar of light to dim until it vanished completely.

"Whoosh!"

Only then did Leo place a hand on Yukino Yukinoshita's shoulder, flickering with her to the side of Mrs. Yukinoshita and Haruno Yukinoshita.

"Yukino!"

"Are you alright?!"

Seeing Yukino Yukinoshita, who had yet to react, the two women's faces filled with joy.

"I..."

Yukino Yukinoshita looked at the lingering panic on her sister and mother's faces. She opened her mouth, but for a moment, she didn't know what to say.

"That's enough. We can talk about everything else later."

Leo released Yukino Yukinoshita and pushed her toward Mrs. Yukinoshita and Haruno Yukinoshita. Only then did he flash away, reappearing in front of Sharon.

"You've got a ruthless streak."

Retracting the three pairs of devil wings on his back, Leo landed on the ground, standing face-to-face with Sharon from a distance.

"I've never even seen that move before. I didn't expect you to be hiding something like that."

Leo spoke as if they were just making small talk. His face was relaxed, but there was no emotion in his eyes.

This demeanor undoubtedly sent alarm bells ringing in Sharon's mind.

However, on the surface, Sharon maintained a light smile.

"This was indeed meant for you, but the higher-ups won't allow me to attack a true pure-blood devil, lest I break the precarious balance currently being maintained."

Sharon's words turned Leo's relaxed expression into a smirk.

"So you used it on my peerage instead?" Leo said casually. "Because killing a peerage devil won't break the balance tacitly maintained by the three factions, is that it?"

"You're the one who taught me that." Sharon looked straight at Leo. "Just as you can kill an insignificant low-class fallen angel without a second thought, I can kill an insignificant low-class devil, can't I?"

"That's the logic." Leo nodded, then said, "Then you must have already prepared yourself for retaliation, right?"

The moment those words left Leo's mouth, Sharon leaped backward without hesitation.

"Bang!"

The very instant Sharon leaped back, a magic bullet of astonishing power materialized out of thin air. It struck the spot where she had been standing a second before, shattering the ground.

A violent shockwave erupted in all directions. The ground fractured inch by inch, and countless shards of stone and debris flew into the air, leaving a terrifying crater ten meters in diameter.

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

Leo stood where he was, calmly extending one hand. Magic bullets fired continuously from his palm, raining down on Sharon. As she dodged frantically, the bullets either struck the ground or the surrounding icebergs, blasting them to pieces and kicking up a sky full of dust and ice shards.

Sharon pulled out her exorcism pistol, preparing to pull the trigger on Leo, but before a light bullet could be fired, the magic bullets attacking her suddenly shifted. As if controlled by an invisible hand, they paused and swerved, tracing unpredictable trajectories that surrounded Sharon in the blink of an eye.

"Explode."

Leo tightened his extended hand into a fist.

"BOOM!!!"

The magic bullets surrounding Sharon instantly detonated like a series of bombs, exploding on the spot with a heaven-shaking roar and erupting in a blaze of fire.

This was a far more violent explosion than any before, and the destruction it wrought was staggering. The shockwave swept all the way to the three women of the Yukinoshita family, forcing each of them to cry out in alarm.

The ground trembled, and smoke and dust rose up like signal fires, refusing to dissipate for a long time.

Bathed in the incoming gale, Leo allowed his clothes and hair to fly about in disarray. Only after a moment did he lower his outstretched hand.

"Escaped again?"

He muttered to himself calmly. With a casual release of magic power, Leo blew away the smoke and dust, revealing a massive crater to everyone's eyes.

"Gulp..."

At this moment, let alone Mrs. Yukinoshita and Haruno Yukinoshita, even Yukino Yukinoshita could not help but swallow hard.

Watching the man standing before the crater—who remained completely at ease despite the fierce winds and the heart-stopping scene—the hearts of the three Yukinoshita women trembled, leaving them speechless for a long time.

Leo looked at a pool of blood and a tattered fragment of a nun habit inside the crater, then turned and walked away.

"Stop staring. That woman isn't so easy to kill."

Arriving before the three Yukinoshita women, Leo called out to them, seeing that they had yet to recover their senses.

"Let's head back. There's no point in staying here any longer."

With that, Leo didn't wait for their response and began walking toward the nearby Yukinoshita family estate.

The three women looked at one another, but in the end, none of them could find the words to speak, falling into a heavy silence.

"Let's go." Mrs. Yukinoshita glanced at Leo, who was walking away with unhurried steps, then looked at the silent Yukino Yukinoshita. With a complex expression, she said, "We... we should have a proper talk."

Yukino Yukinoshita nodded in silence, causing Haruno Yukinoshita to look at her with a complicated expression as well.

The three of them followed in Leo's footsteps and returned to the Yukinoshita estate.

As for the site, despite the massive commotion, for some reason, no one came to investigate. It sat there, scarred and devastated, silently telling anyone who saw it what had transpired here...

"Cough...!"

In a deserted, remote alleyway, a painful cough rang out, and a splash of bright red blood bloomed across the ground and the wall.

Sharon appeared there, her body tattered and covered in wounds. Leaning against the wall, she coughed up mouthful after mouthful of blood.

"...This injury, it's not looking good."

Sharon slumped to the ground, leaning against the wall. Feeling the intense pain radiating throughout her body, she squeezed out the words with a pale face.

She felt her consciousness beginning to blur, and her vision was stained red by the blood streaming down from her forehead, leaving her unable to see anything in any other color.

Realizing the danger, she wanted to heal herself, only to find that she had exhausted every last ounce of her strength just to escape to this place.

If things continued like this, she would certainly die from blood loss. There was no room for luck.

Could I really be about to die here...?

Sharon muttered to herself, her consciousness hazy, yet there was no fear on her face.

She felt no dread toward death, only a deep sense of unwillingness at having been defeated so easily.

"He has become even stronger than I imagined... How hateful."

Why did it come to this?

What exactly had changed him so drastically?

Was she truly going to die here, never to defeat him?

"Ugh...!"

The surge of resentment in her heart forced Sharon to regain a sliver of consciousness. Biting her blood-stained lip, she tried to crawl up.

Just then, a voice reached Sharon's ears.

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

It was a male voice, somewhat similar to Leo—frivolous, yet casual.

"...Who?"

Sharon steadied herself and realized that a figure had approached her at some point and was now standing right in front of her.

She couldn't see the person's face clearly, but she could sense a familiar feeling radiating from them.

This feeling...

"One of those warriors who inherited the bloodline factor of the dragon slayer hero?"

Sharon recognized the person's identity.

They were a warrior belonging to the church, just like her.

However...

"As for me, I am not fighting for God right now. I am fighting for myself."

The person said this with a smile.

"I have come to invite you, Sharon Holygrail."

"Will you join our side?"