Pick Up a Daughter First (5.1K) (Continued)

Who exactly is this person?

Although he wanted to learn more about this man, he had no reason to stay here any longer.

"Why the rush?" Mahiro asked, puzzled.

To be honest, I really want to talk more about the character of Kiriha Kisaki.

But Kiriha Kisaki shook his head, a bitter smile appearing on his lips.

"I still have unfinished business to attend to, so I won't bother you any longer."

With that, Kiriha Kisaki got up and prepared to leave the room.

Having been cellmates with Aya Sengakuji for so many years, even though I don't know much about her, I still have some understanding of her personality.

If we continue to entangle ourselves, this cold-blooded and ruthless witch will definitely throw us out of here.

Not to mention, he really had his own things to do, such as figuring out how to retrieve his weapons.

However, just as he was about to leave, Kiriha Kisaki suddenly stopped, turned around, and said with a slightly amused expression:

"Don't forget what I told you before. If you're interested, you can give it a try. I'm really looking forward to that day."

After saying that, Kiriha Kisaki left without looking back, his resolute attitude suggesting that he had made some kind of decision.

But those hurried footsteps seemed to be urging his weak legs to walk faster.

In short, they vanished in a flash.

However, the moment the Kiriha Kisaki departed, the room suddenly changed.

"Ah--!"

A scream shattered the silence in the room.

A mournful cry, like the lament of a cuckoo crying blood, burst forth from Yuuma Sengakuji's throat; it was utterly desolate.

From behind her emerged a humanoid phantom materialized through magic, a faceless knight clad in blue armor.

Those are the demon's servants, bestowed through a contract, the "guardians of the witch."

The blue knight floating behind the loli was gradually being eroded by eerie black vein-like patterns, as if it intended to forcibly take away Yuuma Sengakuji's control over the guardian.

"No... please stop... Mother, it hurts so much!"

The little girl pleaded in a weak voice.

Aya Sengakuji stared at the ground with crimson eyes, only revealing a cold and sarcastic smile.

"The power I lent you, now it's time to return it to me... My daughter, now that I'm out of prison, you have no reason to exist anymore, Yuuma Sengakuji."

Aya Sengakuji raised her left hand, instantly producing several ear-piercing sounds like firecrackers exploding, Yuuma Sengakuji let out a muffled scream.

The enormous, magically manipulated wrist, as if tearing off a bird's wings, felt something being peeled away from Yuuma Sengakuji's arched back with a crackling sound—

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

That was a false contract between Yuuma Sengakuji and the witch guardian.

The psionic path was abruptly severed by Aya Sengakuji, and the magic flowing through it gushed out like blood.

The azure armor once worn by the "guardian" who belonged to the loli has been completely stained black.

Like a beast freed from its chains, the faceless knight roared.

His figure swayed like rising steam as he moved behind Aye.

Aya Sengakuji completely seized control of the loli's guardian.

It cannot be said that it was taken, because it originally belonged to the guardian of Aya Sengakuji.

After she regained control of the guardian, Aya Sengakuji's magic became extremely concentrated, and her strength increased rapidly.

However, the process only took a few seconds, but the pain the girl felt felt like years.

Like a broken doll, carelessly discarded, Yuuma Sengakuji's body collapsed. But in her hazy consciousness, she didn't fall onto the cold ground, but into a warm embrace.

Mahiro caught her and held her in his arms.

At the same time, the "Regrowth" magic was activated, and the scars on the girl's back were healing at a visible speed, and her lost life force was gradually recovering. However, unfortunately, the contract that had been forcibly torn off could not be restored.

Seeing this, Aya Sengakuji frowned slightly for no apparent reason.

For some reason, seeing the boy so heartbroken over the doll stirred up an unprecedented feeling of distress within her.

At the same time, the girl, after receiving treatment, opened her eyes again. Her unfocused pupils blurred as she saw a handsome face, and she was filled with confusion.

But when she caught a glimpse of her mother's cold expression, a sense of powerless fear and terror welled up within her.

In that brief moment, she recalled her past.

Although she looks about ten years old, she has only been in this world for a few years.

She once asked her guardians and those who taught her magic if she had any other value besides the mission she was given.

No one answered her. She was lost in thought, wondering what would happen to her after rescuing her mother. She didn't dare to think about it!

She had never anticipated what had suddenly happened today. She had wondered if, if she managed to save her mother, whom she had never met, she could be embraced by her mother like other children and receive her mother's love.

In truth, she was wrong. She never imagined that her mother would personally strip the Guardian from her and abandon her like a prop.

For witches, "guardians" are not simply familiars or weapons.

That is the price of offering one's soul to the devil.

The "Guardian" obtained by giving up one's human identity is like a part of one's own body.

What Aya Sengakuji did was nothing more than to forcibly cut a piece of flesh, or even the heart, from his own daughter!

Just a moment ago, Yuuma Sengakuji could clearly feel her magic and life force rapidly draining away from her body. If she hadn't received treatment, she would probably be dead by now, in the most painful way!

However, she could understand her mother's actions.

Yes, Mother is already free, so I have no further value.

"Aya Sengakuji, do you know what you just did?"

After the treatment, Mahiro still held the exhausted little girl in his arms, coldly glancing at Aya Sengakuji.

"I know, I'm just taking back what rightfully belongs to me. As a witch, Yuuma Sengakuji's price for gaining power is that she must release me from the imprisonment barrier."

Since the contract is void, I will inevitably reclaim the guardian I bestowed upon her.

Moreover, to retrieve the Dark Oath Grimoire from Natsuki Minamiya, I must regain my original power."

When Aya Sengakuji said these words, there was no emotional fluctuation whatsoever; in fact, there was even a hint of confusion.

For Aya Sengakuji, Yuuma Sengakuji was merely a tool she created for her prison break.

This woman didn't even give her daughter, who shared the same blood as her, a single ounce of maternal love.

"You're willing to do anything to achieve your dreams? You're such an irresponsible mother."

Although he knew this was a scene that was bound to happen in the future, and it was just happening ahead of time, he still couldn't help but ask questions.

Because he couldn't believe that such a cold-blooded mother could really exist in the world.

Even though Maya Yotsuba so cold and ruthless, she still loved him deeply from beginning to end. Although this love had been hidden for too many years and was too twisted, he could still clearly feel it when it was released.

"What are you angry about? She's a doll I made. How do you decide what to do with her? She's my freedom, after all. One Aya Sengakuji is enough."

Aya Sengakuji showed a genuine expression of surprise, but her brows furrowed slightly, almost imperceptibly.

"A doll..."

Mahiro repeated the word, a cold smile slowly creeping onto his lips.

I'm furious.

I'm so angry!

For no apparent reason, even he himself was unclear about the cause.

Perhaps it was because Yuuma Sengakuji's experience reminded him of the children he had saved in the Black Bullet World, or perhaps it was because he thought of the guardians in his family, and the relieved smile that Sakurai Honami gave when she died.

At that moment, a surge of inexplicable rage welled up within him.

What happened to the doll?

"What did you say?" Aya Sengakuji frowned, realizing that something was wrong.

"I said, what's wrong with the doll?!"

He suddenly raised his head, his gaze icy as he stared at the woman, and said, word by word, "Even if she was born differently, she still possesses an independent soul and is a living, breathing person! You keep saying that your daughter is your shadow, and you keep complaining about your dissatisfaction with this world, saying that witches are cursed, the world is cursed, and so on!"

But in reality, aren't you witches just puppets created by the world, bound by fate?

According to you, then why go to such lengths to resist the fate the world has ordained for you witches?

Aya Sengakuji, in the end you're nothing but a hypocrite who claims to fight for ideals!

"Are you... are you questioning me?!"

Aya Sengakuji's delicate body trembled slightly, and she whispered without confidence.

At that moment, she really panicked.

Yotsuba Mahiro's words, like muffled thunder, resounded in her heart, leaving her momentarily disoriented.

Even a voice began to stir in my heart--

Yes, even if Yuuma Sengakuji is a clone created using her own genes, the confusion, joy, and fear she just showed were genuine, and that "mother" was not fake either.

That's also my daughter, no doubt...

However, she dismissed the idea as soon as it popped into her head.

It's just a mere doll!

When she tried to refute this, she met Yotsuba Mahiro's eyes, and instantly her body was enveloped by an emotion called fear.

What kind of eyes were they?

As red as blood, radiating an ominous crimson light, the magic circle flowing in her pupils was unlike anything she had ever seen before, and the ancient runes inscribed on them were also unlike anything she had ever seen before.

Just by exchanging a glance, she felt as if the other person could erase her from this world with the slightest flick of a finger.

"Fine, since you don't want her, then she's mine. Anyway, you didn't treat her like a daughter, just like an abandoned prop, so I'll take her."

As he spoke, Mahiro hugged the girl tightly in his arms, as if to give her all his warmth.

Hearing Yotsuba Mahiro's words, Yuuma Sengakuji, in her pain, shed a single, glistening tear and tightly embraced her only source of comfort and warmth.

"Do you... do you want to be her father?"

For some reason, when she heard Mahiro's words, her heart suddenly tightened, skipped a beat, and she even asked that question as if possessed.

"What, is that not allowed?" Mahiro retorted coldly.

"No!"

Aya Sengakuji immediately refused, and even she herself didn't know why she refused.

You should be happy that someone is taking care of the trash you don't need.

But she was really unhappy.

However, her answer made Yotsuba Mahiro frown even more.

"What's wrong with you? You were the one who said you didn't need her, and now you're the one making her stay. What do you want? Have you eaten too many red beans and want to die?!"

At this moment, Yotsuba Mahiro held nothing back, revealing his murderous intent.

Enveloped by a heavy killing intent, Aya Sengakuji's heart sank, and he threatened with a sinister expression:

Do you think you can kill me?

How will you know if you don't try?

The moment the words left his mouth, before Aya Sengakuji could even react, he felt dizzy and his vision blurred. When he came to his senses, he found himself trapped between the waist and the other person's arms.

"What... what do you want to do?! Let me go!"

She struggled desperately, her two white legs drawing graceful, chaotic arcs in the air.

She even forgot that she was a witch and should use magic to fight back.

"Didn't you say I couldn't touch you? You'll see soon enough."