«I said I wouldn't come back empty-handed, and I believe what you're hiding is a far more precious prize than your useless services. You know, a little bird told me that three Monster Reapers are waiting in the room right behind you…»

Velshekar stretches her arm toward Tony.

«Goodbye, brat! Blood Word Lv.1: Burst!»

A powerful crimson beam explodes from her palm, darting toward the helpless Tony.

The spell is too strong, too fast to dodge, but...

–SLASH!

Hakuto's diamond blade, now tinted with the faint violet of quartz after absorbing Ana's power, disperses Velshekar's blast a moment before impact.

«Oh, what a surprise… who could have guessed?» Velshekar sneers.

Meanwhile, Lurek abandons his human disguise and regains his true form.

He towers nearly two meters tall, a hulking biped that vaguely resembles a massive beetle—without wings or horn.

His carapace is formed of segmented blocks of a strange black mineral, with thick brown slime dripping from the gaps between each plate.

His two small eyes shine a dull military green, almost brown.

«Shin Tendo… it's been a long time since our last meeting, hasn't it? You're looking good,» Velshekar grins, her gaze fixed on the place where Shin's right arm used to be.

«You're looking good yourself, Velshekar,» Shin replies, scanning from head to toe the body that once belonged to Levreshka Dulcar, lingering briefly on her full chest. «It's a blessing you had a different body when we clashed back then. Otherwise, who knows how it would've ended. Hakuto might have had a half-vampire little brother by now. Not to mention how you discovered us… that spirit circling around you—it was him who told you about us, right? So, the host you're possessing has an Innatus able to call spirits. Very interesting. Anyway…»

Sacred Flame bursts from Shin's body. The flaming sword ignites in his hand.

«…losing my right arm has caused me plenty of trouble, Velshekar. It's time to return the favor!»

«Lurek, Clarissa—kill them!» Velshekar commands.

«At once, boss!» Clarissa answers, extending her arms toward the three. «Elemental Invocation • Earth: Rock Pillar!»

The floor splits open, and a massive spike of stone shoots upward toward Chantal.

«Chantal, I'll leave those two to you—Hakuto, you and I will strike Velshekar directly!» Shin orders.

«So you get the big boss while I deal with the sidekicks? That's not fair! Oh well…»

With a slash of her metallic blood blade wrapped in pink fire, Chantal shatters the stone column.

«…I'll just kill them quickly. Give me a minute and I'll come have fun with you too!»

«Don't you dare underestimate us, girl!» Lurek roars.

With a heavy leap, he closes the distance and swings a fist at Chantal's face.

She slips past the blow with ease, then...

—SLASH!

Her sword crashes against Lurek's black armor, carving a deep crack.

From that fissure, a greenish viscous liquid bursts, splattering toward her face.

She evades again, but not completely—drops burn her cheek and shoulder.

The corrosive fluid eats into her skin instantly.

Chantal groans through clenched teeth, but her regenerative ability immediately restores the muscle and flesh dissolved by the acid.

~That creature… is it a molgrûn? The shape matches, yet at HESPARC Academy they never mentioned they could spit corrosive acid. Could they have evolved recently? Doesn't matter. Its strength isn't much—I'll just keep my distance and finish this~

Chantal dashes backward, thrusts her arm at Lurek, and...

«Blood Word Lv.1: Burst!»

«Don't even think about it!» Clarissa snarls. «Elemental Invocation • Earth: Rock Wall!»

A thick stone barrier rises instantly between Lurek and the crimson beam.

But it's useless.

The ray pierces through the wall as if it were foam.

Lurek takes the blast full on, and only because of him does Clarissa survive—using the shield of his body to buy time for another wall of rock.

Lurek slams into it, barely holding up.

~That elemental mage isn't much either. The walls my beloved Elisabeth used to raise were far stronger. These two will be easy to deal with~

«Blood Word Lv.1: Deflect!»

A huge crimson disk appears in front of Velshekar just before Hakuto's diamond blade lands.

The sword strikes, the disk bends like rubber, then snaps back into shape—hurling the attack straight back.

Blood Word Deflect reflects physical strikes with the same force back to the attacker.

Hakuto is blasted backward by the very power of his swing, smashing through the wall of the main hall and crashing into the secondary hall they had waited in earlier.

Even so, annoyance and concern flicker across Velshekar's face.

~Shin is weaker than when we last fought, yet those two brats with him… Clarissa and Lurek are on par with Oliver and Frank, and still Chantal Carreaux alone is overwhelming them both? And Shin's son… that single slash I barely managed to repel already showed me he's surpassed his father. How could they have grown this strong in less than a year?! Damn it… I'll need my full power if I don't want to die here!~

Another blade closes in—this time, Shin's.

~He's not dumb enough to strike me head-on after seeing Deflect. He must be setting a trap. Poor old man… do you think I'm a fool?~

Velshekar darts back to evade.

But Hakuto is already on his feet again—not holding his sword this time.

From his back, massive violet wings of pure energy unfurl, arcs of lightning crackling around him.

A crystalline quartz-colored armor encases his body from head to toe.

~What?! How can that brat wield demonic powers? Wait… Ana once told me she met her Soulmate in Ashiya while hunting the hybrids. These powers… they're clearly hers. Could her Soulmate be this kid? If so, she must have sacrificed herself to pass her strength to him with the Succubus Kiss. But something doesn't add up. Ana was taken by Raelos, and that twisted bastard would never allow such a thing—especially with Shin Tendo's son. Unless… no, I refuse to believe Hakuto defeated someone as strong as Raelos. If that's true… I'm screwed!~

Shin retreats, never breaking eye contact with Velshekar, stepping beside Hakuto.

«Son, I no longer have the strength to face enemies like her. But you… with the power you've reached, this should be no problem for you. Go on, make me proud and kick his ass.»

Hakuto smiles—a satisfied smile.

Never would he have imagined hearing such words from the man once hailed as not only the world's strongest Monster Reaper, but one of the mightiest beings of his era, rivaling even the greatest demons of N'Raeth.

Those days are gone.

«I will, Father. That bastard will pay for everything he's done!»