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Yuto gripped the Demon's lifeless head, its eyes frozen in death. He hovered in the air, his gaze burning with fury.
Ijika had crossed a line, using the demon to split him from Benio, then trying to kill his own sister. A monster like that deserved no mercy.
"Miss Benio!" Yomi Isayama rode in on Ranguren's massive form, rushing to Benio's side. She sliced a golden stamina apple, given by Yuto earlier into thin pieces with her sword and fed them to the unconscious girl. Benio stirred, and Yomi's tense expression softened.
"Ugh… cough… Yomi, I…" Benio leaned weakly into her arms. Her hair was matted with dust, her pale face etched with despair. Ijika's betrayal had broken her.
"Don't talk yet," Yomi said, channeling her spiritual energy to stop the bleeding. Luckily, Benio's habit of layering talismans had saved her life. The defensive ones still held.
"Yomi… my master!" Akane tugged her sleeve, voice trembling. "Please help her, she's injured too."
Seeing her distress, Yomi softened. "Relax. Nero's with her. She's Yuto's friend, you can trust her."
Nearby, Nero knelt beside Subaru, her Primordial Fire sword in hand. She poured magic into Subaru's wound. As Rome's emperor in Fate, Nero's [Imperial Privilege] let her gain skills like healing on a whim. The gash on Subaru's stomach began to close.
"Thank you," Subaru said, exhaling shakily.
"No trouble," Nero replied, tapping her chest. "I admire brave fighters. You stood your ground, well done. UMU!"
"Is that so?" Subaru smiled faintly, not fully catching Nero's words but accepting them anyway.
They both turned to watch Yuto and Ijika clash in the sky. 'Good thing this is the Magano,' Subaru thought. 'In the real world, this would've wrecked everything.'
"Only he can handle Ichija," she murmured.
........
High above, Yuto faced a swarm of filth entities alone. On the other hand Ichija glared at Yuto, wary of the unstoppable force before him.
"That's your big trick? Pathetic," Yuto said, his voice cold as he swung a fist. Vacuum slashes burst from his hand, tearing through the air. The ground split cleanly under the onslaught, and the filth crumbled.
Dragon scales covered Yuto's body, his crimson-gold eyes blazing. Fused with Siegfried's dragon spirit base, he wielded raw power even without a Noble Phantasm.
"I underestimated you," Ijika admitted grudgingly.
"But you can't hit me because I'm beyond human now!" Laughing wildly, he slapped a black talisman onto himself. In an instant his thin body swelled rapidly. Filth poured from him like a flood. Then, in front of stunned onlookers, he swallowed several blood-red Killing Stones.
"Let the pain hit harder!" he roared. "Weak sister, useless humans, die!"
A tornado of filth spun around him as he grew into a five-meter giant, his teeth gray and his body etched with eerie gold-red patterns.
"Killing Stones, huh?" Yuto's face stayed blank. "Tell me who sent you, and I'll make it quick."
"Haha, come if you have the guts!" Ijika's strength has increased but his sanity also frayed as the stones' darkness consumed him.
"Die then." Yuto charged, fists flying.
The clash shook the earth like two ancient beasts locked in combat. Dust billowed, and muffled booms rang out as they traded blows at blinding speed.
"Black Flash!"
"Magic Release!"
Two powers merged, amplified by an assimilation card. Red-black lightning and magic flames lit the sky, the air warping with silent force. Yuto stepped from the haze, shattering Ijika's filth armor with one punch. A stream of dark energy rushed out but it was burned away by spirit flames.
"How is this possible?!" Ijika staggered, panic setting in as his defense failed. He tried to retreat, but Yuto's hand clamped around his arm like iron.
Fear gripped him. He thrashed, but couldn't break free. Yuto's eyes glowed red. "You won't go easy."
Magic flames flared from his palm, lifting Ijika by the throat.
"S…S....Spare me" Ijika wailed, eyes bulging, voice choking. "I-I'll tell you everything!"
His face purpled under the pressure, but Yuto kept him teetering on the edge of death.
"Talk," Yeran said, stepping on his cheek. "Every word."
Humiliation burned in Yuto, but he had no choice. "It's a legendary Onmyoji—Ash…"
A black flame erupted, swallowing him whole. Even Yuto couldn't stop it. In seconds, Ijika was ash.
Silently, Yuto stared at the remains. "Ash… Ashiya Doman, maybe?" With his anime knowledge, the rival of Abe no Seimei fit the clue. But which version? And why test him?
A vast, unseen web seemed to tighten around him, leaving him unable to walk and leaving him at mercy of others.
"As expected of my master, you crushed him like nothing, UMU!" Nero's cheery voice broke his thoughts. The golden-haired empress tackled him in a hug, her red-white dress swaying, green eyes bright.
"Nero, what—?" Yuto felt her warmth press against him.
"My reward for your bravery!" she chirped, blushing. "You've earned it, player."
Her curves stirred something in him. After her third ascension, she was fully formed, a servant ready for more. "Nero, come to my room tonight and we will replenish our magic together."
"Eh?!" She flushed deeper. Although she knows her master is a man who likes to indulge in sensual pleasures. Looking at his eager look, Nero gave an embarrassed smile.
"I… I've only heard of such things, never done them. Guide me, Master."
"Your first time?" Yuto grinned, surprised. In Fate, Nero was a bold, beautiful twist on history's tyrant. Tonight, she'd be his.
"Cough… Yuto, thank you," Benio said, limping over with Yomi and Subaru. She glared at Ichiji's ashes, stomping them into mud with no remorse.
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