Finding Nagisa Akatsuki wasn't exactly difficult—at least, not right now.
By the time Yukina Himeragi had taken Kojou Akatsuki and Yuuma Tokoyogi toward Yukari, Kaiser had already unleashed Bakudō #58—Kakushitsuijaku, and successfully locked onto Nagisa's spiritual signature.
But the moment Kaiser rode the wind upward, defying gravity with the power of the Gravisheath, he realized his efforts were unnecessary.
Because in the same direction as Nagisa's spiritual presence, a colossal surge of magic was erupting—vast as a flood, fierce as a beast, like a calamity of heaven and earth. It shook the ground of the entire Itogami Island.
Dun— Dun— Dun— Dun—
Alarms blared across the city, shattering the festival cheer of the Warlord's Dominion celebrations.
The Artificial Island Management Bureau began issuing evacuation orders, while the Special Zone Security Team rushed through the streets with mounted machine guns. The bright, festive atmosphere dissolved instantly into tension and dread.
"What happened?"
Countless people turned toward the source of the overwhelming magic, their expressions clouded with uncertainty.
In the top floor suites of the luxury hotel housing the royals of the Kingdom of Aldegyr, Lucas and the others stepped out into the grand manor balcony, gazing toward the towering magic pillar.
"Looks like a new disturbance has arrived," Polifonia murmured, narrowing her eyes meaningfully.
"I should say—just what you'd expect from a Demon District," La Folia Rihavein replied, amused. "Even during times like these, trouble finds a way. This island never fails to keep things interesting."
"Hmph." Lucas snorted. "Holding an open-door festival in such unstable times—no wonder it ends like this."
The royals were unfazed—seasoned veterans of chaos. Even as alarms screamed and the Holy Ring Knights poured in to establish a guard perimeter, they stood calm, as though the commotion were nothing but a game.
Only Kanon Kanase looked uneasy, her thoughts elsewhere. "…Senpai…"
"Don't worry, Kanon," La Folia reassured her, resting a hand on her shoulder. "He's far stronger than you think. No matter what happens, he'll be fine." Her tone carried unshakable trust.
"After all, even the True Ancestors take him seriously. If it's him, there's nothing to worry about," Polifonia added with a small laugh—earning a very sour look from Lucas.
"That brat… one of these days, I'll teach him his place and show him that the treasures of Aldegyr's royal family aren't so easily touched!"
The thought of Kaiser brought an image to Lucas's mind—hair color conveniently imagined as yellow—and his grip on his battle axe tightened until the veins stood out, itching to lop the man's head off on the spot.
The tension wasn't new. The family had been talking for some time: Polifonia persistently urging Kanon to return to Aldegyr, Lucas trashing Kaiser at every turn in hopes La Folia would come to her senses and abandon "some upstart yellow-haired nobody."
Unfortunately for them, both attempts failed spectacularly.
"I have no wish to live as royalty," Kanon said gently but firmly. "I'm truly happy to know my blood relatives are still alive, but I want to stay here on Itogami Island. That's also the choice my mother made."
Her voice was soft, but her resolve was iron. Not even Polifonia's coaxing or carefully chosen words could sway her.
"I still have friends here… and my senpai, who saved me. I don't want to leave."
When she mentioned Kaiser, her cheeks flushed—pure lovestruck maiden. Polifonia could only sigh in defeat.
As for La Folia, she went on the offensive.
"I trust the man I chose. He's the finest man in the world. Even the legendary Lost Warlord who founded the Warlord's Empire is no match for him—and didn't my father, famed for his valor, fall easily to him? That's how strong he is!"
"Compared to the nobles the Elder Council or my parents have in mind, Kaiser isn't even in the same league!"
"So don't try to stop me. If you insist, then defeat the man I've chosen first."
It was poetic justice—Lucas's own words from before ("If you insist on taking La Folia and Kanon, defeat me first!") now thrown right back at him.
He nearly lost it, desperately wishing Kaiser were here so they could fight three hundred rounds on the spot.
If Kaiser had been present, he might have been tempted to put La Folia over his knee for using him as a shield. But the truth was—she wasn't using him as a shield at all.
She had chosen him. And once La Folia chose someone, she committed to the end. That was her pride as Aldegyr's First Princess and first in line to the throne.
Like it or not, Kaiser had somehow gained a future bride hailed as a living goddess—plus a bonus Saint from the Holy Middle School Division. Not a bad haul.
But Kaiser had no time for royal drama.
Suspended in the skies over Itogami, his gaze cut straight toward the island's steel giant—the Keystone Gate.
The inverted-pyramid monolith was both the island's foundation and control center, housing high-end stores and the Demon District Museum. Tourists made it their first stop; locals named it without hesitation as the island's prime landmark.
Now, with alarms blaring, chaos reigned inside. The Gate's defense systems had activated, sealing protective shutters throughout. Trapped tourists panicked as tremors shook the city and waves lashed the surrounding sea.
That massive magic surge—enough to churn the seas—was coming from the Keystone Gate's very peak.
Kaiser didn't know why Nagisa was there, but unleashing that much magic from the island's most prominent, important location was blatant provocation.
"…As if you were afraid I wouldn't find you."
He smiled—but his eyes were cold.
With a flash, he stepped forward. In less than a heartbeat, he crossed the distance between himself and the Gate—hardly a challenge given the island's 180 square-kilometer size.
He arrived above the Keystone Gate and prepared to descend—
When two terrifyingly powerful magic signatures erupted from opposite directions.
Both were aimed squarely at him.
Two beasts came at him fast—one, a Dark Greatsword streaked with shadowed light, the other, a golden falcon with a wingspan of fourteen or fifteen meters.
The sword roared forward faster than sound, shattering the air with sonic booms. The falcon's wings summoned countless wind blades, howling toward him like a tornado that could tear the sky apart.
Their power rivaled, perhaps even surpassed, Vattler's serpent beast—comparable to a fusion beast formed from multiple familiars. Near–True Ancestor level.
Enough to slaughter hundreds of thousands on the island in an instant.
Kaiser stopped in midair.
BOOM!
A burst of spiritual power and his monstrous magic resistance sent both beasts flying. Riding the shockwave, he dropped to the wide plaza before the Keystone Gate.
"…Didn't expect interlopers. Looks like this was planned."
He brushed dust from his coat, voice flat as he spoke to the empty plaza.
"This is a misunderstanding," came a voice from nowhere.
"It's not my plan—at least, not mine alone. I'm merely taking advantage of the moment to fulfill a task entrusted to me by my king."
Black mist swirled, condensing into a long-haired nobleman. The Dark Greatsword landed behind him—his familiar.
"And you are?" Kaiser asked evenly.
"My apologies." The man bowed with courtly grace. "I am Velesh Aradahl, blood heir to the First True Ancestor, the Lost Warlord."
"Aradahl?" Kaiser's brow lifted. "Duke of Severin. Chairman of the Imperial Assembly. The so-called second-in-command—that Velesh Aradahl?"
"The same." Velesh's tone was meticulous. "By order of my king, the First True Ancestor, I came to determine whether the King of Beasts poses a threat to our Empire. I didn't expect the chance to come so soon—but since someone's already extended an invitation, it would be rude to stand idle."
He glanced toward the sky. "Isn't that right, Your Highness Iblisveil Aziz?"
From above, a boy of twelve or thirteen descended—dark-skinned, black-haired, golden-eyed.
Arms folded, bat-like wings of magic unfurled behind him. The golden falcon perched there was clearly his familiar.
"So, you're the one they sent from the Warlord's Empire, Velesh," the boy said, haughty. "Seems your king also takes this so-called Beast King seriously."
"It's a title granted by the world," Velesh replied coolly. "Unlike our True Ancestor sovereigns, you are not an actual monarch. Sending someone lacking in stature would be an insult."
The boy smirked. "Better that it's a recognized title than self-proclaimed. Otherwise, more than just the two of us would be here."
His golden eyes fixed on Kaiser, burning with challenge.
"I am Iblisveil Aziz, Ninth Prince of the Dynasty of Destruction, Lord of the Caucasus Citadel, son of the Second True Ancestor, the Fall Gazer. You've come for the vessel of the Fourth True Ancestor, haven't you?"
His arrogance was matched only by the lethal magic radiating from him—no weaker than Velesh or Vattler.
Kaiser didn't flinch. "You sure you want to stop me?" His tone was ice-cold.
Velesh's eyes narrowed. Iblisveil's lips curled into a feral grin.
In the wide plaza, the tension snapped taut—battle about to ignite.
Kaiser's spiritual power shifted, converting to magic. A savage aura bled into the air.