— — — — — —
The girl who appeared had long black hair tied up, and wore an elegantly tailored outfit—though it boldly exposed her shoulders and back in a design that looked like a pair of wings from a distance.
Her face had a youthful look to it, yet was stunningly beautiful to an almost unfair degree.
That mix of childlike innocence, regal aura, and a hint of seductive charm created a strikingly surreal presence.
And the moment she arrived, Shiroyasha instantly leapt toward her.
"Good morning, Karyou-chan~!"
But the girl dodged even faster, neatly avoiding the incoming hug.
"Shiroyasha, how many times do I have to tell you? Stop calling me 'chan. '"
"Come on~ We're close! I even held baby Karyou when you were just born~" Shiroyasha wiped the corner of her eye dramatically, as if pretending to cry.
Karyou didn't buy it. She took another step back with a look of pure disgust. The air temperature noticeably rose with her irritation.
Black Rabbit, meanwhile, was already staring in disbelief.
"That appearance… could she be the supreme Garuda bloodline bird, Phoenix?"
Leticia floated up lightly, hovering midair as she narrowed her eyes.
"I see. So it's you, the Great Sage who Leaves Heaven in Disarray, Roc Demon King."
The newcomer was none other than one of the Seven Demon Kings from Journey to the West—the chaotic and mighty Roc Demon King.
Of course, the Journey to the West known in the human world had been altered over time. Many divine factions had edited its contents as the story passed through the ages, so it didn't reflect the full truth.
For one thing, the real Roc Demon King wasn't some monstrous bird—it was a radiant, prideful, and absolutely beautiful young woman.
Karyou ignored Shiroyasha and coolly turned her attention to Leticia.
"Leticia Draculea, was it? Didn't expect to see you here. Got yourself reclaimed, huh?"
"It was… complicated," Leticia sighed. She had crossed paths with the Karyou before, though they weren't exactly close—more like friends-of-friends.
"But I didn't expect you to be the one in charge of this exam."
Karyou—Demon King, Great Sage of Disarray—was a well-known powerhouse, active in the four-digit realm even a thousand years ago.
Frankly, having her conduct the trial felt like overkill.
Shiroyasha chuckled as she flipped open her folding fan and fanned herself smugly. "Hehe~ That's thanks to my hard work!"
"If you call 'sending a message' hard work, then sure, you deserve a medal for running errands," Karyou snapped coldly, clearly not in the mood for her antics.
It wasn't that she outright hated Shiroyasha—but Shiroyasha's habit of treating her like a kid seriously got on her nerves.
She was already 1,010 years old, dammit! Definitely not a child! And the whole "Karyou-chan" thing? Absolutely not.
Shiroyasha chuckled awkwardly and paused mid-fan, clearly feeling the sting. "No need to be so harsh, Karyou-chan…"
"Hmph." Karyou gave her a glare and turned her gaze to the group. "So? Which one of you is Ryo Yagami, the new leader of [No Name]?"
Black Rabbit instinctively ducked behind Ryo without hesitation. Not because of any real reason—just plain old rabbit instincts. Birds of prey were terrifying!
Karyou caught that and scoffed. "Heh. Typical. The pet of Indra is as useless as expected."
"Huh?! I'm not Lord Indra's pet!" Black Rabbit shot back indignantly.
Karyou raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "Oh? So you're not denying being a pet—just not Indra's pet? Interesting."
Black Rabbit froze. Then, realizing her slip, quickly averted her gaze from Ryo, only making the awkwardness worse.
Snap!
Shiroyasha bit down on her fan like she was chewing glass.
"Nooooo~ I was the one who wanted to be there for her first! I picked out her first outfit! I showed her how to wear makeup to make people smile! We shared those little happy moments, just the two of us! And now—!"
"Enough already!!"
Ryo, who had been quietly enduring it all, finally couldn't take it anymore.
Seriously? We've got love triangle drama now?
And Black Rabbit—seriously? I treat you like a girlfriend, and you want to be my pet?
What kind of twisted relationship is that supposed to be?
Shiroyasha, unbothered, smiled slyly and said, "Come on~ I just learned that line from one of those webnovels. You should've let me finish the quote!"
··········
Then, without dwelling on it, she pointed toward Ryo.
"There he is. That's Ryo Yagami. The one Canaria entrusted everything to."
At the mention of the name, Karyou turned her eyes toward Ryo with a slightly surprised expression.
"So it is a divine flame fragment split from the Sun Authority… No wonder. No wonder that Canaria went to Big Sis and asked me to keep an eye on you."
"Wait—Lady Canaria asked you to do this?" Black Rabbit blinked, stunned.
Karyou glanced at her with a sour expression. "Canaria, my Big Sis' disciple, taking in a rabbit as an adopted child… grossly disappointing."
"W-Well…" Black Rabbit stammered awkwardly.
She suddenly remembered—Karyou had a huge grudge against the Buddhist pantheon ever since the Monkey King converted and joined them.
And Black Rabbit?
Her patron god was none other than Indra, the leader of 12 Devas of the Buddhist guard—talk about bad luck.
She was getting caught in the crossfire of someone else's drama.
Shiroyasha, as always, poured fuel on the fire with a grin.
"Aw, come on, Karyou-chan~ You're still bickering with kids? Adults don't sweat the small stuff, y'know~"
Karyou's eye twitched. She glared at Shiroyasha and growled through clenched teeth.
"Tch. Whatever. This whole place reeks of that Buddhist stench anyway—I don't want to hang around longer than I have to."
This brat! Insinuating that she was being childish?! She shouldn't have even come.
But then she remembered her promise to her big sister. Ugh. Fine.
She turned back to Ryo, voice cold and annoyed.
"You're here for the trial, right?"
"Yup." Ryo kept his response short. He was trying to avoid provoking her—but he was also quietly fascinated. This was his first time meeting a real Demon King. He couldn't help being curious.
Karyou snorted. "Fine. Let's keep it simple. Your trial will be a direct combat match."
Ryo blinked, a little thrown off.
"Wait—then how do I… win?"
Karyou raised her right hand, lifting one finger with a calm, almost smug look.
"Land a hit on me. That's all it takes to pass."
Ryo stared at her for a second… then grinned.
"Alright. You're on."
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