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Minato picked Sakura up from the floor and placed her gently on a chair.
"As long as you become my follower, I'll protect you forever."
"R-Really?"
Sakura slowly began to calm down as she looked at him.
"Really."
Minato replied with full sincerity, "You'll be able to live however you want."
"To do whatever you want to do."
Minato had an unbelievable amount of patience… for a little girl.
"I-I got it," Sakura Matou nodded. Then she glanced at Minato's school uniform and couldn't help asking, "Mister Demon, are you… a student?"
"Sure am!"
Minato grinned. "Don't believe everything the stories say. We demons are actually pretty easy to get along with."
Mister Demon—he was definitely trustworthy.
Sakura's eyes lit up. A demon who goes to school? That's pretty unique.
She hesitated for a second, then asked quietly, "So… how do I become your familiar?"
"Simple. I'll use a Devil's Piece to reincarnate you as a demon."
Minato pulled out a pawn-shaped piece and said gently, "Relax, it'll be over in no time."
"Huh?"
Sakura's big, round eyes widened. She looked at him, unsure. "B-become a demon?"
So that's what being a familiar meant...
But still—
Becoming a demon?
That… sounded kinda impossible.
"Being a demon isn't really all that different from being human," Minato explained patiently. "You'll still be able to eat, play, go to school, make friends…"
Sakura seemed half-confused but nodded slightly. Then she asked softly, "Then… will I still be able to see my sister?"
"Of course," Minato nodded.
If that's the case...
Sakura was silent for a moment, then made up her mind. "Mister Demon, I want to be your familiar."
Minato smiled. "Don't worry, you won't regret your decision today."
"So… what do I do with this chess piece?"
"Just leave it to me. It won't take long."
He began working with the Devil's Piece, holding it up to Sakura.
Cold!
The moment it touched her, she shivered from the icy feeling.
Then—
Right before her eyes, the piece melted into her body.
Hot!
Her eyes widened again as her heartbeat suddenly sped up.
Bathed in the glow of a magic circle, she could feel her spine and tailbone slowly shifting and transforming.
And moments later—
Sakura flapped her new wings curiously.
She was flying!
Being a demon… was kind of fun.
"Don't push yourself too hard," Minato said with a gentle smile. "You're still just a kid."
Looking at Sakura, he couldn't help but smile.
Having a familiar like this really was a brand-new experience.
Honestly… it kinda felt like gaining a daughter.
"Got it, Mister Demon," Sakura stuck her tongue out playfully and landed quietly next to Minato.
"Alright, let's go," Minato said, patting her small head. "Time to get you out of here."
"Okay!"
Sakura held Minato's hand as the two slowly walked out of the room.
And at that moment—
This gloomy mansion suddenly felt full of sunshine.
"Has that old bastard shown up yet?"
After a few more steps, Minato suddenly looked over his shoulder. "If he has, perfect—saves me the trouble."
Right on cue, an old, creepy voice echoed through the hall.
"Really now… even if you are a demon, don't you think you're going a bit too far, acting like this in the Matou family's domain?"
The sound echoed, and a hunched, cane-wielding old man with a grotesque face appeared before them.
"M-Mister Demon, b-be careful…" Sakura shrank back and gripped Minato's hand tightly.
"Don't worry," Minato said with a calm smile. "He's just a wrinkled old bug clinging to life. Nothing to be scared of, Sakura."
"You… turned her into a demon?" Matou Zouken stared at Sakura in shock, and then his eyes turned ice-cold.
Unforgivable!
He hadn't even had the chance to implant her with his worms yet!
And this demon had the nerve to interfere?
"You're angry?" Minato's gaze was chilling, like he was staring at a dead man. He said coldly, "Savor that feeling—because you're about to die."
"You punk, do you even know who I am?" Matou Zouken growled. "Just because you're a demon, don't think you can look down on humans!"
The second his words dropped—
A buzzing sound filled the air as a cloud of black insects swarmed into the air like a dark fog.
"You dare ignore the rules of the magical world?!"
"Even if you die here, the Underworld won't care!"
He roared, and the swarm of insects expanded rapidly, covering the sky in a wave of darkness.
Each bug radiated a bloodthirsty aura as they dove toward Minato.
BZZZZ!
A soft blue magic circle lit up.
CRACKLE!
Blue lightning exploded outward, vaporizing the endless wave of insects into dust.
Zouken's eyes nearly popped out of his skull.
That kind of magic?!
Just how powerful was this demon?
And yet—how could someone this strong be so disrespectful of the rules?
BOOM!
While he was still trying to figure it out, a bolt of blue lightning blasted right in front of him.
The explosion was massive. A huge chunk of Zouken's body was instantly obliterated.
You could even see squirming bugs wriggling inside the wound.
"Man, your magic really is disgusting."
Minato frowned in disgust as he looked at him.
To be fair, this old guy probably was the strongest human he'd ever met.
He'd given up his human body entirely in exchange for immortality, letting worms take over every inch of him.
Good thing Minato didn't have a phobia of tiny crawling things.
"Mister Demon, you're amazing!" Sakura cheered with sparkles in her eyes.
Whatever fear she had before was now completely gone.
"You want to take Sakura? Fine. I won't stop you," Zouken said, clearly trying to keep things from escalating further.
Fighting over Sakura wasn't worth dying for.
"You think I need your permission to take someone?"
Minato scoffed.
He noticed that Zouken's body had already started regenerating and raised an eyebrow.
That healing speed… about on par with Raiser.
But even the Phoenix is dead now. What chance do you have, old man?
"You're pushing it," Zouken snarled, his face twisted in fury.
He was the shadowy puppeteer behind the entire Matou family.
And this demon wasn't giving him even the slightest bit of respect.
Taking the girl wasn't enough? Now he wanted to wipe him out too?
"....."