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That Afternoon — At Dusk
"Shiho really is working hard. She even left her master behind."
Edgar muttered this with a hint of amusement curling at the corners of his lips.
No master ever resents a servant who's pushing themselves to grow stronger.
He stepped out of Kuoh Academy, but didn't head home. Instead, he quietly waited.
"...There he is."
His eyes glinted as he spotted a student walking with a backpack.
That was his target — Issei Hyoudou.
As far as so-called protagonists go, Edgar felt nothing but disdain toward him.
And then there was that [Boosted Gear], the Red Dragon Emperor's gauntlet — now that was interesting.
Edgar moved his fingers slightly. A flash of light flickered — a magic circle activated.
At the Same Time
Issei Hyoudou was walking home when he suddenly realized… he was lost.
"Huh? What the hell? Why's there no one around?"
The eerily silent streets sent a chill down his spine.
He started to run.
Suddenly, a rich-looking young man appeared ahead of him.
"Hey, excuse me, I think I—"
Before he could even finish his sentence, a wave of freezing air hit him like a truck.
The next moment...
Issei was frozen solid — turned into an ice sculpture.
"We'll just keep you on ice for now. I'll figure out how to extract the Boosted Gear later."
Edgar walked up, a dark red magic circle pulsing in his palm.
And just like that, Issei Hyoudou vanished — completely erased.
"Hm?"
As Edgar turned to leave, his expression shifted.
"...A holy presence?"
As a demon, Edgar was extremely sensitive to the power of light. Even without consciously sensing it, he could feel it clearly.
"But… this light doesn't make me feel sick or repulsed?"
"Could it be... related to my awakening as a progenitor demon?"
He muttered to himself, deciding not to leave just yet.
Soon enough, a man in a priest's robe with striking white hair appeared in front of him.
"Well, well... what do we have here? A lost little demon?"
The man — Feed Justine — wore a twisted grin, his whole body reeking of blood.
"A stray exorcist, huh."
Edgar felt a tinge of disappointment.
He'd hoped it would be a fallen angel.
Still, he remembered: this guy had the skill to extract Sacred Gears from human hosts.
"Ahahaha! You got it! I'm the glorious stray exorcist, baby!"
Feed Justine laughed maniacally, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
"Those damn hypocrites already turned their backs on God. I'm the only one truly worthy of serving Him!"
"And you filthy demons showing up in front of me? That's divine providence!"
Edgar said nothing, his expression blank as he slowly walked forward, totally unfazed — like he was just out for a stroll.
If it weren't for the curiosity nagging at him, he'd have killed this guy already.
"Ohhh~ look who's walking toward me! Shouldn't a pathetic little demon like you be pissing yourself right now?"
Feed Justine's face twisted in fury. "It's those bastards' fault..."
"...that demons like you no longer know fear!"
The moment his words fell, Feed Justine pulled out a weapon — a sword hilt with no blade.
Buzz!
Light exploded outward.
A brilliant blade of pure holy energy extended from the hilt.
"Demon, it's time for you to pay for your sins! Die!!"
With a roar, Feed Justine shot forward like lightning, his sword slashing straight toward Edgar.
Clang!
The light blade struck as if it hit solid steel.
Feed Justine's eyes went wide.
All he managed to do was slice Edgar's clothes.
He hadn't even touched Edgar's body — and Edgar hadn't used a single drop of magic.
What the hell?!
He was using genuine holy light — the natural enemy of all demons.
Why... was it useless against this one?
"Hah. So I was right... I'm not affected by holy light anymore."
Edgar muttered to himself, confirming his theory.
Feed Justine's attack had failed not just because of the gap in their strength...
But because Edgar had awakened the bloodline of the Progenitor Demon.
The light — that natural, overwhelming weakness for demons — simply didn't affect him anymore.
"Shit! This demon isn't normal!"
Feed Justine gritted his teeth and tried to retreat.
BOOM!
But before he could even move, a single punch landed squarely on his chest.
Just raw brute strength — yet it caved in Feed Justine's chest instantly and sent him flying like a cannonball.
He let out a scream.
But in the next instant, his body exploded like a watermelon — splat.
Edgar calmly withdrew his fist, face expressionless — as if he'd just crushed a bug.
He waved his hand slightly, casting a spell to clean up the scene, and vanished without a trace.
Later That Night
The moon hung high in the sky.
Shiho Miyano walked down the path home, her body feeling like it was made of lead.
"Ugh… training is so exhausting."
"But… totally worth it."
She muttered to herself with a faint smile.
The look of surprise on Rias and the others' faces — that sense of accomplishment felt amazing.
And most importantly...
She'd finally learned a super-tier spell: Lightning Strike.
Looking up at the starry sky, Shiho felt a deep peace settle over her.
There was a time when even dreaming of this kind of life felt impossible.
And all of it — every last bit — was thanks to Edgar.
"...That said, I'm totally out of magic power again."
She blushed suddenly, as if remembering something embarrassing.
Ten minutes later.
Shiho arrived at the villa and spotted a familiar figure out front.
"Yep… this is the right address."
Akemi Miyano looked at the villa, her brows furrowed.
She had heard rumors that the facility their organization operated here had been destroyed.
She'd assumed her little sister was being heavily monitored.
But this… didn't look like surveillance at all?
Thinking back to how hesitant Shiho had sounded on the phone, Akemi couldn't help but worry.
"Hey, Sis! You're here!"
Shiho appeared with a beaming smile. "Why're you just standing there? Come on in already!"
Akemi: "..."
What the hell?
Since when does my sister smile like that?
"..."
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