In the vast space.
The stationary greyish-white figure seemed to possess a mysterious charm that captivated Giada's entire attention.
With a series of clunks, the circular door fully opened.
And Giada accordingly stepped forward towards the greyish-white figure.
Her footsteps were crisp but slow, roughly half the pace of a normal person's walk, testing the enemy's reaction range.
While testing, Giada mused aloud:
"Speaking of which, the original reason I came to Japan was to gauge the difference between myself and a Demigod."
"After all, as a beast of prey, assessing the hunters in your surroundings is the most fundamental of basics."
"So after arriving in this world, whether it's me or the other Primogenitors, we've all been trying to determine our place in the food chain..."
At this point, Giada slowly came to a halt about 30 metres in front of the greyish figure, staring intently at the unfamiliar face adorned with faint greyish-white dragon scales:
"Although I know it's fake, from this perspective, while it's not really my type, it is rather good-looking."
Giada raised a hand to stroke her chin, her eyes thoughtful as she said:
"But your appearance seems to be copied from that Demigod in the Hidden Management Department, doesn't it?"
"Somehow it feels similar yet different... Is it just the appearance that's similar? The internal composition must be different, right?"
The stationary greyish-white replica didn't respond, remaining silently in place.
Faced with this reaction, Giada wasn't surprised, merely remarking with some curiosity:
"No sentience?"
"Then can I assume your combat is entirely driven by instinct?"
"If that's the case..."
Giada narrowed her eyes, slowly raising her right hand as golden and crimson patterns emerged along her arm, while torrential magical power surged forth like ocean waves.
Amidst the vast magical energy, Giada chuckled:
"In other words, it should be fine to summon all my familiars right in front of you, correct?"
As the words fell, Giada immediately called out loudly:
"Come swiftly! — Amashutorī!!"
Suddenly, dark clouds gathered across the dome, and deafening thunderclaps began to roar.
An illusory thunder beast composed entirely of lightning let out a ferocious roar within the thunderclouds.
"Awaken, Sotorōru!!"
Boom!
The sound of cracking earth erupted.
A towering skeletal giant, pale white throughout, rose from the ground, crimson ghost fires blooming within its hollow eye sockets.
"Awaken at once—Ehecatl!!"
A pitch-black tornado abruptly formed beside Giada, and within the storm, a pale grey eye faintly opened, revealing a bloodshot pupil.
Summoning three familiars in one breath and supplying them with full magical power left even Giada slightly breathless.
This scene left the spectators, watching remotely, utterly astonished.
"What are these monsters? Their auras are incredibly strong..."
Evangeline felt her scalp tingle as she observed the familiars summoned by Giada through her puppet. The power emanating from each monster made her heart race.
Meanwhile, Kazuma Yagami, while soothing the frightened wind spirits, remarked with an unnatural expression:
"Hey now, the conceptual power these familiars are emitting... Could it be that these are all Demigod lifeforms?"
"What are Demigod lifeforms?" Tatsuya Shiba asked expressionlessly, voicing the question on most people's minds.
At that moment, Yuiyui Gokadoin, standing nearby, explained in surprise:
"Demigod lifeforms are beings that inherently possess conceptual power."
"Such entities can emerge among elemental spirits, some dragonkin, powerful Abyss lifeforms, and even vengeful spirits."
"Among them, the weaker ones are naturally close to Demigod level, while the stronger ones can rival Apostles. There are even rumours of powerful species comparable to Angels."
"Generally, such conceptual lifeforms can easily become Demigods if they obtain suitable Classes. It's said that many Class advancement materials are directly harvested from Demigod lifeforms."
Hearing this, Jun Tao couldn't help but frown and ask:
"Then what level of conceptual lifeforms are these monsters summoned by that vampire?"
"Judging by their auras, they're likely at the level approaching Demigod strength. Though possibly weaker than true Demigods, they're not weak enough to be instantly killed by Concept Entanglement. And with these numbers..."
Yuiyui Gokadoin watched as Giada continued summoning familiar after familiar in the great hall.
Despite the enormous space—comparable to five or six stadiums—it now felt cramped with twenty familiars present.
But admittedly, those twenty familiars gave Yuiyui Gokadoin strong confidence.
"I heard from our ancestors that the number 3 holds special significance in Demigod battles."
"Triple the Spiritual Power can create an overwhelming advantage in Demigod combat. Three Demigods of Common Classes working together can withstand a Top-Tier Demigod without defeat. There's even a saying that three Top-Tier Demigods can hold their own against an Apostle."
"If we follow this logic..."
—We can win!!
This thought emerged in everyone's minds.
After all, Giada Kukulcan had summoned twenty-one familiars.
Twenty-one Demigod lifeforms besiege a single Demigod?
With numbers like these, the advantage is ours!!
Just then, Giada, having summoned her twenty-second familiar, let out a relieved sigh and wiped the cold sweat from her forehead:
"Is twenty-two the limit when summoning in a place that absorbs power?"
Thinking this, Giada looked up at Luo Shu's motionless duplicate and couldn't help but smile:
"So how will this so-called Demigod handle such collective power!"
As her voice fell, Giada swung her right hand violently and shouted:
"Go, Xiuhtecutli! I choose you for the opening move!"
With those words, the ground beneath the duplicate suddenly cracked, and a five-metre-wide pillar of magma erupted, completely enveloping the duplicate within the molten rock.
The fiery pillar, embodying the concept of flowing lava, wholly consumed the duplicate within its form.
The intense heat, carrying conceptual power and distorting the atmosphere, instantly triggered the duplicate's combat mode, causing its greyish-white scales to flush crimson.
At that moment, the duplicate Luo Shu abruptly raised his head, revealing heterochromatic eyes—one gold, one red.