"My speed of progress should be considered fast among demons."
A demon's life was close to eternal. Unless one was a pure-blood with extraordinary talent, cultivation only bore fruit after decades of repetition. The fact that Takumi had advanced this far in just a few years was partly thanks to his Hero bloodline. One part raised his potential ceiling, another boosted his aptitude for training.
Clenching his fist, Takumi recalled the Boosted Gear back into his body. Plundered and converted into a Trait, this Sacred Gear no longer held the so-called soul of the Red Dragon Emperor—it was more like a part of his body.
"Even the Forbidden Hand, the ultimate domain of a Sacred Gear, I could theoretically use. But with my current strength, activating it would probably kill me instantly."
He sighed, but didn't dwell on it. Having gained this much right after arriving in Kuoh was already far better than the past five years of wandering.
Looking up at the darkening sky, his eyes narrowed. "Someone's coming. Fast."
The Repelling Barrier had vanished the moment Donaseek died. No doubt the disturbance here had caught the attention of Kuoh's residents.
With a spring of his legs, Takumi shot off like a cheetah, vanishing from the park in the blink of an eye.
Barely a dozen breaths after he left, a pink figure swept down and landed in the park. Seeing the corpses and carnage scattered across the ground, Momo Chiyoda frowned slightly.
"Fallen Angel?"
"Magical Girl?"
Another figure appeared in the sky—Raynare, tracing the disappearance of Donaseek's aura, descended and glared down at Momo Chiyoda. Spotting Donaseek's corpse, shock filled her expression.
"Human Magical Girl—why did you kill my subordinate?"
Faced with her accusation, Momo's expression remained unchanged. "It wasn't me. I only came because I sensed a magical disturbance."
Lifting her head, she calmly met Raynare's eyes. "But you Fallen Angels—why have you suddenly gathered here?"
Sensing the lethal threat radiating from Momo, Raynare's face twisted. The girl before her looked like an ordinary magical girl, but her strength far surpassed Raynare's—at least a High-Rank Magical Girl. And being what she was, a magical girl couldn't be lying.
Unwilling to provoke conflict, Raynare abandoned her pursuit of Donaseek's killer. "Why should we reveal our purpose to you? I'll overlook today's matter."
With a flap of her wings, she retreated several meters, tossed down her final words, then shot into the sky and disappeared from view.
Watching her go, Momo didn't move to stop her. Fallen Angels might be enemies, but in a sense, they still belonged to the camp of light. As long as Raynare didn't cross the line, Momo had no intention of troubling her.
"Not even bothering to take the corpse…"
She sighed, then released her magic to clean up the aftermath.
Two kilometers away, Takumi observed from afar. Seeing Momo Chiyoda and Raynare's appearance, his thoughts stirred.
"This is getting messy. Kuoh Town really is a gathering of powerhouses."
"Magical girls, demons, Fallen Angels… who knows how many factions are in play here."
"When I first discovered this place, I didn't realize the water ran this deep."
He turned away, heading home. For now, he decided to keep things low-key, focus on developing himself before stirring up trouble. The progress bar for his [World-Crossing Gate] was nearly full, after all. That dormant power, quiet for more than ten years, was finally about to become useful!
Thinking of this, even his steps grew lighter.
He turned into the bustling Doma shopping street, determined to stock up before the stores closed.
By the time he emerged with bags in both hands, night had fully fallen. But he had barely walked far from the street when he noticed a red-haired girl standing by the roadside.
The instant she entered his vision, his gaze was drawn to her.
Her face was flawless, her pale skin smooth as shelled egg. Her long crimson hair burned like flame, cascading in waves down to her waist. She wasn't tall—no more than one meter sixty—but her figure was exquisite, curves full and perfectly balanced, radiating fatal allure.
A tight white sailor uniform wrapped her chest, the fabric straining as though ready to burst, tracing breathtaking curves. The collar hung slightly open, showing the faintest glimpse of cleavage. Her waist was slender, barely a handful, accentuating the flawless proportions of chest to stomach.
A black pleated skirt just covered her hips, and with the slightest motion hinted at the secrets beneath its hem. Black thigh-high stockings hugged her legs, tight fabric outlining the curves of her thighs, where pale skin peeked at the edges with a tantalizing charm.
If perfection was a hundred points, this red-haired girl deserved at least ninety-nine—minus one only so she wouldn't grow arrogant.
Takumi stared for a second, dazed, then quickly calmed down.
"Red hair? A body like that… Rias Gremory? No, that's not right. Issei Hyoudou hasn't even been reincarnated into a demon's servant yet. I shouldn't have any connection with her."
He forced the thought down. The biggest reason he dismissed the possibility was her aura. The youthful, innocent air clinging to this girl didn't match the presence of a pure-blood demon.
Standing still, Mio Naruse also noticed the handsome boy staring straight at her. Normally, such a look would make her feel disgust. But strangely, no such feeling arose—instead, her heart grew shy.
Her wine-red eyes blinked, and she turned her head away, pretending to be aloof while hiding her embarrassment. "Maria said she'd only be gone a moment. Why hasn't she returned yet?"
As her anxiety built, Takumi searched his memory for her image. More than ten years had passed, and though his strengthened body preserved much of his memory, details blurred—especially in such a complicated world.
But one thing he could confirm: the red-haired girl before him was definitely a demon. Her aura was pure and familiar, utterly different from his mixed blood. And with his demon aura offset by his new Fallen Angel aura, he seemed more like a pure human.
Just as he was about to step forward to approach her, his steps halted. From a shadowed corner, black miasma coalesced, shaping itself into three thug-like figures with stiff movements, shambling toward Mio Naruse.
...
If we reach 100 Power Stones this week, I'll release a mass drop of 10 chapters as a thank-you for your amazing support!