Koyomi Shizuka never expected Izumi to be this overwhelmingly powerful.
His strength… far exceeded the intelligence reports.
What she had witnessed—Izumi casually annihilating the man said to be "closest to the True Ancestor," Dimitrie—already defied common sense.
But even more terrifying was the follow-up.
Izumi sensed her presence instantly.
And without a single chant, without even turning his head, he flooded the entire yard with countless floating weapons—silent, cold, and all pointed directly at her.
If she said even one wrong word…
Those blades would skewer her without hesitation.
Not even her special abilities could save her.
This is lethal…
Even if the entirety of Japan's Shishi-ou Kikan (Lion King Agency) stormed this place, none of them would leave alive.
Just imagining it made her scalp go numb.
This man was terrifying—not just in strength, but in decisiveness.
He didn't posture. He didn't threaten.
He simply killed if he judged it necessary.
And that kind of person… is the deadliest.
Koyomi gulped and immediately bowed her head.
"F-forgive me, Izumi-sama. I had no ill intentions."
"I merely sensed a battle here and came to confirm the situation."
"If you wish it—I can leave immediately."
No way in hell was she going to ask for the Fourth Primogenitor's vessel in front of a man like this.
That was suicide. The kind of death where your family wouldn't even find your ashes.
Izumi looked at her with a smirk.
"Oh? So that's how it is."
"If that's the case, then it's fine."
"Leave. What happens here has nothing to do with you."
"And one more thing—don't stick your nose into the Flame-Light Banquet. If anything happens, I won't take responsibility."
As he spoke, the floating weapons faded away one by one.
Koyomi exhaled in relief… only for her breath to catch again as she watched Izumi casually pick up Dimitrie's corpse—
—and store it away like luggage right before her eyes.
She swallowed hard.
Without another word, she bowed deeply, activated her concealment art, and vanished from Izumi's property.
Her retreat was so fast she practically sprinted through space itself.
Izumi chuckled.
"So she ran away? Cute."
If this were the original Strike the Blood world, that girl would have been a lot braver.
But this world was no longer the same as the one described in novels or anime.
Here, "True Ancestors" were merely at the level of high-tier Demon Kings.
Even the First Primogenitor—the strongest—was only barely approaching the realm of a Transcendent.
And even that was nothing special anymore.
Because above them, this world had actual Transcendents… beings far beyond the True Ancestors.
Compared to them, the Primogenitors were basically outdated relics.
The Lion King Agency?
In this world they were a second-rate power at best, clinging to relevance by sending pretty girls with special weapons to negotiate political favors.
Nothing impressive.
Their so-called "Three Saints"?
Barely pseudo–Demon King level.
Not even real Demon Kings.
They could bully normal vampires, sure.
But that was it.
Their sacred weapons merely possessed anti-magic properties, nothing more.
Against vampires who fought via familiars, those anti-magic effects were effective—familiars were nothing but condensed mana, after all.
Their large forms made them easy targets, and destroying them was simple.
But a "real" vampire?
One who could drop a moon or swing a planet around?
Yeah, no chance.
Izumi could probably give Wanmaburi-style anti-magic weapons to Megumi and let her sneak-attack most vampires to death.
Vampires' physical durability was weak; "immortality" was just an illusion supported by mana.
Remove the mana…
Let's see them survive that.
…
After storing Dimitrie's corpse, Izumi planned to "offer" it to the system later—maybe it would cough up new rewards.
At this point, the system was basically his personal corpse-recycling factory.
Dead enemy → system → loot.
Perfect ecosystem.
Once everything outside was handled, Izumi returned home with the group.
Meanwhile…
Far above, atop a skyscraper overlooking Izumi's house—
A girl in gothic lolita fashion, holding a parasol, watched the scene with a weary expression.
MInamiya Natsuki, the Witch of the Void.
"…Great. He actually killed that snake-charmer."
"And not even a corpse left. Wonderful."
"How am I supposed to explain this to the War King Territory…?"
"The First Primogenitor might even come here personally…"
Natsuki sighed deeply.
She had sensed Dimitrie entering the island instantly, of course.
But she didn't intervene—twelve Primogenitor vessels had resurfaced, and the Flame-Light Banquet was destined to be held here.
A fight or two was to be expected.
But she had not expected Izumi to vaporize Dimitrie the moment they met.
What the hell, man!?
Her face reflected the exact feeling of someone scoring a "Why me? I just work here" bingo.
Being the supervisor of the city's defense force suddenly felt like a terrible career choice.
Maybe I should resign… I'm too young to deal with this.
She rubbed her temples.
Still, she notified the War King Territory.
That much responsibility she could not ignore.
As for going to confront Izumi?
Absolutely not.
She wasn't suicidal, and she'd just watched him point a thousand weapons at a Lion King operative without blinking.
If she approached carelessly, he might poke a few holes in her, too.
But Natsuki couldn't deny—she felt a bit of schadenfreude.
Those Lion King Agency girls…
They finally got what they deserved.
Honestly, Natsuki wanted to give Izumi a thumbs-up.
Good job. Keep it up.
She had no love for the Lion King Agency.
They were supposed to be allies, yes… but she was a witch, essentially a demon.
The Lion King Agency, on the other hand, served government and church authority.
And worse—
They literally used beautiful girls as political bargaining chips.
An organization that functioned like a modernized pleasure house.
Just repackaged.
Natsuki reported the incident to the War King Territory, yawned, then teleported away.
Oh—she'd notify the demons too.
Not that they'd mind.
After all, Izumi was very important to them.
Even if a True Ancestor came, they wouldn't dare lay a hand on him.
…
Izumi, of course, knew Natsuki was watching.
He simply didn't care.
He actually liked Natsuki.
She was shameless, greedy, and lusted after cute things.
A true LSP at heart.
The Lion King Agency girls, though?
He had zero affection for them.
Too calculating.
Too manipulative.
Izumi couldn't stand their type.