Among all the factions preparing for tonight's Enjō no Utage—the Flame-Light Banquet—the ones suffering the most were unmistakably the Liones King Organization (Shishiō Ōki-kan).
After witnessing Izumi's overwhelming strength firsthand, and learning he intended to participate personally, their enthusiasm evaporated instantly.A plan they had painstakingly set up for years… now reduced to a wedding dress worn by someone else.
Even if they joined the banquet at this point, they wouldn't gain a single benefit.
The Sanshō, the Three Saints, could only clutch their heads in frustration.
Still, after a lengthy internal discussion, they reluctantly decided to continue participating.
Since Dimitrie had been slain by Izumi, the two proto–Fourth Progenitors he left behind had also fallen into the hands of the Liones King Organization.That gave them legitimate qualifications to enter the banquet.
So in the end, they went with the only option available:
Take one step at a time, and if all else fails, befriend Izumi.
Especially after learning Izumi could casually project anti-demonic weapons—something extremely rare in this world—their desire to build a good relationship burned even hotter.
The Shishiō Ōkikan had only three holy anti-demon spears, all obtained from ancient relics after exhausting enormous resources.
Izumi?
He could raise his hand and throw out a dozen anti-demon weapons like party favors.
It was enough to make anyone rethink their alliances.
So their original objective changed.
Forget controlling the Fourth Progenitor. Befriending Izumi is the true winning move.
No one doubted Izumi would be the final victor of this Flame-Light Banquet.All the remaining Fourth Progenitor's familiars would be reclaimed—and then granted to the girl known as Avrora.
Everyone could already foresee that future.
And as for that arms dealer?No one bothered to take him seriously.
All eyes were now on one question:
How will Izumi face the three Progenitors?
Days passed.Izumi continued teaching Megumi Kato and the others, and their progress was shockingly fast.
Lefay—no, Le Fay Pendragon—was especially outstanding.
Under Izumi's instruction, she had already mastered several basic displacement spells.If she continued at this pace, she might even reach Izumi's level of large-scale spatial manipulation someday.
Her talent was truly frightening.
Although Izumi couldn't teach the essence of High-Speed Divine Words directly, the casting shortcuts and chanting compression techniques he demonstrated allowed Le Fay to dramatically shorten her incantations.
That alone was an incredible leap—something many magicians couldn't achieve even in a lifetime.
Only three days had passed, yet Le Fay had absorbed knowledge at a terrifying rate.
Now Izumi was teaching her the foundations of Astrology Magecraft—and Le Fay was utterly captivated.
Astrology could borrow the power of starlight, amplify spells with celestial magic, and even in broad daylight draw upon the sun's radiance.It could be used for foresight, divination, and stellar-based predictions.
The sheer breadth of knowledge made her heart dance with excitement.
Even with her exceptional talent, it would take her years to master everything.But she didn't rush. She learned piece by piece, thoroughly understanding each concept before moving on.
Izumi found this incredibly pleasing.
She wasn't like those who chased advanced techniques without solid foundations.Her discipline made even Izumi feel humbled.
After dinner that evening, Megumi Kato was preparing to head home when Izumi spoke up:
"Megumi, don't go back tonight."
She blinked in confusion.
"Huh? Tonight? You mean… the Flame-Light Banquet?"
She didn't even consider the possibility of Izumi asking her to stay for… improper reasons.For Megumi, there was only one logical conclusion.
Izumi nodded casually.
"Yep. It's tonight.All the actors and audience are already in place.We just need to show up."
"I figured it was tonight…" Megumi murmured.
Beside her, Le Fay clasped her hands tightly, eyes sparkling.
"Izumi-sama! Are we truly allowed to go with you!?"
Her excitement overflowed.With her current strength, attending the banquet alone was impossible.She would be targeted instantly by other factions.
But if she walked beside Izumi?
No one would dare say a word.
Izumi looked harmless on the surface, but everyone already knew the truth—three major factions treated him like an honored guest.
And earlier today he had casually annihilated an elite from the Warlord's Domain.
Le Fay had become a full-fledged Izumi fangirl.
Seeing her enthusiasm, Izumi smiled.
"Of course you can.And tonight… you might even witness a much higher level of Astrology Magecraft."
The moment he spoke, Le Fay nearly burst into tears of joy.
"Then let's go! Now! Immediately!"
The temptation was simply too great.
She remembered clearly—Izumi had told her he could treat the entire Milky Way Galaxy as his own magical circuit and invoke the ultimate Grand Astrology.
A miracle-tier spell.A magic that most mages couldn't even hope to imagine, let alone witness.
If she could see such a spell cast right before her eyes…
She could die without regrets.
Izumi chuckled at her barely contained excitement.
"All right. Let's head out.Rias and the others should also be there."
He then turned his gaze toward Avrora—who had been silent the entire time, distracted by the subtle, inevitable summoning she felt from afar.
Everyone understood instantly.
They nodded without complaint.
After gathering their things, Izumi led Megumi, Le Fay, Asia, and the silent Avrora toward tonight's stage—
Saikai Academy,the school right next to their own Kuoh Academy.
When the Flame-Light Banquet activates, Fourth Progenitor's power will forcefully extract fragments of memory from the residents of Itogami—but only from ordinary people.Those with even a bit of strength could resist easily.
The authorities didn't care.To them, the price was trivial.
Izumi wasn't the type to play saint.If something didn't concern him, he wouldn't go out of his way to interfere.
With several excited girls following him and Avrora walking quietly at the rear, Izumi proceeded to Saikai Academy—
without using any magic at all.
They simply walked under the calm night sky,as if heading out to enjoy a festival.
The festival of destruction.
The festival of awakening.
The festival where the world's greatest predators gathered.