Chapter 804: Greetings Must Be Kisses! The Party Is Called 'Let's All Pull Weeds in Egypt'
The frozen gears of the world's time began to turn once more.
The blinding white feathers of the Dragon's Breath suspended in the air before Ren suddenly dissolved into nothingness. Index, still trapped in her Automatic Writing state, swayed on her feet. Her head tilted to the side, and before a single syllable could escape her lips, she collapsed.
Ren stepped forward, effortlessly catching her small body against his chest. He raised a hand, his index finger gently tracing the line of her lips. A faint wisp of purple light drifted from her mouth, scattering into the wind.
"Done. The spell binding your friend Index has been completely dismantled. She's just sleeping now."
"You aren't planning to take her back with you, are you?" Ren asked, glancing over his shoulder.
Behind him stood Kanzaki Kaori. Her usually composed demeanor was entirely shattered. A deep, alluring flush painted her cheeks, and a heavy exhaustion weighed down her limbs, yet her gaze remained fixed on the unconscious Index. A storm of conflicting emotions swirled in her dark eyes.
Silence stretched between them for a long moment, broken only by the whistling wind of the rooftop.
Finally, she gave a slow, deliberate nod. "Yes. I have no intention of taking her back." She paused, her grip tightening on the hilt of her nodachi. "As for the issues with the Anglican Church... I plan to return and handle them myself."
The memory of being manipulated, of having her loyalty and her friend's life toyed with by the higher-ups, ignited a cold fury in her chest. Now that her body thrummed with the overwhelming strength Ren had poured into her, she was more than ready to carve out some long-overdue justice.
"Since you are my woman now," Ren said, his tone casual yet carrying a heavy weight, "do you need my help? I could wipe them out in an instant."
Kanzaki shook her head, her long dark ponytail swaying with the motion. "My current power comes directly from you. That is already the greatest assistance anyone could ask for. I intend to personally interrogate the Archbishop."
"Alright. I respect your choice."
Since she had made up her mind, Ren didn't push the issue. He had used his own essence to forcefully elevate her power, operating on a similar principle to the world's deterrent forces, Alaya and Gaia. The amount of energy she could assimilate entirely depended on her own innate capacity and physical limits.
Yet, Kanzaki Kaori, once she completely let go of her inhibitions, proved to be far more formidable than he had initially anticipated.
Inside the isolated dimension he had created, Kanzaki had spent no less than thirty-two consecutive hours 'pulling weeds in Egypt' with him. The most astonishing part was that she hadn't completely collapsed from the sheer physical toll of his relentless stamina. If it had been Misaka Mikoto in her place, the poor middle-schooler would have passed out and surrendered hours ago.
This newly acquired vitality and raw power allowed Kanzaki to easily sweep through any opposition in this world, provided they were below the level of a Magic God.
At the mere thought of her newfound power, a furious crimson spread across Kanzaki's face, reaching all the way to the tips of her ears. She averted her gaze, entirely incapable of meeting Ren's eyes.
The specific 'method' through which she had acquired this strength was utterly scandalous, something completely unheard of in the world of magic. Just recalling the intense, mind-melting process sent a phantom jolt of electricity racing down her spine, leaving her thighs trembling and her core tingling with a numb, lingering heat.
Catching her flustered reaction, Ren let out a low chuckle. His mood was exceptionally good. "Are you absolutely sure you don't need my help recovering?" he teased, his eyes dropping to appraise her figure. "Your body is still incredibly sensitive right now."
Kanzaki jolted as if struck by lightning.
"N-No need!" she stammered, taking a hasty step back. "I am leaving right now!"
She knew with absolute certainty that if she stayed beside him for even a minute longer, she would melt back into a puddle of absolute submission. She couldn't even fathom what kind of degenerate state she would sink into. Desperate for a distraction, she turned her attention toward the unconscious Stiyl, preparing to wake the tall mage.
"Don't bother with him," Ren interjected smoothly. "Just head back on your own. Go early, finish your business, and come back to me early."
Kanzaki shot him a highly suspicious look.
Ren merely shrugged, a lazy smirk playing on his lips. "You should know by now. I am a very possessive man."
Understanding dawned on her, and despite herself, her heart skipped an erratic beat. The man who had thoroughly conquered her, the one who had claimed a Saint bearing the Stigma, harbored a fierce possessiveness over what was his. He didn't want another man, even a colleague like Stiyl, traveling alongside her right now.
She knew then that she would likely never escape his grasp for the rest of her life. Surprisingly, the thought didn't fill her with dread. Instead, a faint, genuinely soft smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
She stood there for a long moment, her gaze tracing the lines of Ren's face, firmly imprinting his current calm expression into her memory—a stark contrast to the insatiable beast of desire he had been in that isolated dimension.
Without another word, she turned on her heel and leaped directly off the edge of the towering building, her silhouette vanishing into the night.
As for the unconscious Stiyl Magnus sprawled on the concrete?
Ren didn't spare the pyromancer a single glance. Gathering Index into his arms, he vanished from the rooftop, heading straight back to the Board of Directors building.
Minutes after the three of them had departed, a biting, frigid gust of wind swept across the desolate rooftop.
"Achoo!"
Stiyl violently sneezed, his eyes snapping open. He groaned, clutching the throbbing back of his head as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. His vision swam, his mind entirely disoriented. It took several long, agonizing minutes for his scattered memories to piece themselves back together.
When they finally did, a wave of intense humiliation washed over the notoriously proud fourteen-year-old smoker. He had marched up here fully intending to put on a spectacular, intimidating show of force, only to be instantly swatted down like a minor nuisance.
"Where did they go?" Stiyl scrambled to his feet, his boots scraping against the gravel.
He whipped his head around, scanning the empty space. Where was that monstrously strong bastard, Ren? Where were Kanzaki and Index?
Beep beep!
The sharp sound of his old-fashioned flip phone broke the silence. He yanked it out of his pocket and flipped it open. A single, painfully brief text message glowed on the screen.
Sender: Kanzaki Kaori.
Message: Index's problem has been resolved. I am returning to the Anglican Church.
Stiyl stared at the glowing pixels, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably. He had been completely abandoned by his own partner. And what about the actual details? How exactly was the supposedly unsolvable magical collar around Index's neck dealt with?
Utterly bewildered and thoroughly irritated, Stiyl aggressively scratched his messy red hair. He desperately needed a smoke to calm his fraying nerves. He reached into his deep coat pocket, his fingers searching for his pack.
He froze.
The color instantly drained from his face, leaving him deathly pale. It wasn't that he couldn't find his cigarettes. It was the horrifying realization that accompanied the search.
His wallet was completely empty. He had absolutely no money.
"How the hell am I... supposed to buy a ticket back to London?" Stiyl muttered, his tall, lanky frame left completely disheveled and trembling in the unforgiving Academy City wind.
Meanwhile, inside the luxurious penthouse of the Board of Directors building.
"You're back," Misaka Mikoto stated, her tone remarkably calm as she was the first to notice Ren stepping out of the spatial distortion with the sleeping Index in his arms.
"Hmm?" Ren raised an eyebrow, a teasing glint entering his eyes. "Mikoto, that simply won't do. You can't greet me like that."
"Huh? What's wrong with how I greeted you?" Mikoto frowned, immediately looking down to inspect herself. Her Tokiwadai middle school uniform was perfectly neat, her buttons were properly fastened, nothing was inappropriately exposed, and her trusty safety shorts were securely in place.
Finding nothing out of order, she glared up at him, a spark of annoyance flashing in her brown eyes. "You're just messing with me again, aren't you?"
"Tsk, tsk. It seems our dear Mikoto lacks proper self-awareness," Ren sighed with exaggerated disappointment. He shifted his gaze across the room. "Misaki, come here. Show her the correct way to greet me."
Shokuhou Misaki, who had been quietly observing from the side, suddenly stiffened. A rosy tint dusted her cheeks. Pursing her glossy lips, the blonde Queen of Tokiwadai obediently walked over to Ren.
Rising gracefully onto her tiptoes, she leaned in. Right under everyone's watchful eyes, she pressed her lips directly against Ren's in a soft, lingering kiss.
Pulling back slightly, she lowered her starry eyes and murmured shyly, "W-Welcome back."
Ren nodded in deep satisfaction. He gestured toward the stunned electromaster. "See? Now that is how you greet the man of the house."
"You... you absolute pervert!" Mikoto's face instantly exploded into a brilliant shade of tomato red. Making her do something so incredibly embarrassing in front of a room full of people? What kind of sick joke was this?!
Ren sighed again, shaking his head. "It seems my training with you is still vastly insufficient, Mikoto. I'll just have to pull you aside and teach you properly later."
Mikoto instinctively squeezed her thighs together, a sudden, very dangerous premonition making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.
"Master, welcome back!" a cheerful voice chimed in.
Frenda walked over, dragging her fiercely blushing younger sister, Fremea, by the hand. Catching the eager glint in Frenda's eyes, Ren understood the assignment perfectly. He bent down slightly, lowering himself to a height the two petite sisters could comfortably reach.
Frenda was the first to enthusiastically perform the new greeting ritual, planting a firm kiss on his lips. She was immediately followed by a highly nervous Fremea. After pressing a quick, trembling kiss to his mouth, the younger girl shyly ducked her head, trying to hide her burning face behind her blonde hair.
Seeing the young girl's thoroughly obedient state, Ren couldn't help but mentally praise Frenda. She really had trained her little sister exceptionally well.
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