Ariel still wore that carefree, almost airheaded smile on her face. Unlike the vampire ninjas, she did not fail to react to the attack. The moment her mana surged, she raised a hand, instantly condensing a magic circle in front of her.
Under Laffey's furrowed gaze, the laser cannon shot slammed straight into the magic circle before Ariel—and at that very instant, Laffey sensed a high-energy reaction erupting right beside her.
Boom!!
The crackling explosion of energy sparks rang out against Laffey's palm. The girl remained expressionless as she extended her hand to the side, calmly blocking the laser blast that had been transferred to her position.
A glance revealed another magic circle hovering not far from Laffey's side—identical to the one in front of Ariel—firing out Laffey's own laser beam.
So the attack had been redirected.
"Not as flashy as the others," Laffey muttered softly as she cut off the laser output. The scorching beam pressed against her palm dissipated as well. The lazy air around the rabbit-eared girl vanished, replaced by an ominous crimson glow in her red eyes as they locked firmly onto Ariel.
This one had some ability—unlike those weaklings.
"Much obliged~"
Ariel clearly felt the sensation of something dangerous locking onto her entire body. Her petite frame stiffened slightly. Though she maintained her smile, her heart was already on full alert.
This unidentified, adorable little girl was not someone to trifle with. Just from the techniques she had shown, Ariel knew she could not underestimate her. After seeing that terrifying physical strength, she had already abandoned any thought of engaging in close combat.
The demon baron beside her had only been grazed, yet ended up in such a miserable state. That casual counterattack had shattered his magitech weapon through sheer brute force—and even reduced his arm to a mist of blood.
Ariel couldn't help but think: could this little girl be some dragon-like species? Otherwise, how could she possess such horrifying physical power?
"Cough, cough… Miss Rabbit, before we start fighting in earnest, may I ask why you're launching an attack of this scale on the vampire ninja village?"
Supported by others, the demon baron spoke as blood stained the corner of his mouth, coughing up another mouthful. He looked like someone on the brink of death. Laffey, however, did not think so. His condition was abnormal, but the vitality sustaining his movement was still there.
The demon baron asked because he wanted to know what the vampire ninjas had done to provoke such indiscriminate slaughter.
If not for this incident, he would still be hiding in the shadows. But if he continued hiding now, the vampire ninjas would be wiped out entirely.
And more importantly—his daughter, Ayaka, was still in the village. Her fate was unknown.
Laffey paused slightly at his question. Not because of the words themselves, but because an overwhelming killing intent suddenly surged like a tsunami. Immediately afterward, a cold voice followed.
"That's a question you should be asking the girl standing next to you."
Across from Laffey, the crowd—faces stiff and bodies frozen under the crushing pressure of killing intent—saw a burly figure slowly emerge from behind her, shrouded in blood-red murderous aura. When they saw who it was, Ariel's face stiffened even further.
The demon baron's eyes widened as well.
In Raize's hand was an unconscious girl. Her arms were twisted and broken beyond recognition. She had black hair, wore a shrine maiden's outfit, and prayer beads hung around her neck.
She didn't look like a vampire ninja at all—more like a miko.
The girl Raize was holding was Ayaka, the demon baron's daughter. In her one-sided battle against Raize, both her arms had been broken, and she had been beaten unconscious.
He had intended to kill her outright, but sensing that something was happening on Laffey's side, he had instead brought along the former leader's daughter.
"Good to see you again, Miss Ariel. Letting Tohru spare you last time seems to have been a mistake."
Holding the demon baron's daughter, Raize stared coldly at Ariel with eyes that revealed no trace of killing intent or hostility.
Since this woman was here, his suspicions had been confirmed.
"Heh~ how could that be? It would be such a shame for such a cute girl like me to just die like that~"
Ariel's smile was stiff now. Inside, she regretted her earlier decision. She hadn't expected Raize to be this ruthless—to come knocking directly like this.
Judging by his tone, he clearly knew what she had done. This situation was largely her responsibility.
"Cough… young man, are you saying you came here because of Ariel?"
The demon baron stared darkly at Raize holding his unconscious daughter, then glanced at the strained smile of his childhood friend beside him. Understanding dawned instantly.
It seemed Ariel had used the vampire ninjas to do something that enraged him enough to come for their lives.
"What, as her childhood friend and co-conspirator in overthrowing the Queen, do you really not know what she did?"
Raize's sudden words caused both Ariel and the demon baron to stare wide-eyed. The smile vanished completely from Ariel's face.
Barely believing that their secret plot had been exposed, she spoke in a low, chilling tone, "Young man… talking nonsense is a good way to make girls dislike you."
"Haruna is very special~"
Raize responded coldly, cutting off Ariel's attempt at denial.
The vampire ninjas were shaken by these cryptic words, casting subtle glances at their suddenly resurrected leader and the infamous magical girl. It felt like they had heard something they were never meant to hear—would they be silenced next?
That was, assuming they survived what came next.
What mattered now was the newly appeared enemy. The rabbit-eared girl stood obediently behind him, meaning he was the commander she had mentioned—the one leading the attack on the village.
Raize's words caused Ariel and the demon baron's expressions to sink completely. They both knew exactly what he meant.
Just as Raize had suspected, Haruna—the special existence—was their ultimate weapon against the Queen, precisely because she was immune to the Queen's curse.
A savage, chilling grin spread across Raize's face as he looked at them.
"Judging by your expressions, you're admitting it. I came here today to wipe out you traitorous vampire ninjas."
"Who are you calling traitors!?"
Seraphim glared furiously at Raize. He had stormed their village without warning, slaughtering men, women, and children alike. She wanted nothing more than to tear him apart on the spot.