A contemptuous smile bloomed on the corner of Blake Marshall's mouth. Controlling magic power lingered on her fingertips painted with black nail polish. With a light tap, it surged into Tike's forehead.
"Big Sis will take good 'care' of you~"
To control a powerful individual like Chill, she had to expend some effort to break through his inner defenses. But this wet-behind-the-ears brat... Hmph, she only needed to crush him with absolute magic power to easily destroy his will.
Just as Blake thought she had succeeded, the scene before her suddenly distorted, transforming into a brightly lit food court.
The air was filled with tempting aromas. Grease on roasting meat sizzled, cream on desserts emitted a sweet scent, and a dazzling array of delicious food filled every corner before her eyes.
"What the hell is this place?"
Blake had never encountered such a bizarre situation. In the past, once her "Human Subordination" magic was activated, the target would be reduced to her puppet like Chill.
What was happening this time?
With a trace of doubt and greed, Blake subconsciously reached out, wanting to touch the delicacies within reach.
The moment her fingertips were about to touch the food, the surrounding space cracked and shattered like a fragile mirror surface. Endless darkness surged in like a tide, swallowing her completely.
In this bottomless darkness, Blake Marshall saw a pair of immense blue pupils.
These eyes made Blake Marshall feel a fear that was both unfamiliar and familiar.
"You... who exactly are you..."
Blake's voice trembled, her dry throat barely able to utter complete syllables.
Answering her was a giant mouth full of fangs gradually opening in the darkness.
"Scram."
---
Returning to reality, Blake's eyes snapped wide open.
Her gaze fell on the boy beneath her who should have been under her control. She saw that his clear eyes had been completely replaced by a profound blue light, almost identical to the giant pupils she had seen in the darkness earlier, emitting a terrifying pressure that chilled her to the bone.
And his magic power had also reached a terrifying height beyond her imagination, surpassing any wizard she knew!
Almost instinctively, Blake scrambled up from the ground. Ignoring the dirt and stains on her body, she retreated in a panic, wanting to flee this place that suffocated her.
What mission, what plan, what glory of "Grimoire Heart"—all were thrown to the back of Blake's mind at this moment.
She just wanted to survive!
The moment she turned to run, a cold voice exploded directly in her mind.
Die.
Accompanying this cold verdict, pitch-black water surged out from Tike's body, carrying a thick aura of death as it swept toward Blake.
(I'll die! I'll really die! I don't want to die! What should I do?!)
At the juncture of life and death, Blake's brain worked furiously at an unprecedented speed, desperately searching her memory for any usable information.
Suddenly, a name flashed through her mind like lightning—a name closely related to the boy before her, which she had read from the controlled Chill's memories!
"Ultear!"
Using all her strength, Blake screamed out this name hoarsely.
"Ultear is my partner!!"
The pitch-black water carrying the aura of death stopped abruptly just a stone's throw away from Blake.
Hearing her words, Tike revealed an expression of disbelief.
There was no scent of a lie coming from Blake. It was precisely because he confirmed this that Tike's heart was even more unsettled.
He couldn't imagine how that gentle and kind big sister could be associated with this stench-emitting, cruel, and evil woman before him.
Why would Big Sis be with a guy like you?
"To find you, of course!"
Seeing Tike's attack stop, the flame of hope instantly ignited in Blake's heart.
"Ultear and I are best friends, the kind who talk about everything! She often mentions you to me. Since you've been missing for so long, she's been so worried about you!"
In fact, she and Ultear weren't familiar at all. At most, they had met a few times at guild meetings and hadn't even exchanged more than a few sentences.
As for Ultear searching for Tike, it was just bits and pieces she had accidentally heard from Guild Master Hades.
She hadn't taken it to heart at the time, treating it as boring gossip. Yet now, this fragmented information had become the key to saving her life.
"As long as you agree to let me go, I can take you to find her!"
"..."
Tike hesitated.
The scent on Blake made it hard for him to suppress the urge to clean up the trash, but he cared deeply about the Ultear she mentioned.
In the half-year since parting with Ultear, he had missed her every moment, wanting to return to her side.
But this hesitation lasted only for a split second.
Forget it, just die.
He would go ask Big Sis to clarify everything himself; he didn't need this disgusting woman to lead the way.
Seeing the black water in front of her start flowing again, Blake's face instantly turned pale as paper. She wailed almost with a sob, "Wait! Didn't you also want to find the relatives of those two little girls? I know where they were sent! I can tell you! Please, don't kill me!"
The pitch-black water approaching Blake slowed down but didn't stop completely, still shortening the distance between them bit by bit.
But I don't trust you.
"I... I can reverse the use of 'Human Subordination' and let you completely dominate me! That way, you won't have to worry about me betraying you!"
Blake had long disregarded dignity and pride. To survive, she could pay any price.
Dominate? Interesting.
Tike walked through the slowly flowing black water to Blake, who was kneeling on the ground.
Blake didn't hesitate to bend down and kiss Tike's toes. Ripples of black magic power spread from her body, finally converging into a dark purple contract magic circle suspended between her and Tike.
"I, Blake Marshall, swear by my soul to offer my body and mind, my magic power, and my everything to you! From now on, I will obey your commands completely and never have second thoughts!"
Under the effect of her magic, Tike could feel a strange connection established between him and her—an absolute, one-sided dominance. He could even feel her fear and her desire to survive.
Sit down?
Tike began attempting to issue commands to Blake. He wanted to see if this guy, who had been arrogant and domineering just now, would really obey his instructions obediently like a dog.
Without any hesitation, Blake immediately sat down obediently, completely ignoring the scorching residual heat on the ground beneath her, letting the heat burn her skin. Beads of sweat seeped from her forehead, but she didn't even frown, just sitting there quietly.
Hand.
Tike continued to issue commands, and Blake obediently extended her hand.
Really obedient, and indeed not acting.
Tike nodded slightly, fairly satisfied with Blake's performance.
Just as Blake breathed a sigh of relief, thinking she had passed Tike's "test," the next command came.
Handstand, then eat noodles with your nose.
"!"