"Eternity…?"
Kurose Akira murmured under his breath.
That voice carried an indescribable, seductive power—one that slowly began to erode his reason, coaxing his thoughts toward a dangerous abyss.
Just as that temptation was about to swallow him whole, the faint glimmer between his brows flickered violently, snapping his consciousness back into place.
"Calm down—huff…"
He drew a deep breath, forcefully clearing the distracting thoughts from his mind.
"Mr. Akira, are you all right?"
Ivsha noticed the change immediately and, worried, wrapped her arm around his, asking softly.
"I'm fine."
Akira did his best to steady himself, though the lingering influence from the Vampire True Ancestor's portrait was still strong enough to leave his body unsteady.
"Mr. Akira, let me help you rest~"
Ivsha suggested gently, already moving to support him toward the bedroom.
Akira's gaze lingered for a moment on Marei Rhein and Loserine, regret flickering through his heart.It seemed he was going to miss the climax of their spectacular battle.
"…Alright."
He nodded lightly and followed Ivsha toward the bedroom.
"Wh-what's wrong with the Guildmaster (Master)?"Akira's sudden departure caught Alice and the others by surprise, worry written plainly across their faces.
Lucía spoke up softly to reassure them, "Don't worry. He's fine."
Only then did they relax, turning their attention back to the battlefield.
At that moment, Loserine was weaving through the sea of flames with lightning-fast movements. She knew full well that Kite Moon was no longer enough to threaten Marei Rhein.Only by fully comprehending that Transcendent Sword Technique would she have any chance of victory.
"Haah—"
Loserine exhaled a breath of blue, luminescent soul mist. Her diamond-like skeletal fingers tightened around the Oathbound Sword, and in an instant, the black-gold blade gleamed with an eerie, profound light.
She slashed out.
The sword radiance tore through the flames of destruction, striking straight at Marei Rhein.
In response, a colossal black-gold dragon phantom condensed above Marei Rhein's head, spewing a torrent of searing dragon breath downward.
"Now this is getting interesting!"
Marei Rhein's lips curved into a delighted smile. White steam hissed from between the gaps of her scales—she had fully entered combat mode.
—
While the battle raged on, Akira and Ivsha had already returned to the bedroom.
To give him a better place to recover, Ivsha gently pulled him into her embrace, pressing his head against her soft, fragrant body, easing his discomfort with warmth and closeness.
After a brief rest, Akira felt much better.
"I'm fine now, Ivsha."
He smiled at her.
The influence of the Vampire True Ancestor's portrait had mostly dissipated.
But—
Ivsha returned his smile, her slender fingers gliding across his chest and slowly downward as she spoke in a sultry tone,
"Mr. Akira, you don't look fully recovered yet~"
The moment her words fell—
Brilliant holy light burst forth once more!
"Oh my—my radiant Lord of Light!"
Ivsha gazed at the holy brilliance in rapture, pink heart-shaped lights shimmering in her eyes as excitement overtook her.
Akira merely smiled faintly.
He knew this was probably her goal all along. Still, it had been a while since he properly "fed" Ivsha.Letting this little succubus indulge tonight wasn't such a bad idea.
"Then I'll be counting on you to treat me, Ivsha."
"Leave it to me, Mr. Akira~"
With a coquettish smile, Ivsha took out the golden ring from her pocket. She pressed the mechanism gently, and the ring rapidly expanded until it became the size of a bracelet.
She lightly shook Sun Punishment, whispering softly,
"I'll make you feel better right away~"
As her voice fell, the holy light was instantly restrained by Sun Punishment.
At the same time, as if guided by the sun itself, the sacred radiance grew even more dazzling.
But this still wasn't enough~
Ivsha looked at Akira with burning desire, her voice trembling with longing.
"Mr. Akira… could you use that move one more time? Please?"
Her request made Akira smile knowingly.
He hadn't expected that while Loserine was locked in a fierce struggle with the Dragon of Destruction, Marei Rhein… Ivsha would also want to challenge—ahem—
"Then—"
"Half-Dragon Transformation! Activate!"
"Goddess of Light above, forgive my greed—but right now~"
Ivsha licked her crimson lips.
"I'm digging in~"
(What follows is a detailed depiction of disciplining a succubus nun. The next one hundred thousand words are omitted…)
—
While Akira, empowered by Half-Dragon Transformation, was locked in battle with the devout succubus nun, the fight between Marei Rhein and Loserine had also reached its climax.
Marei Rhein's entire body was clad in crimson dragon-scale armor, black-gold magical scars still lingering across it—marks left by Loserine's sword techniques.
"Little undead, your swordsmanship is still somewhat immature."
She crossed her arms over her chest, speaking calmly.
"In my memories, there was once a Sword Saint who came to challenge me. His swordsmanship was sublime—he could cleave mountains with a single strike, as though he had fused his very soul into his blade."
"Fused… his soul into the sword?"
A glint flashed in Loserine's eyes.
She seemed to grasp something profound. Her gaze locked onto the sword in her hand and the serpent-shaped sword spirit coiling around her body.
An idea ignited in her skull.
She immediately activated her soul power. The soul-light wings behind her burst into radiant blue luminescence, while the serpent sword spirit coiled tightly around her right arm, lending her its strength.
In that instant, vast energy converged into the blade, which became fully shrouded in brilliant blue light.
Seeing this, Marei Rhein smiled.
She was genuinely pleased by Loserine's talent and insight—but—
Before Loserine could strike, Marei Rhein sneered coldly.
"Unfortunately, that Sword Saint—despite his skill—couldn't even withstand three strikes beneath my flames before being reduced to dust. Mortal power… is still far too weak."
The moment her words ended—
Marei Rhein's dragon scales erupted with blinding crimson light. A massive red dragon phantom materialized behind her, exuding overwhelming, terrifying pressure!
"Miss Rhein's aura is terrifying!""The Knight-senpai seems to have had a breakthrough!"
Alice, Furifuro, and the others stared in shock.
Meanwhile, Lucía, seated nearby, narrowed her eyes slightly.
Yet it wasn't Marei Rhein's fearsome pressure—or Loserine's astonishing talent—that truly unsettled her.
It was the strand of magic she had left between Akira's brows, allowing her to clearly sense what he was doing at that very moment.
The battle in the training hall was escalating toward its peak…and the guildmaster was in the bedroom with a succubus—
Lucía frowned slightly, wondering if she should arrange for Akira to undergo guidance from the Holy Church at some point.
Among the Seven Saintesses, there was one known as the Iceheart Saintess.She should be capable of purging those strange, troublesome impulses…
"Mr. Akira~ I'm still not full~""Then we'll continue!"
…Hmph!
The moment Lucía heard that exchange, icy fury flashed across her face.
Behind the white veil, her golden-red eyes radiated a chilling cold that sent a shiver through Alice and the others, who instinctively turned to look at her.
"What's wrong with Saintess Sister?""She looks… really angry…"
And at that very moment—
Loserine's sword technique comprehension was finally complete.
"Haah—"
She exhaled a breath of soul mist, her eyes blazing with unwavering resolve.
Then she swung her sword and shouted:
"Radiant Annihilation!"
As her cry rang out—
A colossal dragon phantom dozens of meters tall rose behind Loserine, following her blade as it unleashed a torrent of destructive energy straight toward Marei Rhein…