BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The sky trembled as if on the verge of collapse. Explosions echoed one after another like the drums of a celestial war, each tearing through the clouds and sending the air into violent waves that made the ground below quake and groan.
Kanon spread her radiant wings wide, unleashing a torrent of golden spears that rained down like celestial meteors, their piercing whistles heralding destruction. The blazing lights tore through smoke and storm, striking directly at the black-haired, winged girl whose long hair flowed like midnight shadows amidst the rising inferno.
The black-haired girl did not retreat. She raised her arms to the heavens, and from her wings surged waves of dark-gold energy, each like a miniature sun exploding without mercy. They clashed with Kanon's spears, transforming the sky into a chaotic canvas of fire and fury: burning gold, shattering lightning, and lights dancing in a deadly storm—madly beautiful, but as lethal as it was mesmerizing.
As the horizon burned with destruction, Kanon shot forward like a heavenly arrow, weaving through the blasts to clash directly with her foe. Their wings struck against each other like titanic blades, releasing a cataclysmic roar akin to the toll of the world's end. Windows in nearby districts shattered at once, walls cracked, and rooftops collapsed beneath the shockwaves.
This was not a mere exchange of energy… it was a savage battle between celestial beings, a struggle resounding in the skies while the earth below withered into ruins. Every charge, every strike unleashed waves capable of erasing entire streets. With every collision, the air itself fractured, expelling smoke and ash as though the heavens were tearing open and sealing shut under unbearable pressure.
Flame and golden lightning mingled to blanket the sky, while the black shadows of their wings swept across the city like omens of doom, forcing humans to flee in terror. Buildings were reduced to half-burnt husks—some already toppled, others waiting for the next wave to scatter them.
In this inferno, the battle between Kanon and her foe was a dance of celestial death, one no human could intervene in… nor survive the fragments of.
"Do you just want me to stop them?" – Kojou spoke coldly, his narrowed eyes following the fight from afar, his expression unmoved by the hellish spectacle before him. Seeing it up close granted his sharp gaze far more clarity than he had expected.
"In truth… I hope to capture them alive." – Natsuki answered calmly, as a glowing purple magic circle appeared beneath her feet, expanding suddenly to swallow her and Kojou before reappearing atop a towering structure overlooking the battlefield.
Kojou shrugged lightly, speaking with indifference:
"I don't mind… but capturing them won't change anything about the mastermind's plans."
It was a blatant lie. His eyes glimmered faintly as he activated Spiritual Sight, unveiling secrets not meant to be seen. He perceived the ritual Kanon was undergoing with perfect clarity… the process of becoming what was called an Angel Faux, a horrifying project that sought to force humans into evolving into higher-dimensional beings—artificial angels.
The memories of this world completed the picture, revealing Kanon's origin entirely. She was no ordinary combatant, but the most advanced sample, closest to becoming a complete artificial angel, ready to ascend into a realm far beyond humanity.
Yet Kojou had no intention of allowing her full ascension… though the thought of granting her power, then binding her as his Blood Servant, seemed more than tempting.
"So… what do you suggest we do?" – Natsuki asked as purple chains of magic erupted around her, darting swiftly toward the winged beings to bind them.
But as though they had anticipated it, both unleashed new blasts of light with brutal force. The chains shattered instantly, scattering as violet sparks fading into the air—like mere paper before a hurricane.
"…!" – Natsuki's eyes widened, unable to comprehend how her chains were broken so easily.
Kojou gave a thin smile and said coolly:
"We'll bring them down first… before allowing them to return. I already have a good idea who's pulling their strings."
As he spoke, his hand gradually darkened into a glossy black, streaked with glowing red veins. From between them seeped a dense crimson aura, rising like living vapor.
He stretched his hand forward slowly and whispered:
"Come on… Regulus-Aurum."
Suddenly, the entire world seemed to roar with a primal thunder, as if drawn from the dawn of time. From the heavens descended a colossal golden lion, its massive body shrouded in crackling lightning, its eyes burning with divine, thundering light.
No command was needed. By the will of its master, the beast swung its titanic claws toward Kanon and the black-haired girl. In that moment, lightning thundered across the sky, as if the storm itself bowed to Kojou alone.
The power of The Fourth Primogenitor's Familiars was no joke. Each alone held the strength to obliterate an entire nation. Even now, incomplete, their might was sufficient to annihilate Itogami Island—yet Kojou restrained their ferocity with countless seals, binding them in chains to suppress their overwhelming force. Thus, the golden lion wielded no more than a tenth of its true power—if not less.
But even that fraction was unimaginably vast, enough to level entire blocks with ease.
The golden lion, Regulus-Aurum, was no mere myth—it was the embodiment of ancient, primal destruction, a truth known only to a rare few. Its roar alone shattered windows across half the city. A single claw, wreathed in searing thunder, could rend a skyscraper apart like fragile paper.
One claw slashed diagonally through the air, and in an instant a whole tower should have split in two… but before the strike could land, mist enveloped the building and nullified the attack. This too was Kojou's power: the Fourth Familiar, Natra-Cinereus.
Upon the appearance of a new foe, Kanon and the black-haired girl roared fiercely, shaking the battlefield. The black-haired girl, overwhelmed by instinctive terror, lost her composure and hurled herself at the golden lion.
Seizing the moment, Kanon appeared behind her in a flash. Without hesitation, she plunged her hand into the girl's side, piercing through the diaphragm.
ROAR!
The heavens trembled under the girl's dying scream, the air itself tearing at the sound. Her body convulsed violently, her eyes widened in pain and shock. Her radiant wings flared, each feather burning away like the sparks of a dying star. She seemed ready to sacrifice everything in one final explosion to crush her enemy, even at the cost of her life.
But Kanon denied her such a noble end. Her golden hand withdrew from her foe's side, clutching a radiant, crystalline shard, throbbing like a living heart crying in the dark. It was the essence hidden within the black-haired girl—the core of her power and rage.
In the next instant, Kanon lunged savagely, her gleaming fangs like celestial blades sinking into her opponent's throat, primal as a beast tearing into prey. The rip echoed with brutality as blood, mingled with light, scattered into the air as a rain of golden-black droplets, sparking before they could touch the ground.
The black-haired girl released a long cry—half agony, half fury—that slowly dissolved into a choking whimper as her body faltered. Her wings splintered like fragile glass, feathers falling aglow only to melt before reaching the earth.
Roar!
Regulus-Aurum bellowed mightily, swinging its thunder-clad paw directly at Kanon. She had neither the time nor the strength to evade.
Boom!
With a resounding blast, Kanon was hurled across the sky like a blazing arrow, crashing kilometers away—proof of the terrifying might of the golden lion's direct strike.
"Prepare your Familiar—it will draw plenty of attention, even with the fireworks distracting the citizens," Natsuki remarked, a purple magic circle shimmering beneath her as her form blurred, unwilling to give up on capturing the winged creature alive to extract information.
Though the winged one had taken a direct blow from Regulus-Aurum, she had erected a barrier of light at the last moment, absorbing much of the damage. Natsuki also sensed that the golden lion was weaker than the legends described. Thus, even without the barrier, the winged one might have survived—though left in utter ruin and chaos.
...
To get more chapters please visit my p@treon :
[email protected]/Akasaki_Ryujin
For support :
https://ko-fi.com/akasaki_ryujin