This time, Yuma Amano revealed her whole self in front of Sai Akuto. After laying everything bare, a weight lifted from her heart and she felt truly free.
Fwoosh—
Fallen wings unfurled, wrapping the two of them in a quiet, intimate cocoon. Yuma nestled close, their breaths naturally syncing as the room fell into a warm hush. The scene faded to soft silhouettes and shared warmth rather than words.
[Ding~]
[Hidden Achievement Complete — Total Conquest of the Fallen Angel Raynare (conquering the heart is harder than conquering the body; over time, with the host's guidance, both were won).]
[Reward Granted: Twelve-Wing Fallen Angel Bloodline (Gold).]
[Twelve-Wing Fallen Angel Bloodline: Not a "fallen from angel" line, but—like Shuri Himejima—a born fallen angel line, inherently counter-paired with angelic blood.]
[Ding!]
[With the Twelve-Wing Fallen Angel Bloodline, the host's origin is enhanced. Power has risen to High-tier Maou.]
"Hm? That makes it devil, angel, and fallen angel—three bloodlines collected."
"And with the life-origin boosting sage line, that's basically a full set."
Akuto felt the three forces in his body—mutually checking and co-generating—settle into a delicate stasis. A normal person would have burst apart; only with the System could he keep three opposing lines quiet and obedient.
"Angel and fallen angel are two faces of light—able to suppress and drain each other."
"The devil line overlays the world's primal attributes with Lilith's demonic aspect."
"If it were just a single devil line, it would be hard to fuse with either angel or fallen angel. But add a counter-paired line and the math changes."
He'd fretted about fusing his demonic and holy sources. Now, with the fallen angel line added, a true balance point emerged.
"Use angel and fallen angel as the yin-yang fish around a Taiji, and let the devil line and sage origin serve as the array base that bears all paths... With a few refinements, the forces in my body should balance completely—and fire together."
"To fully fuse them, though, I'll need deeper reserves... at least Super-Maou, maybe Maou-class foundation strength."
While Akuto quietly tuned his power, Yuma—spent from everything—drifted in and out of light sleep. Through the constant link between them, she could faintly sense his bloodline shifts.
When the current ran through the devil line, she remained calm.
When it passed the fallen angel line, a relaxed smile tugged at her lips and she instinctively held Akuto closer.
When it touched the angel line, a brief frown appeared—her body tensing at the holy sting—so Akuto steadied her and let the turbulence pass. Exhaustion soon reclaimed her and she slept on.
Yuma's combat strength wasn't high; even after long practice with the Core of Evolution, she sat around High-class Devil. Against the Akuto of not long ago, she could have coped. But now his base had climbed to Maou-class, far beyond her ability to handle. She slept deeply—until Akuto set an exceptional Evil Piece upon her. Only then did she stir awake.
The moment she opened her eyes, her expression darkened.
She'd spotted her best friends—Mittelt and Kalawarner.
Just then, the blonde loli fallen angel, Mittelt, perched primly at Akuto's side in pristine white stockings, looking far too pleased with herself.
Across from her, the blue-haired onee-san fallen angel, Kalawarner, sat in sleek black tights, palms together with Mittelt in a "sisterly solidarity" pose.
"Ara~ Raynare, you're finally awake," Mittelt sang, lifting a sleeve-wrapped hand in a cheery wave.
"Don't call me Raynare. I've discarded that name," Yuma said, eyes cool.
"Huh? Then what should I call you?" Mittelt tilted her head.
"Yuma. Call me Yuma Amano. It's the name I was using when I met Akuto-kun." To Yuma, that name carried her true feelings.
"I see~ Fine, fine—since we're comrades on the same bed now," Mittelt teased, flapping a hand as if it were nothing—while, not-so-subtly, scooting closer to stake her claim. The everyday practicality of her outfit and her petite frame gave Yuma a whole new (and unhelpfully vivid) visual angle on things.
"Mittelt, if I'm not wrong, you two pledged yourselves to Akuto-kun quite a while ago—didn't you?" Yuma asked, voice level.
Mittelt didn't look coerced; this wasn't a whirlwind "instant capture." Which left one possibility—before tonight's truth talk, Mittelt and Kalawarner had already come over to Akuto's side.
No wonder the constant side comments... they'd already switched teams.
"Mm. You guessed right. After the plan to retrieve Asia Argento failed, Lord Akuto placed a restraint on us," Mittelt nodded.
At first, survival had forced their submission. But as Akuto displayed more and more strength, pledging to him stopped feeling like "lesser evil" and started looking like "best investment." Compared to being outer-circle tools of the Band of Calamity, joining Akuto early—when he was still growing—had far better upside.
Once they received Akuto's Evil Pieces, both Mittelt and Kalawarner's favorability and loyalty spiked; offering themselves fully became simply a matter of timing.
The only thorn in their hearts? Raynare—that is, Yuma.
The night they got their Pieces, they were ready to devote themselves. Akuto refused, saying, "We'll wait until things with Yuma are settled—and then all together."
Hearing he favored Yuma above them made Mittelt grind her teeth. So yes—she'd decided to needle Yuma the moment they met. Kalawarner didn't goad, but the instant Yuma awoke, she did serve Akuto with extra earnestness. Besties indeed: can't stand to see her suffer, can't stand to see her in a better car either.
Yuma noticed two new spots on the sheets... and Mittelt's faint little frown.
"So that's how it is..."
She finally understood the source of Mittelt's grievance. They had pledged early, yet the spoils seemed to favor Yuma. The corner of Yuma's lips quirked up despite herself.
In full view of Mittelt, Yuma stepped to Akuto with measured grace.
"Akuto-kun, you're a flirt. But I can accept that. After all, you like me the most—and I like you the most, too."
With that, she wrapped Akuto in a bold kiss, very deliberately within Mittelt's line of sight.
Mittelt: "???!!!"
She hadn't expected Yuma to counterattack that way—and with Kalawarner between them, she couldn't even block it. All she could do was hook an arm around Kalawarner and lean in harder from her side.
Challenge issued—challenge accepted.
Thus began a very spirited, decidedly non-lethal "girls' duel" over Akuto—more teasing than battle, more blushing than blows. Kalawarner sighed and flowed with the tide, smoothing edges and keeping the peace.
Naturally, Akuto was the most comfortable one here; competition had a way of encouraging boldness, and Yuma let herself breathe and be free.
When all was said and done, there was only one winner—Akuto.
From loli to maiden to onee-san, he experienced three distinct flavors of fallen-angel charm, and his mind settled into a rare state of clarity and completion.
(End of Chapter)
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