Although Takeyo couldn't learn everything Ajuka had compiled in a single day, his Alpha Stigma and exceptional memory allowed him to absorb and retain the information with remarkable efficiency. Copying the knowledge in one night posed no challenge whatsoever.
"Ah!~~ Do you know that crystal can only be used by one person?!~~" Serafall exclaimed, her voice rising in alarm. "Other people trying to use it will trigger the defensive enchantments~~"
"You really think the belongings of Satan Ajuka are so easy to steal~~~"
She lunged toward Takeyo, attempting to reclaim the teaching crystal.
However, Takeyo had no intention of letting her reach him. Using the fundamental principles of spatial manipulation from Vamana's incarnation, he traversed all restrictions and stepped through space itself.
"Can only be used once, right? I understand," Takeyo said calmly. "That explains why the protective enchantments surrounding the crystal are more complex than the knowledge contained within."
He'd analyzed the structure thoroughly. The defenses were extraordinarily sophisticated, far beyond what the teaching materials themselves warranted.
"Huh?!~"
Serafall's entire body, including her twin-tails, pitched forward into the sofa as her tackle missed completely. She bounced back instantly, her pink eyes widening in shock.
"You... you can see through Ajuka's formations?" Her voice carried genuine disbelief.
The protective arrays created by one of the Four Great Satans shouldn't be visible to a human.
"Well, not only can I see them, but I've already learned approximately one-tenth of their structure," Takeyo replied matter-of-factly. "Of course, what matters more is that I've absorbed about one-tenth of the actual teaching content inside."
While he couldn't penetrate the external defenses completely, the educational material within was crystal clear. Ajuka's exclusive offline teaching sessions, several hundred lessons in total, were laid bare before his enhanced perception.
"You!~~ You, you, you!~~ What did you say?!~~"
Serafall's delicate face twitched involuntarily, her usual composure cracking.
"Ajuka said this material would take a genius hundreds of years to master!~~~"
She couldn't accept what she was hearing. This man had never used spiritual power or demonstrated any supernatural abilities before today. He'd simply appeared exceptionally intelligent, skilled enough to defeat Sona at chess consistently.
"I'm merely stating facts, Miss Serafall," Takeyo said with a slight smile. "I'll be going to bed now. If you need anything, the refrigerator is over there. Please help yourself."
He shook his head, genuinely exhausted. The intense study session had consumed more energy than he'd realized. His body ached with fatigue, a clear sign he'd pushed himself too far.
He'd always been fairly self-disciplined about his sleep schedule. Staying up this late was exceptional, even under these circumstances.
Casually tossing Serafall's magic wand onto the sofa, Takeyo turned and walked toward his bedroom.
"Hey!~~"
Serafall called after him in a very undignified manner, her voice carrying both frustration and indignation.
Am I really that unwelcome? she thought. I'm Sona's sister! The Magical Girl who spreads love and justice!~~ And one of the Four Great Satans!~~
Oh... wait. He doesn't know I'm a Satan yet, does he?
"Hmmph!~~"
She retrieved her magic wand and waved it fiercely through the air, her emotions getting the better of her.
A magic circle pulsing with terrifying power flickered to life at the wand's tip, the kind of spell that could erase the entire town of Kuoh from the map with a single gesture.
"Hmm~~~"
However, just before completing the motion, the light on her wand dimmed and faded.
"Sona is still here... I can't be impulsive," Serafall muttered, stomping her foot in frustration. "But... the more I look at this man, the more irritating he becomes!~~"
She paced anxiously around Takeyo's villa, her magical girl costume swishing with each agitated step as she processed her conflicting emotions.
Then suddenly, mid-stride, she stopped as an idea struck her.
Wait!
"Making him Sona's servant... doesn't actually require his consent, does it?" Serafall spoke aloud to the empty room, her pink eyes lighting up with realization. "If he becomes a Devil, then I can order him around however I want! Bullying him would be perfectly normal then, right?"
Serafall-chan had discovered a brilliant loophole!~~
Her legs trembled slightly with excitement as the plan formed in her mind.
"Okay! I've decided to do this!~"
Within minutes, the powerful Satan had retrieved all of her sister's unused Evil Pieces, moving with a speed and efficiency that came from millennia of experience.
Of course, she'd taken them secretly, without Sona's knowledge or permission.
Gazing at the blood-red chess pieces in her palm, Serafall smiled triumphantly.
Hehehe!~~ After this irritating man becomes a Devil, I can bully him as much as I want~~
She didn't notice that her motivations had undergone a subtle shift. What had started as a mission to recruit a powerful ally for her beloved sister had transformed into a personal vendetta against someone who'd wounded her pride.
"Six Pawn pieces, one Rook piece, and one Knight piece... fourteen pieces total. That should be more than enough, even for someone with a Sacred Gear!~"
She calculated confidently. Even wielders of high-level Sacred Gears like Divine Dividing rarely required more than nine pieces for reincarnation. Surely fourteen pieces would be sufficient to transform a human who'd only just awakened a heroic bloodline.
Late that night, having made her decision, Serafall crept into Takeyo's bedroom.
Reincarnation was a fundamental Devil technique, something she'd performed countless times without error. Even if she attempted it billions of times, the possibility of failure was essentially zero.
"Sa~~~ Live for my beloved Sona~~" Serafall whispered, a charming smile crossing her features as she placed the first Pawn piece into the reincarnation magic circle.
The crimson light flared intensely for a brief moment before dimming back to nothing.
"As expected, he has some talent," she observed without surprise.
She added a second Pawn piece to the array.
The same pattern repeated, a momentary surge of power, then silence.
"It looks like his talent is actually quite good."
A third Pawn went into the circle.
No response.
"Oh, he might actually be a relatively impressive genius among humans..."
The fourth Pawn followed.
Still nothing.
"Huh?... Why is there still no reaction?"
The fifth Pawn joined its companions.
The circle remained stubbornly inactive.
"It's the last Pawn piece~~ Just what kind of hero are you descended from?!"
With mounting frustration, she placed the sixth and final Pawn into the formation.
Like its predecessors, it produced no result whatsoever.
"I'll make you into Sona's servant no matter what!~~"
Determination blazing in her eyes, Serafall threw an entire Rook piece into the magic circle, a piece equivalent to five Pawns in power.
This will definitely work!~~~
Meanwhile, Takeyo slept peacefully.
He felt a pleasant warmth spreading through his body, comfortable and soothing. In his drowsy state, he reached out and hugged something soft beside him, drifting into an even deeper sleep.
The truth was that with his current potential, mere Evil Pieces would need to be measured in truck-loads to have any effect on his strength. The divine power of Origin Vishnu's Ten Incarnations couldn't be supplanted by something as mundane as Devil chess pieces.
In essence, Takeyo slept extraordinarily well.
Subconsciously, he'd forgotten one important detail: he'd never actually bought a body pillow for his bed.
Time passed in comfortable silence.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations to the host for signing in! Sign-in rank: Bronze!]
[Sign-in location: Kuoh Academy!]
[Time limit: 2 hours.]
At six o'clock in the morning, Takeyo was awakened by the sign-in system's notification.
"Ah~~~~ Mmm~~~~" He yawned deeply, sitting up in his bed.
The moment he moved, something felt wrong.
Why does it feel like something is wrapped around my legs?
"It can't be Serafall, can it? She wouldn't have any reason to sleep with me..." Takeyo's mind was still foggy with sleep, the events of the previous day feeling distant and dreamlike.
He'd completely forgotten about the reward he'd obtained yesterday.
Slowly lifting the sheets, Takeyo felt his nose threatening to bleed from what he saw.
A beautiful girl with flowing white hair lay curled against him, her delicate features peaceful in sleep. Her eyebrows were gracefully shaped, her small nose perfectly formed, creating a face of stunning, almost angelic beauty.
Silver-gray stockings covered her legs up to mid-thigh, though they'd slipped slightly during the night, revealing pale skin above where they ended.
"Est?" Takeyo whispered, recognition finally dawning. "The holy sword that killed the Demon King?"
His mind cleared as he remembered, yesterday's sign-in reward had been Terminus Est, the legendary demon-slaying blade. In her humanoid form, the sword spirit was apparently a beautiful young girl.
"Wait... this isn't a dream?"
As if hearing Takeyo's voice, Est's eyes slowly opened. She sat up gracefully on his lap, looking around the unfamiliar room with her distinctive violet eyes.
"Master?" Est finally asked, her voice soft and emotionless as she focused on Takeyo.
"Well, Est, I am your master," Takeyo confirmed with a gentle smile, extending his hand. "Please take care of me~~"
Est stared at his outstretched hand for a moment, her expression remaining placid and serene. Then, with careful deliberation, she reached out and placed her smaller hand in his.
"Yes, Master," she said simply, her tone carrying the faintest hint of warmth beneath its surface neutrality. "I am Est. Terminus Est. The sword that ended the Demon King. I will serve you with everything I have."
Outside Takeyo's bedroom, Serafall stood frozen in the hallway, having witnessed the entire scene through a crack in the door.
Her pink eyes were wide with shock, and her magic wand hung limply in her hand.
A sword spirit? she thought incredulously. He has a contracted sword spirit? But he's human! And when did, how did,
Her mind raced through the implications. If Takeyo already possessed a powerful contracted spirit, her attempts to reincarnate him would have been doomed from the start. Contracted spirits formed bonds at the soul level, adding Devil pieces into that equation would create complications she didn't want to contemplate.
More importantly, she'd just used up most of Sona's Evil Pieces on a failed reincarnation attempt.
"Oh no... oh no no no..." Serafall whispered, slowly backing away from the door. "So-tan is going to kill me..."