The various screams, wails, crashes, and other noises that had continuously echoed within the entertainment facility ceased completely the moment the sky was filled with ice shards and powder.
"Huu..."
Only then did Yukino Yukinoshita lower her raised hand, letting out a soft breath, as if exhaling the complicated emotions in her heart.
"Clap, clap, clap!"
Leon, who had observed the entire process, only now began to applaud, his eyes and face filled with appreciation.
"Well done, Yukino," Leon praised with a smile. "I thought you might not be able to go through with it."
"...I suppose it helps that the monster didn't look human?" Yukino Yukinoshita said with a somewhat complex expression. "If he had the appearance of a human, I might truly not have been able to strike."
She didn't want to appear too weak, but having just personally ended a living being's life, it was hard to stay composed no matter what.
For Yukino Yukinoshita, who was just an ordinary human a month ago, being asked to personally kill someone, even she couldn't remain unaffected.
Fortunately, that stray Devil was no longer human; he was completely a monster, and he had committed such heinous acts, which was how Yukino Yukinoshita managed to steel her resolve.
Otherwise, her performance tonight would certainly have been discounted.
"You've already done very well." Leon was quite satisfied. Seeing Yukino Yukinoshita still looking troubled, he immediately reached out and gently rubbed her hair, saying, "To perform like this in your first battle, even many people who grew up in environments exposed to the supernatural can't do it."
"I can tell you with certainty that your performance tonight surpasses at least ninety percent of all reincarnated Devils."
"And your opponent was just a damned scumbag, so there's no need to show such a complicated expression."
Yukino Yukinoshita silently allowed Leon's ministrations for a few seconds before swatting his hand away, returning to her usual demeanor.
"I know. That guy deserved to die, and what I did was correct. You don't need to comfort me."
The opponent was an existence unrestrained by the rules of the human world, so he should be dealt with according to the rules of the supernatural world.
And in the supernatural world, that guy had already been sentenced to death without any injustice.
Since that was the case, what she did was absolutely right. After all, she had accepted the mission to execute him, just like law enforcement officers in the human world.
Thinking of this, Yukino Yukinoshita's emotions calmed down considerably.
Then, some doubts began to grow in Yukino Yukinoshita's mind.
"That stray Devil should have been a very ferocious person before his reincarnation, right?" Yukino Yukinoshita hesitated for a while before tentatively voicing her thought. "Why did he feel a bit... weak?"
That was right, weak.
The opponent was an existence who indulged in power and desire even at the cost of turning into a monster. Yukino Yukinoshita had originally thought such an existence would be very dangerous, as Leon had previously claimed. She had almost decided to summon Ice Hime and use her Sacred Gear right from the start of the fight.
Yet, the opponent's performance was not nearly as terrifying as she had imagined. Aside from remarkable speed, he didn't give Yukino Yukinoshita any sense of amazement.
Could such an existence truly warrant the evaluation of "dangerous"?
Yukino Yukinoshita felt somewhat ambiguous about it.
In response, Leon merely smiled.
"You think he's weak?" Leon said meaningfully. "What if I told you that the stray Devil just now, in terms of sheer power, actually surpassed the Fallen Angel who killed you a month ago?"
"What?" Yukino Yukinoshita was stunned, then said in shock, "That monster... was stronger than the Fallen Angel from a month ago?"
Really?
Even now, the Fallen Angel Vadeen still cast a significant shadow in Yukino Yukinoshita's mind.
Therefore, Yukino Yukinoshita had a deep impression of that day's events and clearly remembered that she couldn't even escape from him. With just a turn, the opponent was behind her, piercing her abdomen with a spear and killing her.
It must be noted that while Yukino Yukinoshita was only a normal human at that time, she was not a fragile girl without strength.
Basically, Yukino Yukinoshita was talented in all aspects. Not only was she intelligent and academically excellent, but she was also skilled in all household chores; she could achieve excellent standards in cooking, laundry, cleaning, and virtually everything else, making her a domestic expert. She had also dabbled in equestrianism and knew how to ride. Although her stamina was somewhat poor, she had studied Aikido, and as long as endurance wasn't an issue, her athletic achievements in various sports were also above average, not losing to those dedicated students in sports clubs.
For her, who couldn't even run a few steps and was killed after just turning around, the strength of the Fallen Angel Vadeen was evident.
Yukino Yukinoshita had always believed that opponent was very strong. Who would have thought Leon would tell her that the Fallen Angel was weaker than the stray Devil she had just effortlessly subdued?
Seeing Yukino Yukinoshita's look of surprise due to his words, Leon didn't keep her in suspense and offered an explanation.
"That Fallen Angel could easily kill the former you, but that was just him bullying an ordinary person like you with supernatural power; it doesn't mean much."
"Don't let his bombastic tone fool you; he always referred to others as inferior beings, but that guy was only a two-winged low-rank Fallen Angel. He was the bottom of the barrel in any faction."
"The stray Devil just now, before betraying his master, was already close to the level of a Middle-Rank Devil. After modifying his body and falling to that monstrous state, he had fully stepped into that level, significantly stronger than ordinary low-rank Devils, low-rank Angels, and low-rank Fallen Angels."
If Vadeen and the stray Devil just now were to fight, Vadeen would likely win.
But that's because he was a Fallen Angel, wielding the power of light, which restrains Devils. The stray Devil just now had a mind that was half-crazed. Even though he was physically stronger than others, he could only charge recklessly like he did just now, incapable of performing any decent combat maneuvers. That's why Yukino Yukinoshita could easily subdue him, and Vadeen could also ultimately defeat him and claim victory using the power of light that countered him.
However, purely in terms of raw power, the stray Devil undoubtedly surpassed Vadeen. If nothing else, his incredible speed, derived from the 'Knight' rating, was something a mere low-rank Fallen Angel couldn't compare to.
"The reason you think he's weak is, first, because he has indeed fallen to the point of losing all combat sense, turning into a wild beast that only screams and charges. Second, you have underestimated your current strength."
Leon didn't hold back in his praise for Yukino Yukinoshita, giving her the evaluation she deserved now.
"The moment you reincarnated, you possessed magic power capable of making you stand out among Middle-Rank Devils. Moreover, you've been seriously reading for the past month, memorizing and learning all the techniques and methods for manipulating magic power recorded in those books."
"The books collected in our mansion's library are not cheap, common books; they are ancient texts treasured by my Eligos family for generations. All the knowledge recorded in them is extremely valuable and advanced. Anyone who can learn a single trick from them would stand out in a crowd of ordinary Devils."
"Therefore, you have unknowingly completed your metamorphosis. Even without your Sacred Gear, you are worthy of an evaluation comparable to a Middle-Rank Devil."
Leon patted Yukino Yukinoshita's shoulder as she looked surprised, and said comfortingly.
"Your talent, your excellence, far exceed my previous estimations of you. You have made me realize that you, who were an honor student in the human world, are an out-and-out genius even in our world."
At the very least, purely based on talent, Leon, who possesses half-pure-blooded Devil heritage, is inferior to Yukino Yukinoshita.
He himself took a full three months of arduous training after entering the supernatural world to gain strength comparable to a Middle-Rank Devil.
Although he was young at the time, his soul was that of an adult, and magic power has little to do with physical age. Even a very young child, as long as their magic power is strong and their application techniques are highly skilled, it wouldn't be surprising for them to be able to rival an Upper-Rank Devil.
"If that Fallen Angel were still here, with your own power, you could take revenge, single-handedly dominating him, just as you dominated that stray Devil just now," Leon stated with absolute certainty. "This is your current strength. You can be proud of this, and feel a sense of honor."
Leon's words swept into Yukino Yukinoshita's heart like a breeze.
Yukino Yukinoshita looked at Leon, who was smiling at her, and felt an inexplicable emotion stirring within her.
"Um..."
Yukino Yukinoshita wanted to say something, but being poor at social interaction, she didn't know what would be appropriate to say right now.
"It's a shame, though, that I didn't get to see you use your Sacred Gear, and I don't know what level you're at when using your full power." Leon seemed not to notice her hesitation, grumbling regretfully, "It looks like I'll have to find you a stronger opponent next time, otherwise, it won't serve much purpose for training."
Yukino Yukinoshita immediately fell silent, maintaining her composure.
"The matter is resolved. Should we head back?"
After a long moment, Yukino Yukinoshita finally turned around and spoke.
"Wait." Leon looked at the entertainment facility before them, squinting his eyes. "Let's go inside first, confirm if there are any survivors, and check the casualties."
Upon hearing this, Yukino Yukinoshita's face darkened, recalling what the stray Devil had said, and she nodded.
The two walked together, entering the building shrouded in darkness...