Hearing Natsuki Minamiya's words, Giada's face instantly brightened with excitement, and the magic around her began to surge.
"Since that's the case, let's not waste time. Let's begin our battle right now. It's a bit cramped here—let's move to somewhere more open!"
Without waiting for anyone's response—including that of the Second Primogenitor—Giada flashed away from the deck, reappearing on the spacious ground beside the cruise ship.
Seeing this, Natsuki said nothing. She, too, vanished from the deck in an instant, reappearing about ten meters away from Giada.
"My, my... quite impatient, aren't they..."
Watching the two who were already ready to fight, the Second Primogenitor smiled faintly and murmured to himself. Then he walked to the edge of the deck, his gaze fixed on the two standing opposite each other on the ground below.
"A battle between the 'Witch of the Void' and the Third Primogenitor... what a rare sight indeed. Father, shall we watch as well?"
La Folia's eyes sparkled with excitement as she tugged on her father's arm, urging him toward the edge of the deck.
Nearby, Munechika Hedate and Koyomi Shizuka exchanged a glance, their expressions showing mild interest. They followed the others silently to watch.
In the blink of an eye, only Avrora, Vatler, and Liana Caruana remained at the center of the deck.
Because she was already well aware of Natsuki Minamiya's strength—and knew the battle wouldn't last long—Avrora had no intention of going to watch.
As for Vatler, he gazed intensely at Avrora, who stood just ten meters away, and likewise showed no urgency to join the spectators.
Rather than watch, what he wanted most now was to properly converse with this newly born Fourth Primogenitor.
"It is an honor to meet you for the first time. I am Dimitrie Vatler, granted the title of Duke of Ordial by my Primogenitor, the 'Forgotten War King.' It is my great honor to greet you, Fourth Primogenitor."
Vatler placed his right hand over his chest and bowed deeply in a refined gentleman's salute—though unlike when he faced the Second Primogenitor or Giada, he did not kneel.
Unfortunately for him, Avrora completely ignored his greeting. She merely gave him a passing glance before turning her gaze away.
Vatler's smile did not falter in the slightest, as if her indifference had no effect on him.
Just as he was about to speak again, a sudden cry of astonishment came from nearby.
"T-That was way too fast! I've always heard that the Witch of the Void possesses power beyond the Primogenitors, but this... this is ridiculous!"
The one who exclaimed was La Folia, her face filled with disbelief as if she had just witnessed the impossible.
She wasn't the only one—everyone watching wore the same stunned expression. Even the always composed Second Primogenitor appeared surprised.
The battle between Natsuki Minamiya and Giada had lasted only a few seconds before ending. In other words, Giada had been instantly defeated.
The outcome was far beyond what anyone had anticipated.
They had expected Natsuki to win—after all, she had defeated Giada before—but no one had imagined she would win this decisively.
Because Natsuki had no intention of killing Giada, she hadn't used her overwhelming power to erase her immortality.
Now, Giada's body—destroyed in a single blow—was rapidly regenerating, sustained by her undying nature.
Under the watching eyes of all present, Giada's form began to reconstitute visibly.
Natsuki didn't remain standing idly to wait for her opponent's resurrection. Instead, she flashed away again, reappearing beside Avrora.
Seeing Natsuki return, the others on the deck withdrew their gazes from Giada and turned their eyes toward her instead.
Now, every pair of eyes—except for Avrora's—was filled with caution and awe.
Even the battle-hungry Vatler was no exception. Though he loved to fight, he knew better than to act recklessly.
Judging by everyone's reactions and Natsuki's calm demeanor, he already understood how the battle had ended—and now, even he could not help but feel a trace of fear toward the Witch of the Void.
"All right, let's get down to business now. Snake Charmer, what exactly was your purpose in inviting us to this banquet?"
Natsuki Minamiya's expression was utterly blank as she looked at Vatler. Despite her youthful appearance—and the faint lisp in her voice that betrayed her age—an overwhelming pressure radiated from her, suffocating everyone present.
"Please don't misunderstand me. I have no malicious intent. I simply wished for everyone to become acquainted with the Fourth Primogenitor."
Vatler smiled faintly. Though he was deeply wary of Natsuki's power, there was no trace of fear in his eyes.
"However, speaking of which... that person said to surpass even you in strength doesn't seem to have accompanied you tonight."
The moment Vatler mentioned Eriri, the Second Primogenitor—who had just recovered from his earlier shock—couldn't help but speak up as well.
"Indeed, I must admit I'm rather curious about that one myself... hm~."
"You mean Eriri? Hmph. None of you are qualified to meet her in person!"
Natsuki declared coldly, her tiny head tilted upward as she glared at the gathered Primogenitors and nobles with clear disdain. The expression on her young face left no doubt about how little she thought of them.
Her words and tone naturally didn't sit well with anyone, but constrained by her overwhelming strength, no one dared to voice their displeasure.
At that moment, a ripple of space appeared nearby, and Giada's body—having fully regenerated—materialized once more on the deck.
The white dress that had been destroyed along with her body also reformed perfectly.
As soon as she returned, Giada strode directly up to Natsuki.
"Natsuki Minamiya, I didn't expect that after only a few months apart, your strength would have increased this much. How did you do it?"
Giada stared at her in disbelief, still shaken by the memory of their brief battle.
"You don't need to concern yourself with that. Either way, you'll never have a chance to defeat me."
Although the chat group wasn't exactly a secret, Natsuki had no intention of explaining its existence to anyone here.
Hearing her words, Giada fell silent. She knew Natsuki was telling the truth.
After all, a Primogenitor's power was nearly fixed once they reached their peak. Even if one sought ways to improve, the difference would be negligible.
Ignoring Giada, Natsuki turned her gaze back toward Vatler.
"Snake Charmer, I know your true motive. Still, I'll give you a chance. I'll let Avrora fight you. Whether you can obtain what you seek depends entirely on yourself."
"Truly?" Vatler's eyes lit up, his excitement barely contained as he looked at Natsuki.
When the name "Avrora" was mentioned, no one present looked surprised.
After all, it had been three days since Avrora appeared on Itogami Island—plenty of time for the various factions to gather intelligence about her.
Two days ago, the island's Management Bureau had even sent envoys to inquire about the Fourth Primogenitor, so everyone already knew that the Twelfth Kaleid Blood now had a proper name.
"Of course. I've no reason to deceive you."
The only reason Natsuki had made this decision was because Eriri had suggested it earlier in the livestream. Otherwise, she wouldn't have bothered arranging such a match.
As for Avrora's safety, neither Natsuki nor the chat group members watching the stream harbored any concern.
After all, Avrora wasn't Kojou Akatsuki from the original timeline. The twelve beasts within her were all in perfect condition—and completely under her control.
Not to mention, both she and her familiars were far beyond what they once had been.
Natsuki turned her head toward Avrora.
"Avrora, this is Eriri's request. Make sure to give him a proper beating."
"Understood!" Avrora replied at once, nodding firmly.
Any hesitation she'd felt about fighting Vatler vanished instantly.
She took two steps forward, her gaze locking on him.
"You over there. For Eriri's amusement, you'd better stand still and let me hit you. Otherwise, your end might be even more miserable."
Avrora grinned, her delicate face twisting into a beautiful yet cruel smile.
Not only Avrora herself, but even the twelve beings within her—such as December—were filled with fighting spirit, ready to enter battle at a moment's notice.
"Hahaha! That won't do! If you want to teach me a lesson, you'll have to defeat me with your strength!"
Vatler laughed with a touch of madness, his eyes burning with both combat fervor and an insatiable thirst for Avrora's blood.
The two exchanged no further words. As if by mutual understanding, they vanished from the deck, reappearing on the same stretch of ground where Natsuki Minamiya and Giada had fought moments ago.
"Another battle already? This time it's the Fourth Primogenitor against the Duke of Ordial. How exciting!"
Standing beside her father, La Folia's fair face lit up with enthusiasm once more. Lucas Rihavein shared her interest, his calm gaze betraying a faint glimmer of expectation.
Munechika Hedate and Koyomi Shizuka exchanged silent glances and followed as well, though neither spoke a word.
In their eyes, Natsuki Minamiya and Eriri were now the true threats—far beyond any Primogenitor.
The times had changed.
...
"Since Eriri asked me to give you a proper beating, I won't use my full power in this fight. To make it last a little longer, you'd better start by using your strongest move."
Avrora faced Vatler from ten meters away, not a hint of tension on her delicate face.
"In that case, I won't hold back!"
Vatler's grin twisted into something wild, his eyes gleaming with madness.
"Nanda! Balananda!"
With two fierce shouts, Vatler summoned two serpentine familiars.
The next moment, the two enormous snakes entwined in a spiraling dance before fusing into one—a massive dragon with blade-like scales and a mane of living fire.
The dragon opened its jaws wide, gathering a blazing sphere of flame before launching it straight at Avrora.
Avrora didn't hesitate for even a second. She raised her right hand and invoked her own familiar.
"Leo Pemptos!"
In an instant, brilliant lightning flared above her. A colossal golden lion emerged from the void with a thunderous roar.
The lightning radiating from its body shattered the oncoming fireball with ease, as if crushing a fragile ball of glass—without leaving even a ripple of explosion behind.
Without pause, the golden lion charged forward, lightning streaking across the sky as it slammed into Vatler's summoned beast.
The massive dragon—tens of meters tall—was obliterated in an instant, torn apart as though it were made of paper.
The destruction of his familiar caused Vatler's expression to twist sharply. Yet he wasted no time. With six more cries, he summoned six additional serpentine beasts.
As before, the newly summoned familiars began to merge—combining into far stronger forms.
Had this been three days ago, these merged beasts might have posed a genuine threat to Avrora's golden lion.
But after receiving the enhancement of the energy seed granted by Eriri, the twelve beasts within Avrora had grown significantly stronger.
Though she lacked Natsuki's sheer instant-kill power, dealing with someone below the rank of a true Primogenitor—like Vatler—was effortless.
So far, she hadn't even considered summoning a second beast.
As time passed, Vatler's familiars were defeated one after another, crumbling under Avrora's lightning fury. It was clear he could no longer hold out.
"Impressive, Fourth Primogenitor! Such power is truly captivating. But if you think you can beat me with just one familiar, you underestimate me far too much!"
Having no other choice, Vatler resorted to his ultimate technique. He summoned his ninth familiar—a creature he rarely used.
This beast was not of this world, a summoned being composed of condensed magical essence. Even if its form were destroyed, it would not truly die.
The eight familiars Avrora had shattered earlier were not completely gone. As Vatler's ninth familiar appeared, the remnants of the others converged upon it.
Avrora made no move to stop them, watching calmly as the nine serpents intertwined and fused into a single, colossal creature—a nine-headed serpent hundreds of meters long, resembling a vast tree made of snakes.
"Primordial Serpent—Ananta!"
An immense wave of magic surged from the nine-headed serpent. The sheer pressure of its power surpassed that of most Primogenitors' familiars.
And this—this was the source of Vatler's confidence to stand against the Primogenitors themselves.
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