Faced with the colossal nine-headed serpent that stretched across the sky, Avrora's expression remained perfectly calm. She made no move to summon another familiar—it was clear that even Vatler's full strength wasn't enough to make her take this battle seriously.
"Golden Lion, heed my command—tear this foe apart!"
At Avrora's clear and gentle order, the lightning surrounding the floating golden lion grew even more dazzling. In the next instant, the creature roared and charged, carrying lightning far more ferocious than before as it struck directly toward the nine-headed serpent.
The nine-headed beast showed no sign of retreat. All nine hideous heads lunged forward in unison, encircling the golden lion from every direction.
Though the golden lion was enormous, compared to the serpent—hundreds of meters long—it appeared tiny and insignificant.
Yet despite the difference in size, victory belonged to the smaller side.
The wild lightning surrounding the golden lion pierced straight through the nine-headed serpent, ravaging its massive body with overwhelming force. Bolts of electricity surged outward, tearing the serpent's flesh apart and annihilating it from within.
Without stopping for even a moment, the golden lion continued to weave through the air, ripping through the serpent's enormous body at blinding speed.
Within mere seconds, the once sky-darkening nine-headed serpent was gone—erased completely from the night sky.
Witnessing the overwhelming display, La Folia and the others watching couldn't help but gasp.
They had expected the Fourth Primogenitor's familiars to be powerful, but this... this was far beyond anything they'd imagined.
Especially Giada and the Second Primogenitor—both of whom had seen the First Fourth Primogenitor with their own eyes a millennium ago.
In their memories, that ancient Fourth Primogenitor's familiars had never displayed power even close to what this golden lion had just shown.
Clearly, something about this new Fourth Primogenitor was different—something unknown, something changed.
As the onlookers marveled at Avrora's strength, the battle below took another sudden turn.
After seeing his familiar utterly annihilated by the golden lion, Vatler wasted no time. Without hesitation, he activated the beast transformation factor within his body, transforming himself into a gigantic serpent.
He lunged forward at breakneck speed, giving Avrora no opportunity to summon another familiar.
Beastification—his ultimate trump card—was something he had almost never revealed before.
But to defeat Avrora, to devour her and claim the power of the Fourth Primogenitor for himself, he held nothing back.
Vatler's serpent form wasn't particularly strong—certainly nothing compared to a true familiar—but in his mind, the Fourth Primogenitor's strength lay entirely in her beasts. Her body, he believed, was frail and defenseless—merely an artificial vessel.
If he could find the right moment, he might just be able to bypass her familiars and swallow her whole.
Unfortunately for him, Vatler gravely underestimated Avrora—or rather, he failed to realize that she was no longer the same as before.
With Eriri's help, Avrora had not only enhanced her familiars but also significantly strengthened her own physical power.
Though her raw strength was nowhere near that of her familiars, it was more than enough to crush Vatler's serpent form.
She raised her small, delicate right hand into a fist and swung it hard toward the oncoming serpent's head.
With a thunderous boom, Vatler's giant snake form was sent flying several dozen meters through the air. His massive body crashed to the ground and rolled violently across it for more than ten full rotations before finally coming to a stop.
During the tumble, Vatler's body reverted to its human form—but he looked utterly disheveled.
His once immaculate white suit was shredded beyond recognition, soaked with bright crimson blood. His carefully styled hair was now a wild, tangled mess, and most notably, there was a vivid fist-shaped mark right in the middle of his handsome face.
The sight was almost comical.
Lying motionless on the ground, Vatler stared blankly into the night sky, dazed and confused.
It was clear he could not comprehend how the battle had ended like this.
Seeing that Vatler had completely lost the ability to resist, Avrora no longer felt the urge to continue. She dismissed the golden lion with a thought and, with a flash, reappeared on the cruise ship's deck—leaving Vatler lying alone on the ground.
However, the scene didn't last long. Soon, the two young attendants who served as Vatler's personal guards hurried down from the deck, rushing to his side to help him to his feet.
The spectators—Giada, the Second Primogenitor, and the others—turned their attention away from Vatler and instead focused on Avrora, who had returned to Natsuki Minamiya's side.
"Fourth Primogenitor, why is it that both your familiars and your own power have grown so much stronger?" Giada asked, her eyes glowing with curiosity. The Second Primogenitor, too, stared intently at Avrora, clearly awaiting her answer.
"I must admit, I'm quite curious as well... hm~."
La Folia and the others, who had originally known little about the Fourth Primogenitor's true strength, also perked up at those words, though they remained silent, waiting for Avrora's reply.
"Naturally, it's thanks to Eriri's help!"
Avrora had no intention of hiding it—she openly spoke Eriri's name, her expression brimming with pride as she did so.
"That name again... Eriri..."
Giada's expression shifted slightly. As if realizing something, she quickly turned her gaze toward Natsuki Minamiya.
"Natsuki Minamiya, could it be that your own recent surge in strength also has something to do with Eriri's help?"
Natsuki didn't answer immediately. She paused for two seconds before nodding calmly.
"You're correct. My strength's improvement is indeed related to Eriri."
While her true power-up had come from her use of the chat group's points, it was because of Eriri that she had managed to obtain such a vast number of them. Without those points, her current power would have been impossible.
Thus, saying her strength was connected to Eriri was perfectly reasonable.
Hearing this, both Giada and the Second Primogenitor—and even La Folia and the others nearby—felt their curiosity toward Eriri grow even stronger.
"Natsuki Minamiya, I wonder... would it be possible for you to introduce me to Eriri?" Giada asked eagerly, her voice filled with anticipation.
"Well..."
Natsuki didn't answer immediately. Instead, she shifted her attention toward the chat group.
[Natsuki Minamiya (Level 5, Stage 4): Eriri, do you want to meet Giada?]
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 9): No thanks. I'm not interested in meeting her.]
As the Third Primogenitor, Giada had quite a few blood companions. So even though she was beautiful, Eriri had absolutely no interest in her.
Compared to Giada, Eriri was far more curious about La Folia and Koyomi Shizuka.
Of course, that curiosity didn't extend to actually wanting to meet them—at least not enough to attend the banquet in person. If fate ever brought them together later, she wouldn't mind a casual meeting, much like her past encounter with Asagi Aiba.
[Natsuki Minamiya (Level 5, Stage 4): I see. Got it.]
After confirming Eriri's stance, Natsuki turned back to Giada and spoke evenly.
"Unfortunately, Eriri has no intention of meeting you."
"Oh? You sound awfully sure of that. Are you certain you even asked her? Or... could it be that you're worried that once I meet her, I might take your place in her heart?"
Giada teased, her tone playful—but there was a hint of genuine curiosity beneath her jest.
She wanted to know whether Eriri truly refused, or if Natsuki was simply saying so on her own.
In response, Natsuki merely gave her a look—the kind one would give an idiot.
For a moment, Giada felt genuinely offended.
"H-hey, Natsuki Minamiya! What kind of look is that? That's quite rude, you know!"
Yet Natsuki completely ignored her, refusing to dignify the teasing with a response.
By this time, Vatler had fully recovered thanks to the formidable regenerative abilities of vampires. Accompanied by his two personal attendants, he returned to the deck.
The moment his eyes fell upon Avrora, his gaze burned with fanatic intensity. Though he had been utterly crushed by her, his desire for the Fourth Primogenitor's bloodline power had not diminished—in fact, it had only grown stronger.
However, he was self-aware enough to realize that he currently stood no chance of devouring her, and so—for now—he suppressed his impulse to challenge her again.
"Well then, everyone's here, and the sparring match is over. It's time to begin tonight's banquet. Let us proceed inside the ship."
The moment Vatler finished speaking, Natsuki Minamiya wasted no time and led Avrora toward the interior of the ship.
Seeing this, Giada followed close behind without hesitation, and the Second Primogenitor, smiling faintly, walked elegantly after her.
La Folia and the others exchanged brief looks of understanding before also entering the ship.
...
News of what had transpired at the banquet spread rapidly across the world. After all, the clash between Avrora and Vatler had caused quite a stir.
Even though it had been past ten o'clock at night, the appearance of a colossal, hundred-meter-long nine-headed serpent and a golden lion wreathed in lightning had not escaped the eyes of countless witnesses.
With the Lion King Organization and the Aldegyr Kingdom deliberately fanning the flames of the story, word of the Fourth Primogenitor's immense power spread swiftly among all factions.
And along with that, rumors also spread that Eriri possessed the ability to make others stronger.
In an instant, countless factions became eager—desperate, even—to seek out Eriri, each hoping to obtain an opportunity for power through her.
This, in turn, caused the influx of people arriving at Itogami Island to skyrocket within days.
Of course, knowing Natsuki Minamiya and Avrora's terrifying strength, no one dared to approach them by force. Instead, they came hoping for luck—perhaps to be chosen by Eriri herself.
Because everyone connected to Eriri happened to be beautiful women, many factions began assuming she favored pretty girls.
As a result, nearly all those sent to Itogami Island were carefully selected young women renowned for their beauty and charm.
The Lion King Organization dispatched the thirteen-year-old Yukihira Sakuya and the ten-year-old Himeragi Yukina, while the Taishi Bureau sent their own prodigy, Himizaki Kiriha.
La Folia, after the banquet, chose to remain on Itogami Island instead of returning to the Aldegyr Kingdom with her father.
Even the Three Night Empires sent their most talented female heirs under the guise of diplomatic envoys.
Naturally, the persistent Giada also decided to stay on the island, constantly seeking a chance to meet Eriri in person.
Many others followed suit, and soon, Itogami Island—once sparsely populated with beauties—became a place overflowing with them.
...
For the moment, though, none of this had anything to do with Eriri, since she hadn't returned to the Strike the Blood world in several days.
Time passed quickly, and in the Saekano world, December had arrived—less than a month remained before the new year.
At eight o'clock in the morning, Eriri Spencer Sawamura sat at the dining table in her Toyogasaki Academy winter uniform, waiting for Arifureta and the others to finish breakfast.
Just then, two familiar scents and an unmistakable aura of presence appeared above her, followed by a soft, playful voice from behind.
"Eriri-chan, let's go to school together!"
Standing behind her was Shizuka Marikawa, dressed in her usual professional attire. Her arms wrapped around Eriri's shoulders from both sides, while the ample weight of her chest pressed firmly down on Eriri's head.
By now, Shizuka Marikawa had more or less settled permanently in the Saekano world, only returning to the Highschool of the Dead world on weekends to visit her friends.
Here, she had resumed her old profession, working as the school nurse at Toyogasaki Academy.
Normally, she didn't commute with Eriri and the others—she preferred driving alone to school—but sometimes she would join them in the convoy organized by Aoi Kujou and the other maids. And on certain days, she would act spoiled and insist that Eriri accompany her to school alone.
Just like today.
Naturally, Eriri couldn't bring herself to refuse such a cute request—especially since it had already been over a month since the last time she'd gone to school with Shizuka alone.
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