Looking up, one could see thick layers of deep-colored clouds—not quite pitch-black, yet still heavy enough to weigh down the heart.
The air, dense with moisture, had become oppressive; each breath felt as if it passed through a damp layer of gauze, gradually accumulating into an invisible wad of wet cotton within the chest—not sharp, but unbearably heavy. Skin silently protested, even pores struggled desperately to breathe…it seemed rain would soon fall.
A dark-red barrier covered the corner of this city like an enormous bowl. Human eyes could not perceive this barrier—even if trapped within, even if slaughtered, they would remain blissfully unaware.
"Ahh——!!"
As if venting all its agony, a giant lion-headed monster shrieked piercingly. Flaming blades sliced through its robust body with the swift ease of a hot knife through tofu. Curiously, it possessed no nerves to sense pain—yet somehow, it still felt this agony vividly.
Begging for mercy was impossible. Between it and the enemy existed irreconcilable hostility. The enemy was a cold, emotionless machine of extermination. As long as it and its master coveted the [Power of Existence], their relationship with the enemy would remain mortal.
Of course, the enemy wouldn't even give it the chance to plead. Whether begging, fleeing, or resisting—all were meaningless. Scarlet flames ruthlessly descended, severing its lion head, burning the Rinne to ashes, finally declaring its death.
The one responsible for this was a petite girl.
No matter who it was, upon seeing this girl, one would first be drawn to her flame-red hair, which flowed fiercely, like a burning lotus blossom.
Her figure was small, clothed entirely in black, fiery embers drifting constantly around her. Her eyes shared the same burning red hue, and she wore a pendant around her neck.
"Alastor, what do you think?"
"Hmm… This presence does not belong to a 'Denizen,' merely a Rinne."
Within the sealed, stagnant moment, the flame-haired girl appeared to speak to herself, yet she received an answer. A deep, resonant voice emanated from the pendant on her chest.
"So, the master of this Rinne is currently hiding somewhere in this city?"
Searching was not the girl's strong point. If it had been a Flame Haze adept at tracking-type Unrestricted Spells, locating hidden Crimson Denizens in a city would be easy. But the flame-haired girl only knew the most basic spells like the Fuzetsu—even the power within her needed the sword she held to fully manifest.
Thus, the girl could only resort to the simplest solution…waiting for the Crimson Denizen to make a mistake or openly show itself. After all, powerful Crimson Denizens usually held Flame Hazes in contempt, dismissing them as soulless, thoughtless tools.
Creating Torches to replace the slain humans, repairing damaged streets using [Power of Existence]—such was the routine after every battle. Though not yet a seasoned Flame Haze, the girl already performed these tasks skillfully.
As the Fuzetsu vanished, the sky returned to its original blue and white, time resumed its flow, and pedestrians passed by without noticing the flame-haired girl, as if she belonged to a separate world.
"Alastor, you seem a bit odd today. Did you notice something unusual?"
Walking along the right side of the street, the girl's hair and eyes reverted to a deep black. With her small stature and delicate features, she blended unnoticed into the crowd. Though her eyes faced forward, she was actually conversing with her pendant.
At her question, the pendant flashed faintly, falling silent for a long moment before replying in a complicated tone.
"Hmm… Perhaps I am overthinking things."
It started yesterday. Alastor had suddenly sensed a slight ripple—like a pebble tossed into a lake. It wasn't strong; if he weren't the Flame of Heaven, one of the Crimson Gods, even he would have overlooked it.
This alone wouldn't have mattered; disturbances were common, especially with Crimson Denizens wielding power from outside this world.
But the issue lay in its range…The ripple wasn't intense, yet its reach was immense—covering practically the entire world.
To accomplish such a feat, either the source was exceptionally powerful, equal in stature to himself—a god-level entity—or this world itself recognized and accommodated the source without any resistance, treating it as a natural presence rather than an intrusion.
Alastor dismissed the second possibility instantly; he had existed long enough to know that native extraordinary powers didn't naturally manifest in this world. As for the first possibility…there were only three gods among the Crimson Denizens: Alastor himself, the "Flame of Heaven"; Shaher, the "Guiding God"; and the "God of Creation," Snake of the Festival.
It couldn't be Alastor himself. The Snake of the Festival had been sealed between worlds long ago. Shaher was a guide and rarely intervened directly.
If the ripple came from the Snake of the Festival, it meant its seal was weakening.
If it originated from Shaher, it might be another divine revelation sent to her followers.
Alastor could only hope it wasn't the worst-case scenario…after all, his contractor had only been a Flame Haze for a few short years; her skills and power were still immature.
He didn't wish for this girl to be forced into using that technique again, as the first "Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter" had done…
...
Inside a cute bedroom filled with girlish decorations, a teddy bear sat on the bedside—a prize won from a claw machine by the room's owner.
After school, Hirai Yukari immediately announced to her mother that she would be studying, then locked herself in her room.
Naturally, studying wasn't her primary intention.
"So these are [Treasure Tools]?"
Suspended in mid-air before Yukari was a row of obviously extraordinary objects.
These were [Treasure Tools]—miracle-inducing relics, extremely precious even among Crimson Lords and Flame Hazes.
Most were left behind after Friagne's death.
"The Crimson Lord who died yesterday—his special trait as a 'King' was 'seeing through the nature of things,' thus his obsession with collecting [Treasure Tools]. His personal strength wasn't that impressive, but these relics specifically targeted Flame Hazes."
Nitocris's voice emerged from Yukari's pendant; she had already grasped the effects of these items.
Unlike the original story, where Shana destroyed many of Friagne's [Treasure Tools] during their fight, Nitocris had killed Friagne instantly—preserving the treasures intact.
Even so, most held little value to Nitocris. Only two drew her attention:
[Azure]—a blue, ring-shaped [Treasure Tools] that repelled flames. Considering Flame Haze and Denizen attacks mostly involved fire, its defensive utility was immense…though limited to this world.
[Trigger Happy]—shaped like a pistol, it had unlimited bullets. Hitting a Flame Haze would forcibly manifest their contracted Crimson Lord. The Flame Haze would either explode from the unleashed power or the Crimson Lord would be forced to retreat to the Crimson Realm.
There were exceptions, of course… Nitocris remembered clearly that, in the original, when Alastor manifested briefly through Shana, she survived—because Shana was a person of supreme potential, a vessel strong enough to endure such divine presence.
Thus, Nitocris envisioned [Trigger Happy's] greatest use not as an anti-Flame Haze weapon, but as a tool to assist Shana. If Shana ever became trapped deep in enemy lines, shooting her once with this pistol would unleash the Flame of Heaven's fury upon her enemies.
Or perhaps—throw Shana directly into enemy ranks and have her shoot herself, followed by Nitocris theatrically mourning, "Such sacrifice was necessary…" Of course, such cold-blooded tactics were reserved exclusively for someone like Chen Gong; Nitocris would never consider them seriously.
"This ring is so beautiful…"
Rather than its effects, Yukari was more intrigued by [Azure's] appearance.
[Azure] had saved the protagonists multiple times in the original. For a starter-town boss, Friagne dropped an absurd amount of legendary equipment. These [Treasure Tools] stayed relevant until the story's climax.
Although useful, Yukari was always protected by Nitocris's divine power—she didn't actually need [Azure's] protection.
Yet still…
"If you like it, wear it."
"Really?! Thank you, Kami-sama!"
Seeing Yukari's Christmas-morning smile, Nitocris silently chuckled.
"Kami-sama…what about this [Treasure Tool]? It seems particularly important."
Yukari referred to the item they'd acquired today.
She'd never imagined Sakai Yūji, her classmate, was a Mystes containing the famed [Reiji Maigo]. After reviving him, the [Treasure Tool] naturally fell into their hands.
"Hm… It's a valuable, but extremely troublesome hot potato. If word spreads that we hold it, every Denizen in the world will go mad trying to claim it."
"Ehh?! Ehh?! EHHH?!"
"This treasure mustn't stay with your classmate—he can't protect it. Death would be merciful; at worst, this entire city might be annihilated."
Indeed, Nitocris sensed hidden mechanisms and even a dormant soul inside the [Reiji Maigo], but decided to leave them untouched for now.
"You're right…such a dangerous thing should stay with Kami-sama."
Yukari nodded, whispering shyly, "Kami-sama…should we go out again tonight?"
"Denizens' desires and sins never rest."
"But…I haven't thought of an excuse yet…"
Yesterday she'd bought study materials. She couldn't possibly finish them already…
"You're seriously troubled by this? Perfect lovers are hard to find, but excuses to leave home? Easy. Just say you forgot something at school."
"But…but that's lying…"
"Didn't you lie yesterday?"
"I actually bought the study materials, so I wasn't lying!"
"Child, you're terrible at lying…Fine, if needed, I'll hypnotize your mother…"
"H-hypnotize?! Isn't that too far, Kami-sama?!"
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