Approximately 230 kilometers off the southern coast of Tokyo.
At a time when the sun had not yet risen and the night had not fully receded, a brightly lit ship was sailing upon the dark sea.
It was a ship roughly four hundred feet in length, of a standard comparable to that of a military destroyer, magnificently decorated, even more splendid than a luxury cruise liner, and from a distance, it looked like a palace floating on the sea—a giant cruise ship.
Such a giant cruise ship, by reason, should not belong to any individual.
However, the reality was just the opposite.
This luxury cruise ship named "Grave of the Deep Ocean" was a genuine personal possession, a palace at sea belonging to a single individual.
At this moment, that person was standing on the deck of this giant cruise ship, at the ship's bow, gazing into the distance.
"Is that Itogami Island?"
That person, as if eagerly anticipating, spoke with a smile.
"The Demon District of the Far East... it's been a while."
The one uttering these somewhat nostalgic words was a young man dressed in a pure white suit, with blond hair and blue eyes, possessing handsome features so refined he didn't seem human.
His apparent age was somewhere in his twenties, and he exuded an aura of elegance and nobility, just like an elite of upper society or a nobleman from a prestigious lineage. His entire being radiated a noble air, perfectly matching the image of a prince on a white horse in the hearts of young girls.
"After the Blazing Banquet a few months ago, I haven't stepped foot here again. It's really a pity when I think about it."
The noble youth put both hands in his pockets, smiling as if recalling something.
"If I had known things would turn out this way, I should have intervened back then. It definitely would have been entertaining."
A few months ago, Itogami Island held a ceremony for the resurrection of the Fourth Progenitor.
At the time, besides the twelfth body that had been sent to Itogami Island four years prior, the other eleven bodies were safeguarded by major factions and sent to this island for various reasons.
The noble youth had the honor of representing the Warlord's Dominion and bringing several of the bodies they safeguarded to Itogami Island, personally witnessing the appearance of the Blazing Banquet.
Regrettably, he did not participate in that ceremony, nor was he permitted to intervene, which he found somewhat unfortunate.
"Number Twelve, Avrora Florestina, the original vessel…"
The noble youth held a document in his hand, with a profile photo affixed to the top right corner.
It was, clearly, a photo of Avrora.
Gazing at the face shared by all twelve bodies, the noble youth revealed a look of infatuation in his eyes.
"To think the one who finally became the Fourth Progenitor was you." The noble youth, as though speaking to a lover far away, smiled and said, "As expected of the most special existence among the bodies—though an artificial vampire, you defeated the original, overcame the mechanism left behind by the Devas, turned the impossible into possible, and ultimately became an existence worthy of being called a Progenitor."
"My most beloved Fourth Progenitor, I wonder if you still remember me?"
"It's fine even if you don't, even if you've fallen asleep."
"In any case, I will definitely awaken you and make you remember me."
"At that time..."
Whatever he was thinking, the noble youth began to laugh.
That laugh was somewhat dangerous, and also a bit ferocious.
At this moment—
"Please forgive my impertinence, Your Excellency."
A voice rang out behind the noble youth.
It came from a young girl who had, at some point, silently approached the noble youth like an assassin.
The girl was very young, her face suggesting she was only fifteen or sixteen years old, yet she had a tall and shapely figure, with a beautiful and graceful presence.
Her skin was fair, and her hair was pale in tone, tied into a ponytail that swayed gently in the sea breeze, evoking the image of cherry blossoms in full bloom.
She wore the uniform of a prestigious local girls' school, and carried a black instrument case, presumably for a keyboard, in her right hand—at a glance, she looked like a high school girl in a music club.
However, no high school girl would appear here, nor would one display the cold, predatory gaze that seemed ready to strike at any moment from behind the noble youth.
While the noble youth was immersed in anticipation and intoxicated with his own world, the girl poured a bucket of cold water over him.
"Don't forget, this is still Japan's administrative zone. Even if you are a Duke of the Duchy of Ardeal, and a descendant of the Lost Warlord, if you act recklessly here, it could trigger a diplomatic incident and make you a magical criminal."
This was undoubtedly a warning.
And a rather merciless one at that.
Such a strong warning was something the noble youth hadn't encountered in a long time.
After all, with his current status, the number of people who could speak to him this forcefully could be counted on one hand, let alone someone as young as this girl.
"Become a magical criminal, huh?" The noble youth didn't mind the girl's strong tone and said cheerfully, "That does sound interesting, but the old man would probably get angry. I don't want to provoke him right now, so let's drop it."
Hearing this, the girl's eyes wavered slightly.
"May I take that as your assurance that you will not act rashly during your visit to Itogami Island?"
The girl questioned him so.
"Of course, I won't act rashly." The noble youth smiled as he gave his assurance, saying, "Isn't that exactly why this island nation of the Far East sent you to monitor me?"
"What was it called again?"
"Ah, yes... Lion King Agency?"
The noble youth spoke as if he were praising—or perhaps mocking.
"I've heard this is the organization that gathers orphans with spiritual aptitude from all over and trains them into weapons. You must be one of those weapons, right?"
These words did not cause any change in the girl's expression.
She simply spoke calmly.
"If you have any complaints, please direct them to our homeland. I am merely a War Dancer of the Lion King Agency, a professional magical assault specialist sent here to monitor you." The girl said in a cold tone, "The instructions I've received are: if you show any sign of crossing the line, and if such actions threaten Itogami Island, I am to immediately conduct extermination."
"Exterminate me?" The noble youth seemed amused, or perhaps even delighted by this development, and said, "I don't mind that, but can you actually do it?"
This was not mockery, merely a statement of fact.
To the noble youth, human magical assault specialists were as insignificant as ants, unworthy of his attention.
For a human to pose a threat to a vampire of his caliber would require someone like the Three Saints of the Lion King Agency—the strongest human assault specialists—armed with divine weapons meant to slay demons or gods. Only then would it be remotely possible, and even that was not guaranteed.
Yet now, a mere girl of fifteen or sixteen had dared to speak such bold words. Though the noble youth wasn't angered, he couldn't help but offer some provocation.
"I advise you not to try." The girl responded expressionlessly. "Though I'm just a recent graduate and a novice, thanks to this mission, I've been authorized to carry a divine weapon specially crafted by the Lion King Agency."
"Even if I personally lack the strength, an assassination might still be enough to kill you."
This was her profession, and the girl naturally would not back down.
Even if the man before her was one of the most terrifying vampires in the world aside from the Progenitors, capable of destroying a city or two with ease and vanishing her from existence in an instant, she could not show fear.
Otherwise, this mission would be impossible to complete.
Fortunately, the noble youth did not seem to regard her as a threat and therefore did not take offense at her statements.
"I'll look forward to seeing what you can do." The noble youth smiled as he spoke. "It's a shame that it wasn't the one from the rumors who came. That would've been far more interesting, don't you think?"
"The Chaos Dragon… Isn't he also part of your Lion King Agency?"
"If you had sent him over, there might actually be a chance of killing me, right?"
Hearing this, the girl's expression changed for the first time.
It was an expression of resentment, defiance, and even gritted-teeth frustration.
"There's no need for that guy to act. I'm more than enough." The girl said with displeasure, "Besides, that guy is already assigned as the Fourth Progenitor's observer."
In other words, even if that man had the ability, he wouldn't be coming to monitor you.
Because you're not a Progenitor, you're not dangerous enough to warrant the Lion King Agency's trump card.
To her surprise, this made the noble youth even happier.
"The Fourth Progenitor and the Chaos Dragon—the world's strongest vampire and the world's strongest magical beast, what a combination."
The noble youth's emotions surged inexplicably.
"That's truly… a pairing that stirs the blood."
As he spoke, a terrifying magical power, akin to a physical force, surged forth with his rising excitement, causing the entire luxury cruise ship to tremble.
The surrounding sea began to churn, the waves grew turbulent, as if a peerless beast had emerged—an overwhelming terror.
"Your Excellency!"
The girl's expression changed, her hand reaching for the black instrument case.
"Relax. I won't make a move here and give you all an excuse to send me back." The noble youth withdrew his magical power and said leisurely with a smile, "I'm still looking forward to meeting those two—for a grand encounter of the century."
"My beloved Fourth Progenitor… and the mythical beast of the divine era. Just imagining meeting them makes me thrilled."
"Until then, I'll behave myself."
The noble youth didn't turn back to look at the girl. He continued to gaze toward the distant sea.
There, the shadow of the artificial island had already come into view.
"Truly something to look forward to..."
The noble youth's ever-smiling lips revealed faintly sharp fangs.
Seeing this, the girl's grip on the instrument case tightened slightly, and her face once again showed a look of indignation.
"That so-called Chaos Dragon… isn't he just a disgusting, rotten man?"
The girl muttered bitterly.
"I'll see for myself, now that he's left the High God's Forest, just how much he's actually improved."
The luxurious cruise ship sailed resolutely toward Itogami Island—
Bringing new chaos to that island.