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Twenty minutes earlier—
Inside a luxury suite at a central Itogami Island hotel.
Shnnk—
Without warning, a towering knight of azure flame shimmered into existence. Space itself rippled, the air vibrating with familiar magical distortion.
Nagisa appeared next—though in truth, it was Yuuma Tokoyogi inside her body, clutching the unconscious true Yuuma against her chest as she stepped through the transfer.
"Hmph. Finally."
The disdainful scoff came instantly from the sofa.
Two witch sisters—Emma and Octavia Meyer—rose from their seats, sharp glares fixed on the girl who'd just arrived from the teleport.
"Yuuma Tokoyogi, your efficiency is pathetic. We've been waiting here an entire afternoon for you."
"Oh? My apologies. That must've been... very tiring for you."
The girl smiled faintly. It looked like she was offering apology—perhaps even sympathy—but her next words made both sisters stiffen.
"But before you complain again, maybe remember who brought you the Fourth Progenitor's power. In other words—I hold the leash. And if you keep testing me, I won't mind using the two of you as practice dummies while I learn to control it."
"Wha—??"
"You wouldn't dare!"
The sisters stumbled back a half-step in unison, disbelief etched across their faces.
They were feared worldwide after their ritual had erased an entire province from the North Sea Empire. Listed as Tier-One criminal magi by the Itogami Administration.
And yet, in front of the strongest vampire in existence—the Fourth Progenitor—such feats meant nothing. They knew it. They needed the Progenitor's borrowed strength just to have a shot at breaching Itogami's prison barrier.
"Don't get cocky!" Octavia snarled, temper flaring. "Using the Fourth Progenitor's power is your plan. Our original design didn't need it. We could've sacrificed a hundred thousand souls from this island and still—"
"I suggest you don't."
The sharp interjection froze her.
"Let me remind you—Bokue is here, on this island. And he intends to claim it as his own territory. If you slaughter ten thousand citizens under his nose... tell me, what kind of ending do you think awaits you?"
"Bokue again?? Always your precious childhood crush—"
"Shut up."
Yuuma's tone cut clean, merciless.
"I know you hate hearing it, but facts don't care about your pride. The only reason I joined this little operation was to prevent a massacre. I'll borrow the Fourth Progenitor's strength, break the barrier, free 'Mother'—then I'll take responsibility with Bokue afterwards. You? You just leave once she's free."
Silence.
Her words burned with too much truth to argue.
Even with Le Blue, she'd been able to restrain the Progenitor's body briefly, but Bokue's will hadn't budged an inch. That alone proved his power was far beyond their reach.
"...Tch. Fine." Octavia clicked her tongue, irritated but conceding. "So what's the next move? Do we strike immediately, or wait?"
"Patience," Yuuma said softly, smiling again.
"When the time comes, you'll take the 539th Grimoire to the Keystone Gate. Cast from there—at the island's exact center—and scramble all spatial coordinates. Just like last night. That will paralyze transportation and security for a short while."
"And you?" Emma's voice was calm, though skeptical.
"I'll use the window to reach the prison barrier and free Mother with the Progenitor's power."
"Then why wait?" Emma pressed. "Why not just do it now? What changes?"
Yuuma shrugged lightly. "If we move now, the city center goes into chaos. Bokue will sense it. And tell me—when he realizes what's happening, will he come for me... or for you?"
The witches exchanged uneasy looks.
"You don't need to guess. He'll go for you. He doesn't know who you are. And he won't hesitate. One strike—and you won't even have time to beg."
She spread her hands as if it were the simplest thing in the world.
"But if we wait until Nagisa wakes up, she'll realize her body's been swapped. She'll tell Bokue. And then—he'll come straight for me instead. You won't die pointlessly."
"...Do you actually think you can beat him?" Octavia asked, half-mocking, half-anxious.
"No." Yuuma answered plainly, shaking her head.
"But it's still the highest chance we have. The only path that avoids total slaughter. Unless, of course, you still want to try staring down a power greater than the Progenitors themselves."
Silence again. No objections this time.
"Good," Yuuma said finally. "Then that's the plan."
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Back to the present.
The hotel bathroom steamed thick with fog.
Water splashed ceaselessly, spraying against the glass, streaking it with beads.
Inside the blurred silhouette of the shower, Yuuma's body arched, trembling, her breath tearing ragged from her throat.
Heat seared her from the inside out, overwhelming every fiber of her being.
Her reason frayed. Her composure shattered.
She tried to remind herself—Follow the plan. Stick to the plan.
But what was the plan again?
Plan... plan...
There was no plan anymore.
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