That night, Shichen met Tokoyogi Yūma again—alone.
He hadn't brought anyone. To him, this wasn't a big deal—it didn't need witnesses. Better that the others stayed home, watched TV, and snacked.
Normally Himeragi Yukina would have tagged along, but today—having just "vented some pressure" and in a very good mood—she'd been especially obedient.
In front of him rose a steel tower—the highest point on Itogami—beneath the glassed-in observation deck of the broadcast tower.
The rooftop of the Keystone Gate.
"You're here too, huh." Seeing the blond youth, Shichen shook his head in resignation.
"Shichen, long time no see." Vatler waved and greeted him with a smile.
"Shichen-sensei…" Tokoyogi Yūma gripped a grimoire; vast mana streamed from her fingertips, driving the book to twist space itself.
"Why'd you invite him? Afraid I won't keep my promise?" Shichen raised a brow, displeased.
"No… Vatler-sama came on his own," Yūma said quickly, shaking her head.
"Really?" Shichen glanced at Vatler, resigned—he didn't think Yūma would lie. Which meant Vatler had come to spectate.
"Hehe~ Shichen, I didn't expect you to take the initiative with something like this," Vatler said with a smile.
This was Shichen's turf, and yet he was going to do something that would shake Itogami City—that truly surprised him.
"Problem?" Shichen asked flatly.
"None at all. Let me witness it."
"That all you came for?"
"What can I do? Everything I wanted to do you're already doing—guess I'll be the audience," Vatler said with a careless shrug.
Wreaking havoc in Itogami to draw Shichen's attention—to fight and devour—had been his goal. But he couldn't act first; he had to seize an opening. It should've been a perfect chance—too bad it'd been snatched away.
"Then be a good audience. Yūma—start," Shichen said, ignoring him and giving the order.
"Yes."
Yūma poured mana through her whole body; dense power wrapped the grimoire, and it blazed with light.
An instant later, a crushing shockwave and a sky-splitting boom rolled out.
RUMBLE—!
The sound came from the northern sea off Itogami, where a never-before-seen island silhouette suddenly surfaced. The whole islet showed itself—craggy terrain like the jag of a rock peak. Small but steep, its bulk was a man-made sanctum: a European-looking monastery that, historically, had been used as a fortress, then as a prison for clergy and political prisoners.
The Prison Barrier.
It was still half-translucent—hard to fully manifest—space around it warping. Yūma had distorted space across all Itogami just to flush out the Barrier hidden in a fold. To undo its seal required two things: an exceptional space-control art and mana vast enough to surpass the dragon veins.
Shichen could cover both conditions by himself—but he didn't care to shoulder the blame. Even now he was still "involved," but the optics were different. Since Yūma was only a space-control witch without the raw power to contend with the dragon veins, Shichen intended to be a spectator too.
"So that's the Prison Barrier? Intriguing… If those magi-criminals—vicious enough to be locked in another world's maze—were all dumped into the city at once, what would happen, I wonder? Ah, Shichen, don't worry. I can help bag the escapees," Vatler said, light as ever.
He wasn't lying—even the worst criminals were nothing to him.
"No need. I can handle it," Shichen said.
"Is that so? Then I'll be a quiet spectator."
"Shichen-sensei…" Yūma looked at him, exhausted.
"Mm."
Shichen nodded, then looked up at the Prison Barrier. Right now, Nayue's true body was inside it.
He raised his right hand. A ghost-green sigil appeared on the back—triangular at a glance, but in fact Delta.
As Delta flickered, the mana within him surged, shaking the very air. The night clouds vanished at once, the moon floated out and lit all Itogami—yet strangely, not a breath of wind stirred. Aside from the oppressive weight of thick mana, there was no breeze at all.
Vatler stared at his back, eyes ablaze. That mana, that supremacy—this was what he sought.
Yūma, mana spent and crushed by Shichen's aura, collapsed weakly to the ground, staring in disbelief. With a being like this—without his help—how could she ever save her mother? And even if she did, what then? Plans and actions, before the absolute power of the Fifth Primogenitor, were futile.
She stopped thinking about it—her part was done. If Shichen-sensei kept his promise, maybe she could live with Kojō… go to school together, attend classes, share meals, learn to cook… it would be wonderful.
"Rayquaza!"
At Shichen's quiet command, massive mana gathered in the sky, glowing green—and took form as a jade dragon. Vast and coiling, it blanketed the heavens, blotting out moon and sky, its presence overwhelming. Master of the skies—where it ruled, there was no wind, no rain.
"So that's Shichen's familiar—a dragon!" Vatler stared up, transfixed, hungry. His own familiar was a serpent; a dragon was the stuff of myth, the equal of a vampire—perhaps even a Primogenitor. A dragon as a familiar—no words.
As expected, the Fifth Primogenitor was marvelous.
It wasn't just Vatler and Yūma who saw it—everyone on Itogami did. The Barrier's emergence had shaken the whole sky; there was no ignoring it. And then Rayquaza appeared.
"What is… that?"
"Is that a dragon?"
"A familiar! A dragon familiar!"
"How can there be a dragon familiar? Has a Primogenitor arrived?"
"The other Primogenitors don't have dragon familiars—there's only one possibility…"
"The Fifth Primogenitor—the one who shouldn't exist!"
In that instant, with Rayquaza's appearance, the Fifth Primogenitor stopped being rumor.
"So that's the teacher's familiar? A dragon…" At Shichen's house, Yukina saw Rayquaza through the window.
"That guy…" Sayaka pursed her lips—annoyed and proud all at once.
"As expected of my man!" La Folia said, excitement unhidden.
"He hasn't become your man yet," Sayaka shot back.
"Soon enough."
"Soon…" Yukina listened in silence and made up her mind. This time, she wouldn't fall behind.
…
"Rayquaza—dot the dragon's eye." Shichen gave a quiet order.
"Rooaaar—!"
Rayquaza twisted its vast body and roared at the sky, then became a streaking green arrow and shot toward the illusory Barrier. Naturally, Shichen hadn't let it use full power—otherwise the Barrier might have been destroyed along with the seal. Even so, with only a fraction of its might, Rayquaza struck with irresistible force.
BOOM—!
The blast shook heaven and earth. As all eyes watched, the seal on the Prison Barrier broke and it fully manifested. The mirage-like island became solid—and caught fire. Just as it seemed about to collapse, the causeway connected to the island also took form; waves splashed over it and conveniently doused the flames.
The Prison Barrier's seal was undone; it returned to ordinary space.
Rayquaza coiled once and dissolved back into mana, flowing into Shichen.
Expressionless, he lifted his gaze. The Barrier lay in full view; gaps in the shattered outer wall offered a peek into the sanctum within—only to reveal emptiness. The interior was completely hollow: a vast empty space.
"Looks like the seal's broken, but the prison itself hasn't been released," Vatler said from the side.
Shichen didn't look at him. He moved to Yūma's side and asked, "Want to come in with me—to see your mother?"
"Shichen-sensei…"
"Don't worry. I've got you," Shichen said with a small smile.
"Mm."