Chapter 337: Battle for the Twelfth Root
Kojou!!
The sudden call caught Akatsuki Kojou's attention.
"Yu... Yuuma?!"
Turning around, Akatsuki Kojou's eyes widened slightly as he saw his recent playmate appearing here, running toward him.
Nagisa Akatsuki, held in Akatsuki Kojou's arms, also heard the call. Upon seeing the girl's figure, she showed the same expression.
"Little Yu?!"
"Long time no see, Kojou, and Nagisa."
The girl came to a steady stop in front of them, greeting the two with graceful ease. After briefly observing the carefree man, she offered a polite, composed smile:
"You must be Uncle Akatsuki Kojou, right? It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Yuuma Tokoyogi, a friend of Kojou and Nagisa."
"Why are you here?! No, wait—why are you dressed like that?!"
Compared to Akatsuki Kojou, his son and playmate reacted more quickly. He hurried to the girl's front, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
Because the Yuuma before him now was completely different from the good buddy he remembered—today, Yuuma was actually wearing a beautiful dress!
Didn't that mean his incredibly athletic playmate was actually a girl?!
In contrast to Akatsuki Kojou, Akatsuki Kojou only showed a flicker of admiration upon seeing the girl before shifting his gaze to the two adults following her.
When his eyes fell on the woman in the kimono, a mix of shock, astonishment, confusion, and fear flashed in his eyes, as if he couldn't comprehend why this woman was here.
When he looked at the man beside the kimono-clad woman, he felt the same shock and confusion, but with an added hint of curiosity.
"Withdraw your gaze, Death Returner. He is not someone you may scrutinize."
At that moment, a dark kimono blocked Akatsuki Kojou's line of sight.
Tokoyogi Aya stepped forward, shielding Mahiro from view and forcing Akatsuki Kojou to meet her gaze instead.
This made Akatsuki Kojou pause briefly before he burst into laughter, disregarding his demeanor:
"Well, I never expected the Witch of the Notary to be so protective."
Akatsuki Kojou met Tokoyogi Aya's gaze without hesitation.
Mahiro felt a bit curious, surprised that these two people, who had no prior connection, actually knew each other.
But upon second thought, it made sense.
After all, both Tokoyogi Aya, known as the Witch of the Notary, and Akatsuki Kojou, the archaeologist, were renowned figures in this world.
Even if they had never met, they would certainly be aware of each other's existence.
However, just as the two were locked in a standoff, neither willing to back down, a slender figure stepped in front of Akatsuki Kojou.
It was the woman accompanying Akatsuki Kojou.
Just as Tokoyogi Aya had done moments earlier, she now stood face-to-face with the Witch before her.
"I never imagined the famous Witch of the Notary would have a man to protect."
The woman chuckled softly and introduced herself politely: "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Tokoyogi Aya. I am the sixth head of the Karnstein family, a noble countess of the Warring States Dominion, Liana Karnstein."
Liana's voice was gentle, devoid of the arrogance and rudeness often associated with those in high positions. Her first impression gave off a sense of fragility.
However, as she spoke, she deliberately or inadvertently tucked the long hair that had fallen by her temple behind her ear, as if intentionally showing the demon registration certificate on her fair wrist.
It seemed like a warning.
Seeing this, Tokoyogi Aya merely scoffed disdainfully.
"I wondered who it was, so it's the fallen heiress of the Karliana family."
Compared to Tokoyogi Aya's dismissive attitude toward Liana, Mahiro wore an expression of sudden realization.
He knew this woman—or rather, he was aware of her.
"To think she hasn't died in the attack by the Black Death Emperor's younger brother yet," he couldn't help but murmur softly.
Though his voice wasn't loud and was further muffled by the airport noise, it clearly reached the ears of the two across from him.
Upon hearing the term "Black Death Emperor's younger brother," both Akatsuki Kojou and Liana's expressions changed drastically.
"What did you say?!"
"Ah, nothing, my apologies."
Mahiro apologized without changing his expression.
"What I meant was, since both of you have introduced yourselves, I should do the same. My name is Yotsuba Mahiro, and I am a traveler."
Yotsuba Mahiro?
Akatsuki Kojou quickly searched his memory for this name.
Unfortunately, after thinking for a long time, he couldn't recall even a hint of information about it.
But how could a man who followed the Witch of the Notary so closely and was so carefully protected by her possibly be ordinary?!
Could it be that he was here for the Twelfth Primogenitor excavated on Gozo Island?
At this thought, Akatsuki Kojou's gaze toward the two across from him changed, becoming wary.
Akatsuki Kojou's gaze, however, made Tokoyogi Aya feel a hint of displeasure.
Seeing that Tokoyogi Aya seemed to be considering taking action, Liana also stirred the magical power within her body. If the other side dared to act, she would immediately summon her familiars to counterattack!
Just as both sides were locked in a stalemate, a childish voice finally broke the deadlock.
"So the handsome big brother is called Yotsuba Mahiro. I'm Nagisa Akatsuki. This is my brother, Kojou-kun, and Kojou-kun is my dad."
Nagisa Akatsuki introduced herself, her pink cheeks tinged with a hint of shyness, but her eyes sparkled when she looked at Mahiro.
The saying that women are all about appearances holds true—even little girls can't escape this rule.
Perhaps because his younger sister was being overly friendly with someone they had just met, Akatsuki Kojou, as her brother, didn't look too pleased. He didn't speak, merely nodding toward the other party.
Is this the Fourth Primogenitor from the original story as a child?
Arrogant and cold.
Meanwhile, Yuuma, also a young girl, seemed to sense Nagisa's intentions and stood in front of Mahiro, spreading her arms as if declaring sovereignty.
"Nagisa, Father is mine!"
Father?
This time, Akatsuki Kojou was shocked again.
Just by looking at their appearances, anyone could tell that the little girl before them must share a direct blood relationship with Tokoyogi Aya.
Either as sisters or as mother and daughter.
But no one had ever heard that the Witch of the Notary had any sisters, so the former was certainly impossible.
As for the latter, given the Witch of the Notary's personality, she must have used genetic cloning to create a girl to help her achieve some purpose.
But now, this girl was actually calling a strange man "Father."
That meant this child was the husband of the Archivist Sorceress?!
This revelation was even more shocking than Tokoyogi Aya somehow escaping the Barrier Prison!
"Um, um, is Mr. Yotsuba here on a trip with little Yuuma?"
At that moment, Nagisa Akatsuki spoke up again, as if she couldn't wait to strike up a conversation with him.
If it were anyone else, such behavior might come across as frivolous, impolite, and even irritating.
But coming from this adorable, sweet-looking little girl, it didn't feel that way at all. Instead, it was quite pleasing to the eye.
So much so that this behavior could be explained as the girl simply having a lively and cheerful personality.
Still, the girl's liveliness caught Mahiro off guard for a moment. He then flashed a perfect smile and reached out to pat Nagisa Akatsuki's head.
"Yes, little Yuuma said she wanted to see the world outside. And since we heard Rome has such a long history, we decided to come and take a look."
The harmonious scene between the two made Akatsuki Kojou feel a bit jealous, but more than that, it put him on guard.
He subtly pulled his daughter back behind him and said apologetically:
"Sorry, Mr. Yotsuba. We still have some matters to attend to, so we won't disturb you any further."
With that, he took the siblings and, under Liana's cover, hurriedly left the airport as if trying to flee from their presence.
To flee from this man.
For him, the appearance of this man and the Archivist Sorceress were entirely unexpected.
Especially that man—though he seemed ordinary, he gave off a mysterious aura, perhaps even more dangerous than Tokoyogi Aya!
This was intuition honed from years of archaeological experience!
However, the sudden departure of the group left Yuuma utterly bewildered.
She tugged on Mahiro's sleeve and asked:
"Father, did Yuuma do something wrong?"
Even though she had reunited with her old playmate, she didn't feel the warm reunion described in books. Instead, it felt like they were avoiding her as if she were a jinx.
Why was that?
Young Yuuma couldn't understand it at all.
Until a large hand gently rested on her head.
"This isn't your fault, Yuuma. They just have things to take care of. And you'll see them again soon."
And likely not too far in the future.
For the next while, they didn't rush to head to Gozo Island. Instead, Aya first instructed the library organization to secretly investigate the exact location of the twelfth site.
Although MAR Corporation was well-known, it was also immensely wealthy, with seven or eight bases even in the small area of Gozo Island alone.
It was as if they were trying to confuse their enemies.
Fortunately, the people under Aya's command were skilled enough at gathering intelligence that even false information couldn't deceive them.
Besides, during this time, Tokoyogi Aya seemed to have undergone a change in demeanor.
Though she still wore her usual expressionless, icy face in daily life—aloof and dignified as ever—surprisingly, she had chosen to accompany him and Yuuma when they went out.
They spent several days wandering around, leaving their footprints almost all over Rome.
Yuuma was overjoyed.
She said that at this moment, they truly felt like a family of three.
However, Tokoyogi Aya showed no reaction to this—not a hint of tenderness or a blush. She merely cast a cold glance at the child cloned from her genes.
This trip to Rome also came to an end as information arrived from the library organization.
They had already located the exact hiding place of the twelfth prototype within MAR Corporation.
It was in a medical research facility under the MAR enterprise.
And so, the three of them set foot on the unfamiliar land of Gozo Island.
Gozo Island, much like Shinkami Island, was a Demon Clan Special Zone.
However, unlike Shinkami Island, Gozo Island was not an artificial island. Instead, it was the world's oldest Demon Clan Special Zone and an ancient relic island registered as a World Heritage site.
Due to the abundance of ancient ruins here, scholars and professors from around the world continued to visit, hoping to uncover the historical secrets hidden within these relics.
In fact, tourists visiting Gozo Island for sightseeing were not scarce either.
The island's development and construction were comprehensive, largely funded by MAR Corporation.
As a result, beings like the Demon Clan were a common sight everywhere.
Since the approximate location of the twelfth prototype had been confirmed, Mahiro naturally made plans in advance to seize it directly from the heavily guarded MAR research institute that night.
After all, the cover of darkness was the perfect time for mischief.
Thus, after spending the day taking Yuuma around to various attractions, and once the exhausted little Yuuma had fallen asleep at night, Mahiro and Aya left the hotel and headed for their target location.
They didn't take a vehicle but instead used magic to move swiftly under the cover of darkness.
However, Mahiro and Aya soon came to a halt simultaneously.
Something felt off.
Although this MAR-affiliated medical research institute was located in a sparsely populated suburban area, and vehicles were scarce at midnight, the surroundings were far too quiet.
So quiet that not even the chirping of insects could be heard.
Moreover, the closer they got to the research institute, a strange, rust-like smell permeated the air.
It was the scent of blood!
"It seems someone has beaten us to it."
Sniffing the increasingly thick scent of blood in the air and noticing the large amounts of bloodstains on the ground, Mahiro couldn't help but let out a faint sigh.
Still, he intended to investigate and search for clues.
To see who had the audacity to snatch what he had come to take, right under his nose!
Meanwhile, in the corridor outside the Coffin Chamber of the MAR medical research institute.
"Devour him, Wolf of the Solar Eclipse—Sköll!"
Vast magical energy surged through the narrow space.
Under the flickering lights, the summoned Familiar Beast ferociously lunged at the group of figures at the other end.
However, rather than humans, they were more accurately described as a group of Orcs.
A group of Orcs dressed in military uniforms.
That was the Black Death Emperor Front, a terrorist organization that was once part of the Warring States Domain but later advocated violently overthrowing vampire rule.
And now, their target had shifted to the legendary Fourth Primogenitor.
Although they did not believe in the existence of the Fourth Primogenitor from the legends, for them, as long as they could eliminate the Fourth Primogenitor, hailed as the world's strongest vampire, leaving behind this feat would be more than enough.
Thus, they launched a direct assault on the MAR research institute.
There, they encountered Liana, who was responsible for guarding the Twelfth Progenitor.
However, just as Liana summoned her familiar to tear this group apart, a tall, dark figure suddenly appeared and grabbed the neck of the Wolf of the Solar Eclipse, Sköll.
"How is this possible?!"
Liana widened her eyes, unable to believe what she was seeing.
After all, a vampire's familiar is a powerful aggregation of magical energy.
Even with their resilient bodies, beastmen should not be able to withstand a direct clash with a familiar, let alone restrain one with mere physical strength.
Yet now, this common sense had been shattered.
"Hah, surprised, little girl? Thinking you can deal with us using such trash, are you underestimating the Black Death Emperor Front too much? Even fighting Akatsuki Kojou would be more exciting than dealing with you."
"What did you say? That's impossible!"
Kojou had already been taken care of—this was the implication behind the words of the massive beastman before her, and Liana naturally understood it, completely losing her composure.
"—Tear him apart, Wolf of the Solar Eclipse—Sköll!"
Furious and nearly berserk, she pushed her magical energy to the limit. The familiar, still gripped by the beastman, struggled once more.
"Do you think a familiar of this level can handle the Black Death Emperor's Brother—!"
Crack!
The beastman's palm tightened abruptly, and a sound akin to bones being crushed came from the familiar in his grip. In an instant, the Eclipse Wolf was completely restrained and ceased its struggle.
Under Liana's gaze, the dark beastman gradually transformed.
Under the flickering lights, Liana finally saw the beastman's true form—
Three meters tall, covered in pitch-black fur, with explosive muscles all over his body.
But now, the beastman was shifting from a humanoid to a fully bestial form.
His muscles swelled, tearing apart the green military uniform he wore, and thick, dark fur sprouted all over his body.
His face completely transformed into the head of a beast, now resembling that of a pitch-black wolf.
This was a special skill unique to high-ranking bloodlines among the beastmen race: Divine Beast Transformation.
By fully reclaiming the form and nature of a beast, it allowed for a qualitative leap in physical capabilities.
Not only would their size expand several times over, but their bodies would also be enveloped in dense magical energy. Legend had it that, at its peak, it could rival angels or dragons!
"Divine Beast Transformation... You are the Black Death Emperor's Brother, Golan Hazaroff!"
Realizing the true nature of the man's power, Liana couldn't help but exclaim.
"Gahahahaha, little girl, it's too late to recognize me now. Prepare to die!"
Boom!
Boom!
After his Divine Beast Transformation, Hazaroff moved like a beast, running on all fours. His heavy footsteps seemed to shake the entire corridor, as if the entire building trembled in response.
"Such arrogance...! Crush him, Wolf of the Lunar Eclipse—Hati!"
Though somewhat flustered, Liana summoned another familiar to attack.
"Useless, useless! Unlike you vampires who can do nothing without relying on summoned beasts, we are descendants of magical wolves born by devouring the hearts of giants. That is why beastmen are the highest-ranking demons! Experience the power of the strongest race on earth!"
Hazaroff swung his massive beastified claws fiercely. The moment they made contact, the newly summoned Eclipse Wolf was shattered into pieces, dispersing into purest mana in the air.
Moreover, Hazaroff was incredibly fast. Despite his seemingly oversized frame, he closed the distance to Liana in the blink of an eye.
"Not good!"
Liana's pupils contracted sharply as she strained her own mana, preparing to summon a third familiar.
But Hazaroff before her had already raised his claws once more.
"Too late, Liana Caruana."
The beastman laughed with arrogant pride.
In the next instant, those claws pierced through Liana's chest, shattering her heart!