Inside the dark, abandoned entertainment complex, shadows flickered across the floor as something monstrous slowly stepped into Leo and Yukino's view.
It was a creature covered head to toe in scales, its entire body a strange, eerie shade of blue. Between the scales, viscous slime oozed and dripped.
Standing over three meters tall, it resembled a merman out of a nightmare. Webbed claws sprouted from both its hands and feet, its head twisted into a hideous, fanged visage. Two bulbous eyes bulged outward like a frog's—grotesque and terrifying all at once.
"What… what is that?!"
Yukino instinctively took several steps back. Her expression wasn't so much fear as pure disgust—a physical revulsion that made her features twist.
She couldn't help it. This was her first time seeing such a thing. Even when she'd faced the fallen angel Varden a month ago, at least that opponent still looked vaguely human, wings aside. But this… this creature wasn't fish or man—just a disgusting parody of both. One look at it was enough to make her stomach churn.
"That's what an ordinary devil turns into once it falls," Leo said evenly, completely unfazed as he explained to her in his usual calm tone.
"When there's no one to restrain them, no one to guide them—and their demonic power lets their desires shape reality—low-born servant devils like this often lose themselves in power and corruption. Before they realize it, they've reshaped their bodies into something utterly revolting."
That was one of the many reasons Stray Devils were hunted on sight. If something like this were to wander into human society, the chaos would be unimaginable.
After all, the Three Factions couldn't survive without humans anymore. Keeping human society stable was a matter of survival.
That's why even if a Stray Devil's former master didn't issue a bounty or alert, the Underworld authorities would immediately investigate and send word to devils active in the human world to eliminate the threat.
Sona had learned about this one through Underworld channels and contacted Leo to handle it.
"Do all devils without masters end up like that?" Yukino asked quietly, a flicker of relief crossing her heart. She was suddenly very glad she hadn't walked away from Leo back when she'd been resisting the contract.
If leaving a master meant ending up like that thing, she'd rather take a spear through the chest from a fallen angel.
Unfortunately, the Stray Devil before her had no such self-awareness.
"I ran all the way to the human world, and you still won't leave me alone?"
The merman-like creature spoke in a low rasp that might've sounded pitiful—if not for the deranged chuckle that accompanied it. His mind was clearly slipping.
A closer look revealed the crimson tint to the slime dripping from his mouth.
That wasn't saliva. It was blood.
"What were you doing here?" Leo's eyes hardened. "Whose blood is that?"
His words made Yukino look closer—and she finally noticed. The blood wasn't flowing from his mouth. It was smeared on, like milk accidentally staining one's lips.
"Oh, you noticed?" The Stray Devil's chuckles deepened into manic laughter. "Really, I'm such a mess. A grown man like me, forgetting to wipe his mouth after eating. How rude of me."
"But it's that vagrant's fault, honestly! His life was already worthless. Wouldn't it have been better if he'd just offered up his body to some use? Why did he have to struggle so hard? Made it such a pain to take a bite!"
"Now that girl I caught earlier was much better—passed out right away. No struggle at all. A shame, really… I didn't even get to hear her lovely screams."
Even without Leo saying anything, Yukino already knew what this monster had done.
Her disgust and fear burned away, replaced by pure, righteous fury.
The hesitation she'd felt about killing another devil—someone technically of her own kind—vanished without a trace. In its place was a cold, merciless clarity, befitting the one called "Winter Flower."
"End him, Yukino," Leo said flatly.
She stepped forward, her expression emotionless as mist began to rise around her.
It was a freezing vapor born from temperatures below zero—a chill that could freeze the world solid.
Crack… crack, crack…
With every step Yukino took, the ground beneath her frosted over, spreading ice across the floor.
The air grew heavy and frigid.
Watching her, the Stray Devil didn't feel fear. He looked excited.
"So the one fighting me is this little girl? Not bad… not bad at all. Pretty, just like the one I caught earlier. Fresh, tender—delicious-looking."
His grin widened, saliva dripping from his jagged teeth.
"Then I won't hold back. Thanks for the meal, you Underworld trash!"
He lunged.
The motion was like a fish whipping its tail through water—fluid, fast, and violent. His webbed claws slammed into the ground, propelling his three-meter-tall body forward like a monstrous bullet.
Even without a report from the Underworld, Leo could tell instantly—this one had been a Knight-class servant.
Betraying his master hadn't stripped away his Knight trait. That speed and physical power were terrifying, turning his massive body into a charging tank aimed right at Yukino.
Thud!
The impact echoed—but he hadn't hit Yukino.
A solid wall of ice had formed in front of her, smooth and flowing like frozen water. The Stray Devil crashed into it headfirst, shattering chunks of ice that exploded outward as he was knocked back.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
The noise that followed wasn't from his counterattack—it was from Yukino's.
In the instant he was repelled, she struck back mercilessly. The ice wall exploded into countless irregular shards that shot toward him like bullets.
Each icy projectile slammed into his body, one after another, detonating on impact and filling the air with dull, pounding blasts.
"You little bitch…!"
The Stray Devil roared in anger, his laughter gone, replaced by hatred.
"I'll tear you apart!"
He charged again, body caked in frost, shards of ice clinging to his limbs. But his movements were slower now—his joints had begun to freeze.
"Don't come near me, you disgusting thing."
Yukino's voice was frigid and sharp, colder than her magic. Surrounded by whirling mist, she truly looked like a goddess of winter.
From the fog burst a barrage of ice—bullets, spears, blades, and needles—an endless storm that battered the Stray Devil from every direction.
He tried to dodge, weaving desperately, but her barrage was relentless. No matter which way he turned, he was forced back, his body torn and frozen in equal measure.
His enraged roars turned to shrieks of pain as scales shattered and flesh split under the icy assault. He tried to close the distance, but the chilling mist around her nearly froze him solid each time he got close.
When he finally tried to flee, Yukino was ready. Ice crept up his legs and froze him to the floor, sending him crashing down.
The sight of her—cold, merciless, methodical—was terrifyingly beautiful.
"What a pleasant surprise," Leo murmured, genuinely impressed.
He'd thought Yukino might falter due to inexperience, but seeing her now proved otherwise. She was inexperienced, yes—but brilliant. She adapted instantly, reading the flow of battle, finding the most effective way to strike back.
She'd already analyzed her opponent's fighting style and built a plan to counter it—calm, precise, and devastating.
Even more surprising was that she hadn't summoned Ice Princess, her Longinus.
Yukino had fought—and won—relying purely on her demonic power.
"Mercy! Please, spare me!"
The Stray Devil's limbs were frozen solid, his body encased in spreading ice.
"Disappear."
Yukino hesitated for only a second—then remembered what he'd said earlier. Her eyes hardened.
Crack, crack, crack—
In moments, the Stray Devil's entire body froze into a massive block of ice.
Boom!
The ice shattered, scattering him into glittering shards.
The monstrous form was gone—reduced to nothing but drifting snow.