The entertainment complex hadn't been around long. Construction had stalled due to lack of funds, leaving the interior filled with debris and discarded materials. The air reeked of decay, the kind of stench that drove people away at first whiff.
But as Leo and Yukinoshita Yukino walked deeper inside, their looks of distaste shifted into something grimmer.
The smell had changed. What had started as a sour, rotting stench was now a sharp, metallic tang.
Their demonic senses told them immediately—this was blood. Thick, concentrated blood.
Yukino's face paled.
She could see it now—large, sprawling patches of crimson staining the floor. The sight alone was sickening enough, but scattered across the blood were fragments of white bone and shredded pieces of clothing.
It didn't take much imagination to understand what that meant.
"Looks like we were still too late," Leo said quietly. His tone was calm, but the chill in it betrayed his displeasure.
Just by the scale of the blood and remains, it was obvious the Stray Devil had already been feeding here for quite some time.
"That monster deserved to die."
Yukino's voice trembled—not from fear, but anger.
Compared to herself and Leo, that thing had been the true devil: the kind of creature ordinary people imagined when they thought of evil and corruption.
"Judging by how torn these clothes are," Leo said after circling the room, surprisingly composed, "his victims were probably all vagrants—homeless people. No wonder no one noticed sooner. If he'd gone after anyone with a family or a home, the Underworld would've caught on long ago."
"But he said he caught a girl, didn't he?" Yukino's eyes widened. "Where is she?"
Leo stopped walking.
Yukino followed his gaze—and froze.
At the very back of that nightmarish scene, a girl lay motionless on the ground.
She was beautiful, with a slender frame and long chestnut hair that reached her waist—just as the Stray Devil had said, her looks rivaled Yukino's own.
But her body was drenched in blood. Her abdomen had been torn open, as if mauled by a wild beast.
Her chest was still. No breath, no heartbeat.
So young, and yet her life had ended here—in this forgotten corner of the world, fading like a flower in the dark.
Crack… crack… crack…
Yukino's emotions surged uncontrollably. Frost spread from her feet, coating the floor in a thin layer of ice.
Leo, who had remained icy and composed until now, suddenly blinked in surprise. Then his expression shifted—something between astonishment and realization.
He extended his hand, forming a crimson magic circle above his palm.
From the center of the circle floated a glowing chess piece—deep red, shimmering faintly.
"A devil piece?" Yukino gasped. Her eyes widened when she saw it. "It's glowing!"
Yes—glowing brightly.
And as Leo's servant, Yukino knew exactly what that meant.
"We may have been late," Leo murmured, his voice soft but certain, "but it seems this girl's fate isn't sealed yet."
He stepped forward, knelt beside the girl, and gently placed the devil piece on her chest.
With quiet concentration, he began to chant. The glowing piece cracked apart, scattering into countless particles of light that seeped into the girl's body.
Immediately, the power of the piece took hold. Her blood, which had pooled beneath her, flowed back into her veins. The gaping wound in her abdomen began knitting itself closed before their eyes.
Her chest rose slightly—then again. Her heartbeat returned, steady and strong, syncing with Leo's own as it pulsed through the air.
Just like a month ago, when he had made Yukinoshita Yukino his servant, Leo's unique trait—Servant Conversion—had activated.
[Trait: Servant Conversion — Activated...] [Base feedback acquired — Demonic Power: moderate increase.] [Advanced feedback acquired — Sacred Gear: proficiency increase.]
In an instant, Leo's demonic power surged—again.
The increase wasn't quite as dramatic as when he'd reincarnated Yukino, who wielded a Longinus, but it was close. His already High-Class–level power climbed even higher, brushing the edge of the next tier.
At the same time, his mind and soul thrummed with energy. His will strengthened, and with it, his mastery over his Sacred Gear—Zenith Tempest—expanded exponentially.
Sacred Gears fed on the wielder's will and conviction. The stronger the will, the stronger the Gear—and the easier it was to wield.
Thanks to his trait's feedback, Leo's control over his Gear skyrocketed, as though he'd trained with it for years.
"Another solid boost in power," he muttered, his bad mood finally easing.
This activation of Servant Conversion had given him new insight.
The feedback from his trait clearly depended on the potential and strength of the servant he reincarnated. Comparing this case with Yukino's, he could now classify the feedback into three tiers.
First tier: Servants of low potential—ordinary humans, like Sona Shitori's typical servants. These granted only minimal feedback, usually a single basic boost, such as a small amount of demonic power.
Second tier: Servants of moderate potential—humans with Sacred Gears or special abilities, or those born with rare bloodlines. These gave both basic and advanced feedback, including a medium boost in demonic power.
Third tier: Servants of high potential—individuals like Yukinoshita Yukino, who possessed a Longinus and top-tier talent. These yielded three forms of feedback: basic, advanced, and additional, along with a large surge of demonic power—enough for a massive leap in strength.
The girl before him was clearly a second-tier case; Leo could sense the faint pulse of a Sacred Gear within her.
Of course, even within the same tier, there were differences.
This girl, for instance, might technically be second-tier, but the feedback she'd given him felt almost as strong as Yukino's—just shy of a top-tier servant.
Her demonic power boost was "medium" in classification, yet it felt only a hair's breadth away from "large." And the advanced feedback—enhanced Sacred Gear proficiency—was significant. His mastery of Zenith Tempest had risen several stages at once.
That meant this girl's potential was bordering on high-tier, likely only limited by the rank of her Sacred Gear.
Yukino's Longinus was in a class of its own. This girl's wasn't—but that was to be expected.
There were only thirteen Longinus in existence, each unique. Finding even one was a miracle. Meeting two in a lifetime would be absurd. Leo had no illusions about that.
He never expected all his servants to match Yukino's level. That would be unrealistic. So when the devil piece's reaction had been nearly as strong as hers, he hadn't hesitated for a moment—he'd taken the opportunity immediately.
"She'll be all right now, right?" Yukino asked softly as she stepped closer.
"Of course," Leo replied, glancing up at her with a grin. "Congratulations—you'll have a new companion soon."
"Shouldn't I be congratulating you?" Yukino huffed, folding her arms. Seeing his smile, her mood lightened slightly. "Another beautiful girl added to your collection. You must be so proud of yourself."
"Maybe a little," Leo said with a toothy grin. "What can I say? I'm a devil who embraces his desires."
With that, he lifted the unconscious girl gently into his arms.
"Come on. Let's bring her back to the manor."
He started toward the exit.
Yukino took a step after him, then noticed something lying where the girl had been—a school bag.
"Is that hers?"
She picked it up, brushing off the dust. The design looked like one from an elite academy.
So she'd been attacked on her way home from school, then.
As she turned the bag over, her eyes landed on the name tag hanging from it.
"Yuuki Asuna…"
Yukino froze.
That name sounded familiar.
Her brow furrowed as the memory clicked.
"Yuuki family's daughter…" she muttered, sighing. "Another heiress, huh? That guy's luck is ridiculous."