The summoning circle blazed with intensifying light, powerful magical fluctuations rippling outward from its center.
A figure emerged slowly from the brilliance. White combat boots touched the ground with soft, deliberate steps, click, click.
"Servant Lancer, summoned by your call. I ask you, are you my Master?"
The girl wielding the holy spear regarded Takeyo with heroic blue-green eyes that gleamed with regal authority.
"Ah, Artoria. Perfect."
Takeyo held out his hand, golden Command Seals marking his right hand while Est's Spirit Contract glowed on his left.
Artoria's gaze fell upon the Command Seals, and she immediately felt the connection between herself and the young man before her. An overwhelming flow of magical energy poured into her from his body, abundant enough to sustain her without any concerns.
"Let's go, Lancer. I have something important to attend to, and I'll need you to guard me."
"Master, please just call me Artoria," she replied. "The designation 'Lancer' feels... impersonal."
Artoria Pendragon was the legendary King of Knights, the King Arthur who had ruled Britain. This version of her had wielded the holy lance Rhongomyniad as her primary armament instead of the holy sword, reigning over Britain after fully embracing her role as king. Without the growth-suppression effect of Excalibur, she had matured to a physical age befitting her station.
Through her use of the holy spear, she had transformed into an existence approaching divinity itself. However, since she had wielded it for only about a decade, her spiritual structure and mental essence remained largely unchanged.
She was a Heroic Spirit born from a "different possibility" than the standard Artoria. Though she still possessed a human form, she could hardly be called a human Heroic Spirit anymore. The properties inherent to the holy lance had altered her nature, transforming her into something closer to a goddess.
Despite being far more rational and composed than her holy sword counterpart, Artoria had not lost her humanity. If anything, her maturity as an adult had allowed her to make choices more calmly, embodying the ideal form of a king.
Therefore, while Takeyo felt slightly apologetic toward the Saber version of Artoria he knew from another world, this Lancer version was significantly more reasonable to work with.
"Very well, Artoria. Also, take this, it will officially make you my Knight."
Takeyo tossed her a golden chess piece.
Matching Artoria's nature perfectly, the piece was a Knight.
"If this is your wish..."
Without the slightest hesitation, Artoria integrated the chess piece into her body.
Their relationship transcended that of ordinary Master and Servant. Takeyo had directly summoned her physical form and signed a new contract, becoming her Master in truth.
The moment she absorbed the piece, unprecedented power erupted from Artoria's body!
"Ah...!" Artoria's lips parted slightly as she felt tremendous changes surging through her form.
Perhaps I'll be able to gather all my pieces soon, Takeyo thought with a slight smile. In truth, aside from the Pawn pieces, he already had approximate candidates for all his other Evil Pieces.
"Let's go, Artoria. Stay by my side and, "
"Cough!"
Before he could finish, Takeyo coughed up a mouthful of golden blood.
"Master!" Artoria rushed forward to support him.
"Don't worry. This condition is expected to continue for a while, so please don't make a fuss every time," Takeyo said while discreetly wiping away the blood with a handkerchief. "I'll recover slowly."
But if Artoria has grown to this size... it really is quite moving, he thought privately.
"But... how could this be? There's clearly no problem with the magical energy supply, yet your body shows signs of severe injury!" Artoria's brow furrowed with concern.
"I've examined it myself, and doctors have looked at it too. There's nothing fundamentally wrong," Takeyo said, his gaze turning skyward. "Compared to this, we have more important matters to attend to right now."
It did feel rather pleasant to be protected by someone, he had to admit. Of course, that feeling only existed because he possessed sufficient strength himself. Otherwise, relying on others' protection without power of his own would have been deeply frustrating.
Underworld
In the Devil's administrative office, Ajuka was preparing his lesson materials.
Hmm.
Suddenly, a red magic circle flared to life in his office, and two familiar figures teleported into the room.
"Sirzechs, and Grayfia. What brings you here to see me?"
Ajuka set down his work. Though Takeyo's situation remained unresolved and his student hadn't yet returned, there was still time before things became urgent. He could afford to relax his vigil temporarily.
These days, Ajuka actually found himself missing the busy state he'd been in a month ago.
"Don't tell me someone's complained about us again?" Ajuka asked with a wry smile.
"No, they've been quiet for a while now," Sirzechs replied, looking at his friend with a helpless expression.
He understood that Ajuka was referring to the complaints and impeachment attempts from various major families regarding their handling of Takeyo's disappearance some time ago.
"But you still haven't given up, have you?" Sirzechs asked, his tone gentle. He was asking about Takeyo.
Though Sirzechs also wanted to believe the boy would return, the iron-clad fact remained that Takeyo had been missing for weeks now.
"Although the Devil chess piece system can't retrieve data on whether he's alive or not due to his unique physique," Ajuka said with a slight smile, "I've always believed he'll return, Sirzechs."
In truth, Ajuka knew far more than he'd revealed. For instance, he knew about the ten-winged angel and ten-winged fallen angel living at Takeyo's residence. He knew about the various anomalies Takeyo had displayed during his battle against Tannin.
What he'd shown Sirzechs had only been edited footage, the complete data remained in his possession alone.
Faced with his friend's unwavering faith, Sirzechs could only manage a bitter smile.
"Lord Ajuka, we're actually here to deliver an invitation," Grayfia spoke up, her tone polite and professional as always.
"An invitation?" Ajuka looked puzzled for a moment.
"Oh, it's for the Gremory family event. Is it time already? It seems I've been too absorbed in my work."
"No, tonight is merely the engagement ceremony," Sirzechs clarified. "If it were the wedding ceremony itself, the invitation would have reached you long ago."
Though he personally believed that Riser wasn't the best match for his sister, under the current circumstances, there were no viable alternatives. As much as it pained him, he wasn't the head of the Gremory family. That title still belonged to Rias's father, and he could only offer suggestions, not commands.
Moreover, from a purely Devil perspective, he should support this marriage to preserve the bloodline of pure-blooded Devils.
"Ah, I see. I'll make time this evening then."
Ajuka accepted the invitation.
"Then we'll take our leave. We still need to inform the others," Sirzechs said with a smile.
"Farewell. I'll continue working on some things, but I'll definitely attend tonight."
Ajuka's curriculum had entered its final intensive phase. Though Takeyo had disappeared, his work on the course materials had never stopped.
Because... he firmly believed his troublesome student wasn't dead.
"Ajuka..."
Before leaving, Sirzechs hesitated, as if wanting to say something more.
"What is it?"
Ajuka looked up from his desk.
"Some things take time to accept. Don't be too stubborn about this..."
Sirzechs sighed deeply.
He found the situation regrettable too, but wasn't this simply how things had to be sometimes?
After saying this, he and Grayfia vanished from Ajuka's office in a flash of light.
"Me... too stubborn?" Ajuka smiled faintly before returning his attention to his work. "Perhaps you're right."
Of course, his dedication rested on one major premise, one enormous assumption.
The premise that Takeyo would definitely appear tonight.
Night fell across the Underworld.
Ajuka arrived at the banquet according to the address on the invitation.
However, shortly after his departure, something unexpected occurred in his office.
As soon as he entered the venue, he immediately spotted the Gremory family members gathered near the center.
Though polite smiles graced everyone's faces, there was no genuine warmth behind them.
"Koneko, are you feeling better?" Yuuto asked.
After all, Koneko had been defeated by Riser's peerage not long ago.
"Thank you for your concern, Yuuto-senpai. There aren't any major issues. The recovery effects of my senjutsu training are quite strong."
Koneko spoke softly, her expression more subdued than usual.
The kitten at this moment was noticeably different from her normal appearance. In addition to her evening dress, she now displayed small, adorable white cat ears and a matching tail, physical manifestations of her youkai heritage.
After parting from Takeyo that day, she had unlocked her sealed abilities and begun training in senjutsu independently. Though talent was merely potential until transformed into actual strength, Koneko had worked tirelessly to grow stronger.
By the time she faced off against Riser's peerage in the Rating Game, she'd already achieved strength equivalent to a High-Class Devil.
But it hadn't been enough to overcome Riser's immortal flames.
They'd ultimately lost the game, and now... Rias was facing this engagement ceremony.
"But Koneko, why do you keep looking at the door? Are you waiting for the president and vice president to arrive?" Akeno asked curiously.
Koneko had glanced toward the entrance multiple times in just a short period.
"No... I'm waiting for someone else."
Koneko's golden eyes remained utterly calm, betraying no emotion.
Because she believed, from beginning to end, she believed, that he would come.
Just as he'd promised her, just as he'd vowed to Rias, her senpai would definitely fulfill the promise he'd made!
"Koneko-chan, do you think Takeyo-kun will appear?" Akeno found it hard to believe. Was Koneko's faith in Takeyo really this strong? This bordered on blind devotion, didn't it?
"He won't fail to come... He'll definitely come..."
Koneko simply stared quietly at the door.
At this moment, another person in the venue acted exactly the same way.
That person was the Maou, Ajuka!
"Mm?!"
As if sensing something suddenly, Ajuka's eyes widened slightly.
"Hmm..."
Then he exhaled softly and retrieved a silver crystal orb from his pocket.
It seems my efforts weren't wasted after all, he thought with relief.
However, after giving this to that brat, I can finally take a break. I've been exhausted lately.
Ajuka almost wanted to commit the indecent act of stretching in the middle of the formal hall.
It took slightly longer for Koneko to sense what Ajuka had already detected.
"Meow?!"
Koneko's golden eyes widened as she stared at the door!
One second.
Two seconds.
Ten seconds.
Twenty seconds.
Click.
With a soft sound, under both Koneko's and Ajuka's watchful gazes... the door... opened!
A young man with black hair and dark eyes stepped through, moving with measured, confident strides.
What differed from before was that the young man's figure now carried traces of both divinity and enlightenment, subtle but undeniable.
As if merely by standing there, the boy became the center of heaven and earth itself!
Behind the young man walked a girl with flowing golden hair and piercing blue-green eyes. Her expression radiated confidence and determination, and the spear she held gleamed with holy light.
Not only Koneko, but the Devil guards stationed at the entrance also spotted Takeyo immediately.
"Who's that?! A human?! What's a human doing here? Humans aren't welcome in this place!" barked the lead guard.
Facing the Devil's challenge, the boy merely smiled slightly.
"I just came here to crash a wedding."