Himeko had already finished her draw. That left only Kafka.
"Your turn."
"Alright. I'll give it a try."
She still wore that same languid expression, relaxed and unhurried, yet her hand was already resting on the lever.
Click.
A glowing orb dropped out.
"…Ah."
The moment Valerius saw it, a rather strange expression appeared on his face.
"What's wrong?" Kafka asked, tilting her head slightly. "Is it bad?"
"No," Valerius shook his head. "It's very good—at least, it's quite useful for you."
"Oh?"
That immediately piqued Kafka's interest. Something "useful" to her was definitely worth looking forward to.
"This contains Makima's abilities," Valerius explained.
"Once you use it, you'll gain all of Makima's powers."
"Makima?"
Kafka repeated the name softly.
What kind of name was that? Somehow, it sounded oddly similar to her own.
Since even the naming style felt alike, she decided to take it as fate. Without hesitation, she reached out and absorbed the orb.
In an instant, countless thoughts flooded her mind—then quickly faded away.
After sensing her newfound abilities, Kafka nodded in satisfaction.
"Not bad. Pretty good."
"As long as you like it," Valerius replied.
Truth be told, Kafka and Makima really were a good match.
At the very least, they were both devil hunters.
At this moment, Himeko walked over and asked curiously,
"So what exactly does it do? Give us a little hint."
She was genuinely curious. After all, Valerius had explained her Freedom Gundam in full detail, yet when it came to Kafka, he suddenly became evasive.
"You can distinguish humans from devils purely by scent."
"…That's it?"
Himeko frowned slightly. Could an ability like that really be worth six points?
"You can also gather intelligence through animals' ears."
Alright—now that was clearly a reconnaissance ability. Pretty good.
"And," Valerius continued,
"you can blindfold someone. As long as the blindfolded person calls out a name, the person whose name is spoken will be instantly crushed into a pile of flesh."
Himeko: "???"
Jean: "???"
Kuki Shinobu: "???"
Did they hear that right?
Say a name—and die?
That was downright terrifying. An ability with almost no defense against it.
In an instant, everyone's gaze toward Kafka changed, filled with fear.
Not just those present—even the livestream erupted.
[Herta: Why do I suddenly feel a chill down my spine?]
[Topaz: I feel like I won't survive this year.]
[Aventurine: That's… seriously unreasonable.]
[Zhongli: Indeed. Such power is deeply unsettling.]
[Furina: Uh… yeah, I've decided never to provoke Kafka again.]
[Nahida: Is there truly no way to counter such an ability?]
Seeing everyone so shaken, Valerius couldn't help but find it amusing. This was barely the beginning. After all, Makima was the Control Devil—her true power lay in domination itself.
"And there's more—"
"Valerius," Kafka interrupted calmly, smiling.
"Aren't you revealing a bit too much?"
"If you keep going, I'll become a public enemy. At least leave me some privacy."
"…Alright."
Valerius shrugged at the others. "Hey, don't blame me. She stopped me."
"So, can we head back now?" Kafka asked.
"Yes," Valerius nodded, then reminded her, "Just don't use those abilities on other players outside the game."
"Don't worry," Kafka replied with a smile. "I won't."
For this arena to continue long-term, harmony was essential. Kafka was well aware—if she crossed the line, Valerius would be the first to deal with her.
After all, if he could hand out abilities like this as prizes, he definitely had contingencies.
"Oh, right," Valerius added, "don't try using it on Aeons either. It won't work, and it'll only draw attention. That would put you in danger."
"I understand."
Kafka nodded, then looked at him with a curious glint in her eyes.
"…Are you worried about me?"
"Of course."
That straightforward answer caught her off guard.
For once, Kafka didn't tease him back.
"…I'll be heading off."
Originally, she'd planned to toy with him a bit more, but his blunt sincerity left her at a loss for words. In the end, she simply chose to return.
"I'll go too."
Himeko followed right after. The pressure was immense—just the ability Valerius had mentioned was already absurd enough. The ones he hadn't mentioned were likely even more terrifying.
"We should head back as well."
"Yes."
Jean and Kuki Shinobu didn't linger either. They needed to discuss this with their people as soon as possible.
This round's rewards were simply too outrageous.
And Valerius's earlier warning revealed something crucial.
Outside the arena—restricted.
But inside?
That meant players could freely use these powers within the space.
If they didn't seize their chance now…
there might not be another opportunity later.
To Read advanced Chapters, head over to P@treon
patreon.com/DarkVerse146