Chapter 1220: Aya's Downfall
"Let's use hypnosis on the staff at Itogami Island Airport."
After another spatial transfer, Shizuki Aya appeared at the central airport of Itogami Island.
As long as she hid herself properly now, she could leave Itogami Island completely unnoticed.
In this world of Strike the Blood, spatial control didn't refer to manipulating space, but rather compressing time.
Though one could instantly appear from one place to another, it was actually achieved by compressing the time required to travel between those two points to nearly zero.
This was how spatial transfer was accomplished.
During this process, the physical energy that should be consumed would still be consumed.
Therefore, depending on the user's physical strength and level of spatial control, a single spatial transfer could typically only cover several kilometers at most. Even the one known as the Witch of the Void, Natsuki Minamiya, couldn't break this rule.
Thus, even someone like Shizuki Aya couldn't cross the Pacific Ocean directly and needed to leave Itogami Island by plane.
Or she could fly away under her own power.
But she hadn't forgotten that she was currently in a position of escape. Once she took to the skies, she risked being detected by either Natsuki Minamiya or the Fourth True Ancestor. Therefore, leaving by plane was the safest option.
"No staff present?"
Aya approached the counter.
But found no one at the window.
"Wait a moment!"
A sudden chill shot through her heart.
She snapped back to awareness.
"Why is there not a single passenger in this huge airport?!"
In the spacious airport, aside from herself, there was no one else.
Cold chairs, flickering neon lights.
Everything was as silent as deep night, and a powerful sense of loneliness washed over her like a tide.
"When I transferred to the street earlier, were there people there?"
Shizuki Aya clutched her head, her expression extremely strained.
She couldn't remember!
Why couldn't she remember?
Were there people?
Or weren't there?
Even though it had just happened, why couldn't she recall it?
"Hey."
Suddenly, a cold voice sounded from behind.
She turned around in shock.
Shizuki Aya was startled, a chill running down her entire body.
Standing before her was a figure clad entirely in golden armor, coldly positioned in the empty airport.
Like a ghost.
"Where are you trying to escape to?"
"Eeeek—!"
Shizuki Aya's eyes suddenly snapped open.
Her body was drenched in cold sweat, her mouth greedily gasping for air, her eyes filled with panic and uncertainty.
"Where is this...?"
She fearfully surveyed her surroundings.
Stone walls inscribed with ancient texts and an empty floor.
This scene was all too familiar to Aya!
"The Church... Prison Barrier?"
Her expression instantly changed.
"Impossible, I clearly escaped!"
"If I let you escape right under my nose, what would that say about my reputation?"
A mocking voice came from beside her.
Shizuki Aya's face immediately turned very grim.
Turning to look, as expected, standing before her was
the Fourth True Ancestor!
He was casually sitting in Natsuki Minamiya's chair, leisurely crossing his legs, as if completely unconcerned about her escaping.
Everyone else had already vanished.
Within this prison barrier, only she and the Fourth True Ancestor remained.
"...Was thinking I escaped actually just a dream?"
A trace of desolation surfaced on Yaze's face.
She understood.
The moment she attempted spatial translocation, she had already fallen into a dream.
In dreams, people cannot discern their surroundings, because dreams themselves change according to one's thoughts—if you imagine someone being there, they appear; if you imagine no one, they vanish.
Without even realizing it, she had fallen into a dream.
This Fourth True Ancestor was far more terrifying than she had imagined!
"May I ask why the Fourth True Ancestor has kept me here?"
She barely managed to calm her turbulent emotions, her gaze toward Eiji now carrying a hint of reverence.
"Why?"
Eiji chuckled noncommittally.
"I'm quite interested in your earlier proposal."
"What do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb. I want the complete loyalty of the entire LCO."
Eiji stated his demand bluntly.
Yaze fell silent.
She thought for two seconds.
"I represent the entire LCO in offering you our loyalty."
All pretense of restraint vanished from Yaze's face.
Instead, she knelt on the ground, offering her loyalty in the name of the former leader of LCO.
"To be honest, I don't believe you."
Eiji raised his hand.
Yaze suddenly felt her vision blur.
When she regained her senses, she found herself lying in the Fourth True Ancestor's arms, resting against the hard components of his armor.
Every nerve in her body tensed instantly, a sense of crisis enveloping her entire being.
"Especially since you previously tried to use me."
Eiji extended a finger, his gauntleted hand meticulously tracing the contours of her cheek.
"Then, according to your wishes?"
"Simple. Look at me."
Yaze was momentarily stunned.
What kind of request was this?
She instinctively looked up, meeting the Fourth True Ancestor's gaze.
In that instant, Eiji opened the visor of his helmet.
Suddenly, it was as if a blinding light erupted, shattering Yaze's consciousness into fragments and nailing her soul in place.
A terrible thought flashed through her mind.
Yet she didn't feel it was a bad thing at all.
The moment she thought this, her soul had already completely fallen.
"Any difficulty consolidating LCO within a month?"
Piece by piece, the full-body armor disappeared, transforming into countless particles of magical energy.
Now dressed in ordinary school uniform, Eiji sat in Natsuki's chair, his fingers tracing the shape of Yaze's lips as he smiled and asked.
"No problem, Master!"
Yaze replied with utmost reverence.
For tasks assigned by her Master, even if there were difficulties, she would overcome all obstacles to complete them!
She felt no unease whatsoever about her will being instantly destroyed and transformed—on the contrary, she was ecstatic.
Even if ordered to kneel and bark like a dog right now, she likely wouldn't hesitate in the slightest.
"Don't push yourself too hard. If you fail to complete it, there will be punishment—you'll be forbidden from appearing before me for life. How does that sound?"
"There might be some difficulty!"
Yaze immediately amended her statement with a serious expression.
"Everything else is manageable, but several of LCO's captains are quite capable. Having been absent for ten years, my control might not match theirs."
Give her more time, and she was confident she could subdue the captains.
But doing it within a month was truly a bit difficult.
"Take off your clothes."
At Eiji's command,
Shiradoji Aya said nothing and removed all her clothes, revealing her fair and slender figure.
Hmm, quite substantial blessings, larger than Yuuma's!
With desire as the trigger, the bloodlust instantly surged. Eiji's eyes turned crimson red.
He bared his fangs and pierced the skin of her neck.
While drinking her blood, he also infused his own blood into Aya's body.
"From now on, you are my first blood companion, able to borrow the power from me for your own use. If even with this you cannot succeed, then truly never come to see me again."
"I will not disappoint my master... Mmm~"
The pleasure of being bitten made Aya let out a soft moan.
The honor of being the first companion also filled her with joy.
Eiji's gaze darkened slightly as he retracted his fangs.
With a snap, the vast sanctuary instantly transformed into a spacious bedroom.
He carried Aya to the bed.
A song naturally began to play.