"Boss, are we really going to kidnap Aiba Asagi?" – one of Gardos' subordinates asked as he sat in the back seat of the luxury car, clutching the edge of the seat tightly, his eyes darting between the road ahead and the sunlit side window. He then added in a low voice:
"She's the Fourth Primogenitor's Blood Servant… I don't think it's wise to mess with that man."
Gardos stared at his subordinate for a moment, silent as if weighing every word before replying. His face suddenly twisted with rage, his eyes sparking with fury. "Shut up!" – he roared, his sharp voice filling the cabin – "Have you turned into a coward now?!"
He gripped the steering wheel tightly as the car sped down the highway, the engine's roar turning into a low, oppressive hum. He added in a firm tone: "From the beginning, our goal has been clear! Our target is to oppose the First Primogenitor, the strongest among the Primogenitors at present. As for the Fourth… he is incomplete, weak, and incapable of doing anything significant."
Gardos cast a quick glance at his followers in the back, some clenching their fists tightly, others struggling to suppress their fear, before continuing: "Before our weapon, Nalakuvera – a weapon forged by the gods themselves that once destroyed civilizations – nothing is impossible. With this weapon, we can stand against the Fourth Primogenitor and even the First. Before the might of Nalakuvera, the power of the Primogenitors is nothing. No matter the risks, obtaining Aiba Asagi is the highest priority… for with her help, we will gain the strength to kill the Primogenitors."
"If you understand, then prepare yourselves, for we have arrived at Saikai Academy." – Gardos ended his fervent, fanatical words with a confident smile as he gazed at the academy ahead. With Asagi in his grasp, he would gain control over Nalakuvera, and with Nalakuvera under his command, he would hold the power to rule the entire world.
Hearing Gardos' words, the driver did not hesitate, turning the wheel to enter the academy grounds. Their long-awaited ambition was finally right before them; all they had to do now was seize the key—Asagi.
On the academy rooftop.
"Looks like the furball has arrived," Kojou sneered as he stared at the silver truck carrying Gardos and his men.
"Be careful, Kojou," Asagi said anxiously, clutching the edge of his clothes.
"No need to worry. They can't do anything to me. Besides, Natsuki-chan has already isolated the school and the surroundings, so no one will sense or know what's happening here." – Kojou smiled lightly, patting Asagi on the head.
"Don't call your teacher chan," Natsuki said with a playful frown, waving her folding fan and tapping Kojou lightly on the forehead.
"Ouch! I know, Natsuki-chan," Kojou feigned a pained expression that was clearly fake, smiling faintly as he waved at Natsuki before leaping off the academy rooftop with ease.
The academy stood four stories high – a fall that would kill any ordinary person, or at least leave them gravely injured. But Kojou was anything but ordinary. Hands still in his pockets, he cut through the rushing wind that whipped his hair back stylishly.
He landed on the ground with breathtaking lightness, dust scattering around him from the force of impact, yet his feet didn't budge an inch – as if he had only stepped off a small stair. He raised his head toward the silver truck that had stopped at the gate, his features calm but his eyes glimmering with a cold light.
The rear doors of the truck creaked open, and Gardos stepped out with confident strides, flanked by armed subordinates clutching their guns.
"Oh~ I didn't expect the Fourth Primogenitor himself to come out and greet us," Gardos smiled faintly, his tone courteous but dripping with mockery and contempt.
Kojou smirked, pulling his hand slowly from his pocket and extending it toward Gardos as though welcoming him into his own home.
"Greet you? Don't get the wrong idea… I only came down to take out the trash."
Gardos' subordinates stiffened at the insult, some raising their weapons nervously, but Gardos raised his hand to stop them, chuckling softly – a laugh laced with suppressed anger.
"I see, so the Fourth is a diligent student who even takes care of the trash himself. In that case, allow this old man to help you as well… since I see some trash standing right in front of me that needs cleaning."
"Oh~ this is the first time I've seen a furball that knows how to hurl insults. But unfortunately, no matter how hard you try to look frightening, in the end you're nothing more than a beast easily lured by the scent of meat given to you."
Gardos' expression hardened at Kojou's words, one of his subordinates trembling with rage as he shouted:
"How dare you speak to the Boss like that, you bastard?!"
But Gardos raised his hand once more to silence him, a cold smile spreading across his lips.
"Your mouth knows nothing but mockery… yet behind that arrogant tone, I see nothing but a boy afraid of losing his toy." – Then he pointed his finger directly at the academy rooftop where Asagi stood – "The key… that girl. Hand her over, and I'll let you live another night."
Kojou let out a short laugh, his eyes gleaming faintly with golden light.
"Another night?… You're really confident, furball. But believe me… the last thing you'll see tonight is a vampire's fangs tearing into your throat."
The air between them grew heavy, as if the sky itself held its breath. One of Gardos' men couldn't endure the tension any longer, pulling the trigger and unleashing a hail of bullets toward Kojou.
Kojou didn't move, his gaze fixed on Gardos and his men with indifference, as a hexagonal diamond-like shield appeared before him—Mesarthim-Adamas reacting on its own to protect its master, even though ordinary bullets could never harm him.
The shield wasn't just for defense. The instant the bullets struck it, they were suddenly reflected back with even greater momentum, shooting straight toward Gardos and his group.
The ricocheting rounds cracked through the air like lightning, whistling sharply as they tore forward with doubled speed. The front line of Gardos' men staggered, some collapsing with screams as blood burst from their arms and legs.
"How was that? Did you enjoy my welcome?"
Kojou hummed a playful tune as he gazed coldly at Gardos and his subordinates.
"You'll all die here, slowly and painfully. So I suggest you start preparing your people to activate Nalakuvera." – Kojou spoke with indifference, his hand glowing with a red-and-black light – the power of destruction, though slightly different. – "Degzegd!"
The hundred years he had spent in the Time Room with Anos had not been limited to mastering the Source of Destruction. Anos had taught him everything he knew about magic and his other powers. Since Anos' strength itself stemmed from the Source of Destruction, all his techniques drew upon it—thus Kojou was able to learn them as well.
As for Degzegd, it was a spell Anos had taught him: A spell that causes dark snake-like marks to appear on the target's body which bare their fangs and curse the target's magic power to run amok. This causes their body to decay gradually, ultimately leading to their death.
It was a kind of curse—one that inflicted agonizing pain upon both body and soul, killing its victim slowly as flesh and spirit alike rotted away. And if he wished, Kojou could even destroy Gardos' Source with this simple incantation… which was exactly what he intended to do.
...
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