Prison Barrier
From the outside, it looked like a massive dark castle, the kind that would be home to a Demon Lord. Yet on the inside, it was simply an empty, circular hall, with nothing but an ornate chair in the center.
Upon realizing she had managed to pull the Prison Barrier into this world, Yuuma did not hesitate. She rushed inside, an urgent feeling swelling in her chest with every passing second. She was worried that Kojou might regain his body at any moment.
Even with all her power, it would be impossible to maintain the distortion of both her space and his once he tried to reclaim his body.
Yuuma's footsteps quickened over the smooth floor of the hall, leaving behind only faint echoes in the vast emptiness. Heavy black pillars, as dark as night, encircled the lavish seat at the center, and every shadow seemed to pulse with awareness—as though the walls themselves were watching her.
"No time to hesitate..." she whispered, her hand clutching her chest as her heart pounded wildly.
"Just a little more... and I'll be free..." she muttered, feeling that her freedom from the program her mother had bound her to since birth was finally within reach.
She soon arrived at the main open chamber, unaffected by the darkness within—only to freeze at the sight of the one seated upon the throne-like chair.
It wasn't because she saw Natsuki. She had expected that—after all, the Prison Barrier lay within Natsuki's dream, and this place was merely an entrance to that dream or alternate world.
What shocked her was that Natsuki wasn't alone. Someone else was seated on the small throne, gently stroking the sleeping Natsuki's head.
"Kojou…" Yuuma murmured, biting her lip in worry. Kojou, now inhabiting her body, sat on Natsuki's throne with her in his lap, caressing her head tenderly.
"Yo, you're a bit late," Kojou smiled, greeting Yuuma—with her own body—who looked both flustered and bitter.
"So, you were planning to stop me from the start…" she said bitterly in resignation. "Then why did you let me go this far…?"
"You seemed determined to free your mother, and even went so far as to steal my body in the process…" Kojou scratched his cheek awkwardly. "I didn't want to ruin it for you."
"Then why stand in my way now—when I'm so close to freedom!?" Yuuma roared, unable to contain her emotions. "All that's left… is to kill the Witch of the Void, and I'll finally be free!"
Kojou stayed silent, letting the girl vent every ounce of her anguish on him. It was clear how much she had suffered, born only for the sake of breaking her mother's seal.
"Say something!" Yuuma cried out in sorrow when her fury finally spent itself.
"Well… feel any better now?" Kojou asked softly, patting Natsuki's head. She suddenly opened her eyes, rising from his lap, and cast Yuuma a sympathetic look.
"..." Yuuma said nothing, her expression one of frustration and disappointment.
"Don't worry. I'll release your mother from the Prison Barrier myself," Kojou smiled as he approached the exhausted girl. "If you had just told me, I would have done it for you. But since you insisted on handling everything yourself, I figured I'd just help from the shadows."
"..."
Yuuma fell silent, her suspicions confirmed. Why else would the Meyer Sisters and Vatler cooperate so willingly? Why hadn't the Island Guard interfered? And most of all—why didn't Kojou simply reclaim his body immediately?
"Then why stop me now, when I was about to finish everything?" she whispered, no anger in her voice—just confusion and curiosity.
"The one unforgivable part of your plan wasn't stealing my body, nor killing others, but…" Kojou said sternly, with obvious displeasure, "the fact that you decided to free your mother by killing Natsuki. Even if you're my childhood friend, I won't allow that."
To Kojou, Natsuki wasn't just someone who had taken care of him ever since he'd become the Fourth Primogenitor—hiding his identity and guiding him. She was someone dear to him. There was no way he could overlook a plan that put her in danger.
A few wounds were acceptable—but harming Natsuki was completely forbidden.
"I see… I underestimated the place the Witch of the Void holds in your heart," Yuuma chuckled bitterly, feeling as though the world itself had abandoned her.
Buzz!
Suddenly, the spatial distortion was dispelled. Kojou severed their connected spaces and returned to his body.
"But don't worry. I'll help you untangle the knots in your heart," Kojou said confidently as he picked up the defeated Yuuma in his arms and walked toward Natsuki. He set Yuuma down on the small throne—she must have been exhausted from distorting space for so long.
"Ready, Natsuki-chan?" he asked, walking toward the petite woman who only reached his chest—he was nearly two heads taller.
"Mm," she nodded, cheeks tinted a lovely shade of pink.
Kojou's eyes shifted to a deep crimson, his fangs lengthening. His skin turned a grayish hue, almost corpse-like, and his ears sharpened—he had merged with the power of a Beast Vassal.
He wrapped his arms gently around Natsuki, inhaling her scent with hungry anticipation, but didn't bite her just yet—something unexpected happened first.
Natsuki's body began to grow. In a matter of seconds, she transformed from a girl who looked like a middle schooler into a mature woman in her mid-twenties.
Naturally, she was now completely naked—her clothes unable to withstand the sudden growth.
At the breathtaking sight before him, Kojou finally lost control, sinking his fangs into Natsuki's delicate neck, drinking her blood feverishly.
As for Natsuki's sudden maturation—it was due to Kojou's use of Sadalmelik-Albus. Though known for returning anything to its original state or nothingness, the result depended on Kojou's desire. This time, he wished to restore Natsuki's body to what it should be at her true age, unaffected by a decade spent in the Prison Barrier.
And so it was—her body, frozen for ten long years, had finally caught up to its rightful form.
...
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