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FWOOOSH—!!
As soon as Fiya drank the Beast God's blood, an explosive surge of energy burst from her body. Her once-blue hair turned blood red, and strange red markings appeared all over her skin—she had fully entered "blood frenzy" mode.
Watching her aura grow more and more intense, Riku gave Jibril a quick look.
Jibril caught on instantly and jumped into action, casting a barrier around Fiya to contain the chaos.
If they didn't, the whole house would probably be reduced to rubble.
As time passed, Fiya's power just kept increasing—so much that even a Flügel like Jibril was outclassed.
Eventually, though, her power stopped rising and began stabilizing, like her body was undergoing a transformation.
Seeing this, Jibril looked utterly amazed. She could hardly believe a beastkin could reach this kind of power.
But with Riku's help, Fiya had completely shattered the limits that beastkin were thought to be stuck in.
"As expected of Master…" Jibril whispered, stealing a glance at Riku beside her.
On the other side, Zhu Bi's eyes sparkled—not with envy, but determination. She had made up her mind to become the full representative of the Machine Race.
As for Shenhong... she fell into complete silence. Watching Fiya transform like that stirred something deep in her chest—a strong sense of longing.
Maybe… if I'd just had a better attitude back then, I could've made it into his heart without all the baggage…
Shinku sighed silently. Her pride had ruined everything back then.
High up in the sky, Shinku stared in surprise at the house where Riku was. She was shocked that a beastman could reach this level of power—but once she remembered Riku was inside, the surprise faded and turned into curiosity instead.
"Looks like this is gonna take a while." Watching the changes in Hatsuse Fia closely, Riku shook his head. This was the process of slowly upgrading her bloodline—it wasn't fast. Judging by the looks of it, it would take a few days for her to fully absorb the transformation.
So yeah, any hope of testing out new positions with Fia tonight was out the window. Not that Riku was too worried. Knowing Fia's personality, once she says something, she never backs out.
"Riku, I need to talk to you about something." Suddenly, Schwi spoke up.
"Hm? What is it?" Riku blinked, a little surprised. This was the first time Schwi had ever come to him to talk something over.
"I want to leave for a while," she said after a pause, face full of determination.
"Why?" Riku frowned slightly, suddenly serious.
"I want to go back to the Ex-Machina and become a full representative," Schwi said, meeting his gaze. "That way, I can really help you."
"..." Riku felt something stir in his heart. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. Schwi's expression was too firm—completely unlike her old self, which was always cold and emotionless.
"I know you want me by your side," she said again, gently. "But I want to get stronger too. I don't want to keep relying on you for everything."
"…Alright. But don't do anything reckless. If you run into trouble, you have to tell me," he said at last, placing a hand on her head.
"Yeah. I will." Schwi gave a soft, human-like smile and nodded firmly.
"Well then, I'm off." With that, she vanished using her spatial abilities.
"Master… Schwi's really an Ex-Machina?" Jibril couldn't help but ask at last.
Ex-Machina were supposed to be overpowered, sure, but passive. As long as you didn't provoke them, they wouldn't act. They operated as a networked hive, without individual will.
But everything Schwi had done so far completely overturned that idea. And now… even more so.
"Of course she's Ex-Machina," Riku replied softly, gazing up at the sky. "But Schwi's already got a complete heart."
"A heart, huh…" Jibril looked thoughtful.
"…Anyway, I'm gonna go take a bath," Riku said, shaking his head as he stood. Fia was still transforming. Schwi had left to help him. Things were suddenly way too quiet again.
"Master, allow me to serve you," Shinku suddenly offered respectfully.
"…Huh? Uh, sure." Riku gave her a weird look. He honestly didn't have much of a reaction to Shinku. Mainly because she never acted like a maid. Still, he didn't think too hard about it and just nodded casually.
"Oh my~" Jibril also glanced strangely at Shinku. Since when did this arrogant elf become so obedient? Had Master finally tamed her?
The two of them left and headed toward the hot spring. Along the way, Shinku looked conflicted.
This time, she was actually being pretty responsible. Though she was clumsy at it, she did a decent job helping Riku wash his back and all that.
Once they were cleaned up, the two of them sank into the hot spring.
Shinku noticed Riku wasn't even looking at her—just sitting there with his eyes closed, lost in thought. She felt a bit... bummed.
I mean, she wasn't worse-looking than the other girls, and her curves were great. Why was he ignoring her like this? Was she really that unattractive?
But then she froze. Wait—was she really craving his attention like that? Wanting to be special to him…?
"Master, I have a favor to ask," she said after a moment, taking a deep breath and speaking with respect.
"Hm? What is it?" Riku cracked one eye open, his voice calm.
"I want to return to lead the elfkin," she said nervously. "Right now, the elfkin are basically useless for the upcoming war with the God of War. But if I can create a few more Void Zero Blessings, it would make a real difference. Thing is, without me guiding the process, they can't be created."
"…Fine," Riku glanced at her and nodded slowly.
"Thank you for trusting me, Master," she said, first stunned, then bowing happily.
"When do you plan to leave?" Riku asked.
"The day after tomorrow," she said nervously.
Then, her face turned slightly red. In a low voice, she added, "Because… I want to serve Master properly before I go."
"…!" That finally got Riku's full attention. Since when had this proud elf become so self-aware? She'd even considered the physical difference between them.
Given their differences in strength, if they really did that tonight—especially with it being her first time—Shinku probably wouldn't even be able to get out of bed tomorrow, even with healing magic. That's why she planned to leave the day after—to give herself a day to recover.
Riku figured it out instantly.
"…Alright." At this point, how could he say no? Especially with Schwi gone and Fia still in transformation—it's not like he had anything else to do.
"Thank you, Master…" Shinku whispered, moving closer and resting her body against Riku's shoulder. "It's my first time… please be gentle."
Riku smirked slightly… then made his move.
The hot spring rippled wildly. Moans echoed through the steam. A different kind of melody played out, full of emotion and heat.
"....."