"So you're from the Hero Faction of the Khaos Brigade… I didn't mishear that, right? You were trying to take my adorable pet for research? You do know people say even if you beat a dog, you need to look at who the owner is first. Are you guys… looking to die?"
The sudden voice made Cao Cao tense up, his pupils shrinking in alarm.
At some point, a strange man had appeared beside Mittelt and Kalawarna.
To their shock and delight, Ren used one arm each to lift them both up.
But the moment they saw Kuroka's icy glare, the two of them panicked and quickly pulled their arms away.
They'd been around Ren long enough to understand their place in this household.
Currently, the hierarchy went: Ren on top, followed by Fou, and then Kuroka—who had recently climbed the ranks and was now fighting for the No.2 spot. For some reason, despite being just a small animal, Fou was considered superior to her. Kuroka didn't accept it. "I'm the woman of the house now, how could I lose to a little creature?"
Yet for some reason, despite technically winning her place, Kuroka still lacked confidence when it came to Ren's affections.
Meanwhile, Mittelt and Kalawarna were firmly in the "lower bracket" of the household status chart. They had to follow the lady of the house's lead.
Asia quickly used her Sacred Gear to heal Mittelt and Kalawarna, who had clearly been caught in the crossfire earlier.
"A human, a Nekomata… and a fallen angel?"
Cao Cao glanced at Ren, Kuroneko, and Asia, then let his gaze rest a moment longer on Raynare, who still hovered mid-air. His expression turned pensive—so Kuoh Town wasn't as simple as it appeared.
Still, this human… didn't seem to have any powers. Not like a Sacred Gear user...
Before he could think further, a terrifying pressure locked onto him.
He didn't know why, but right then and there, he felt like he was face to face with a natural predator. His body stiffened in fear.
Not just him—Jeanne, too, suddenly snapped out of her rage. As if drenched in cold water, her body went cold, frozen in place.
That look in Ren's eyes—as if he was looking at a corpse—held an overwhelming sense of threat.
Who was this man?
"No choice… I have to attack! If I don't, I'm going to die here!"
Trembling, Cao Cao muttered to himself.
Jeanne, standing nearby, heard him as well.
The atmosphere grew heavier. Even breathing became difficult.
"Balance Breaker!"
The silence shattered as Cao Cao whispered those words. His holy spear surged with divine energy, flaring with light.
The light formed a circular ring behind his back. Seven orb-sized spheres floated around the circle—each the size of a bowling ball—suspended in midair around him.
At the same time, Jeanne activated her own Balance Breaker.
Several holy swords began to fuse, stacking atop one another until they formed something massive.
—A dragon.
A colossal dragon formed entirely from holy swords.
But what caught Ren's attention was something else: the dragon's holy aura was strangely weak. In fact, dark energy swirled faintly around it, giving it the appearance of a devilish dragon—strange and eerie.
Yet no one but Ren and Raynare noticed.
Only those two possessed the power to perceive such things.
"Raynare sure has some twisted tastes. Did Mittelt and the others awaken that weird side of her? Still… pretty interesting. A 'corruption followed by a betrayal' arc? That could be fun."
Ren stood there as if he hadn't seen the attack coming at all, completely still.
Then—
"Parinayakaratana!"
"Stake Victim Dragoon!"
A massive sphere and a charging holy dragon blasted toward Ren.
In an instant, a thunderous roar shook the heavens.
Raynare grabbed Asia off the ground and flew backward to avoid being caught in the blast.
Kuroka also grabbed the collars of two others, practically strangling them as she dragged them away.
"Almost… got strangled to death..."
Cough cough cough…
Still coughing, the two looked toward Ren in concern.
If their master died, they would be in serious trouble too.
But seeing Kuroka and Raynare still watching like it was a show, they relaxed a little.
Cao Cao and Jeanne stood frozen. After noticing Kuroka and the others watching like spectators, their expressions changed.
At the same time, an overwhelming sense of danger surged in their hearts.
"Retreat—now!"
Just as the words left Cao Cao's mouth, a giant beast-like hand suddenly formed in the air.
It radiated pure killing intent.
—We'll die.
—We'll definitely die!
—No matter how powerful you are, if you're still human, taking that hit head-on means certain death!
—It was a power that felt like a curse!
Fear surged beyond control. Cao Cao pulled Jeanne, trying to escape the range of the hand.
But the beast-like hand came crashing down!
Even from afar, the moment it landed, the sheer force made Kuroka and the others' minds go blank.
It was like that moment of memory had vanished—they couldn't even react.
When they came to, the space in front of them was a blank void—except for Ren.
Kuroka licked her lips, but her face had gone pale.
This was the second time she'd seen Ren in action, and compared to when he subdued the Digimon duo, this time was much more intense.
"Master, those two…"
"They're not dead."
"Eh—?!"
Kuroka was stunned. After all that chaos, they were still alive?
Ren simply shrugged.
"I did it on purpose. I gave them a little time to run when the hand came down."
"You didn't kill them?"
"Do I seem like such a violent person?"
Seeing Kuroka's shocked face, Ren's expression darkened.
Kuroka stayed silent. She just pointed to herself, then to Mittelt and the others.
"That was Raynare's fault. Not mine. You brought it on yourself."
Kuroka: "…"
You summoned me out of nowhere and just said, 'You're my pet now.' Who wouldn't flip out?!
Still, Kuroka thought for a moment and stopped arguing.
Even if she was the lady of the house now, talking back was only going to hurt her.
"So Master, do you have a special plan?"
Kuroka changed the subject.
"They're part of the Khaos Brigade led by Ophis. That group doesn't want to see peace among the three factions. They're basically terrorists. The one you saw today was part of the Hero Faction—humans who are proud of their lineage and want to test the limits of humanity, so they stir up trouble…"
"And? The reason you let them go?"
Kuroka twitched her mouth. This wasn't getting to the point.
"Ophis is in Kuoh Town because of Examon. They're looking for her since they still need her power to act tough. If I'm right, Ophis is already in our store. Fou brought her back."
Ren's expression turned odd here. Maybe Fou really had awakened some bizarre ability.
Next time he needed to find someone, he'd just send Fou. If she couldn't find them, it'd be her problem. He'd make her run around Kuoh Town a hundred times…
"Besides, killing them all at once would be boring. Think about it, Kuroka—those guys barely escaped with their lives and are probably rushing to take Ophis far away from here. But once they find her and realize she's in my shop, won't their faces be hilarious?"
"And they've probably gathered a bunch of restless fools who want to make a name for themselves. If I kill the Hero Faction now, all I'll get are some sacred gears. But if I let them go, they'll come back later—with reinforcements. Free delivery. Wouldn't it be better to wipe them all out at once then?"
Kuroka: "…"
Raynare: "…"
Asia: "…"
Mittelt & Kalawarna: "…"
Their master (our hateful master, Mr. Ren), and he says he's not violent!
Others just kill. He goes for mental and physical torment!
And he totally exposed his real plan: he's waiting for free delivery!