"Your Maje—"
Vatler struggled to his feet, his will to fight gradually fading.
He knew this was a battlefield far beyond his level.
"Get back." A short-haired man casually tossed Vatler aside. "It's the ancestor's time to shine now."
His movements were effortless, completely lacking the demeanor of someone of high status.
"My name is Ki, Ki Juranbarada."
Ki grinned as a low rumble filled the air around them, fierce magical energy surging from the man.
"I am the ruler of the Warlord's Empire."
The ruler of the Warlord's Empire... so this was the First Primogenitor.
Ki Juranbarada—the 'Lost Warlord' who commanded seventy-two familiars.
Brunestud lightly lowered her gaze, the long sword beside her stirring as if moved by an unfelt wind.
"I have no name. You may address me as Princess."
"Very well."
Their voices echoed under the night sky, carrying into the distance.
Then, countless lights ignited, illuminating the darkness.
The clamor of approaching footsteps from afar signaled that the Warlord's Empire's military had noticed the disturbance and was mobilizing.
"Stay back!"
The rebuke came from Ki's lips, and simultaneously, something slumbering within his blood began to awaken.
Magical energy converged from all directions, and menacing forms began to materialize around him.
So these were the Beast Vassals?
Brunestud cast a fleeting glance over them, a gentle breeze beginning to swirl around her.
The next instant, a violent gust of wind tore Ki from the ground.
When did she—?!
A look of utter shock flashed across his face.
The wind howled, usually gentle air now sharp as blades, slicing into Ki's skin.
He hadn't detected any sign of a familiar being summoned.
Ki's expression grew grave. It was nearly impossible for a vampire to summon a familiar without him noticing.
A stealth-type familiar, perhaps?
He twisted his body forcefully, planting his feet firmly in the empty air, which let out a silent scream beneath them.
His eyes darted back to where the girl had been standing on the ground.
Then I'll just use a large-area—
But his eyes found only empty ground.
Before he could process this, an intense surge of magical energy erupted behind him. He whirled around just in time to see a flash of silvery light from a sword's edge.
Brunestud had appeared behind him as if from nowhere, her blade cleanly slicing through his neck. Blood rained down from the sky.
She glanced down at the soft sensation under her foot and gave a light tap.
The invisible, air-like familiar shattered explosively, and Brunestud drifted gently back to the ground.
Tap.
The clear sound of her heel meeting the ground coincided with the hiss of serpents rising around her.
Familiars lying in ambush underground?
Brunestud's eyebrow quirked slightly, and she vanished from the spot once more.
A colossal serpent, as if capable of swallowing the world, erupted from the earth, its two massive fangs glinting coldly under the moonlight.
In the distance, Ki nonchalantly repositioned his head onto his neck, magical energy already coalescing around him again.
He called forth familiar after familiar from his blood.
A myriad of monstrous forms revealed themselves under the moon's gaze.
Blazing fire intertwined with crackling lightning; biting frost clashed with howling gales.
As if the apocalypse itself had descended, natural disasters manifested before Brunestud.
The First Primogenitor, with his seventy-two familiars...
"Rather amusing."
The girl's offhand, casual tone sent a shiver of foreboding down Ki's spine.
Tap.
The sound of a heel touching down rang out again, this time from a different direction.
Again?
Ki turned his head silently, but this time, it wasn't him that was torn asunder.
It was the earth.
The ground suddenly split open with a long, narrow fissure.
Again, no familiar was visible. She hadn't even used her sword.
From the fissure, crimson magma surged forth like a tidal wave.
In the sky, a fierce wind swept through like a wild beast.
The world-swallowing serpent was scorched by the magma; the storm-calling beast was torn apart by the hurricane.
She wasn't using familiars at all in this fight. Just where did this Primogenitor come from?
Watching the girl who seemed to reshape the world itself, Ki gave a slight, disbelieving shake of his head.
Her skirt danced in the moonlight, her golden hair flowing in the night breeze.
The Noble Princess raised her arm slightly, a brilliant golden light blossoming in her hand.
The crisp clinking of chains echoed through the night air as they shot towards Ki, entwined with the golden radiance.
Those chains... I must not be caught by them!
Instinct screamed a warning; his very blood ran cold.
Ki's pupils contracted sharply, and his body instantly shot backward.
But the chains seemed to transcend space, arriving before him in the blink of an eye.
Yet, just before they could make contact—
With a whoosh, Ki suddenly dissolved into a cloud of mist.
Particle Form?
Brunestud raised an eyebrow slightly, the magical energy around her vibrating in response.
Behind her, a towering pillar of ice erupted instantly, freezing the ambushing familiar solid.
The familiar of the First Primogenitor was powerless to break free from the seemingly fragile, transparent ice.
A slight movement of her sword, and both the ice pillar and the familiar within were shattered.
Her eyes followed Ki's mist-like form as it fled into the distance. Her long sword flew back into her hand.
The girl gripped her sword, her crimson eyes fixed on the mist rich with magical energy.
And then, she gave a gentle swing.
All movement ceased. Space and time seemed to congeal.
It was as if both time and space itself had been severed. The familiars vanished instantly from the Princess's sight.
Even Ki, in his mist form, was torn apart.
Flesh scattered. Limbs flew.
Feeling his familiars forcibly return to his blood, a stunned smile spread across his reforming face.
These unruly beings he could never fully control... seemed... to have been beaten into submission.
His shock quickly morphed into awe. "What a terrifying existence."
He laughed, and a hazy figure began to take shape behind him.
The shadowy form was bestial, under the moon, it took on the clear outline of a wolf.
A starving wolf that would not be satisfied until it had devoured even death itself, consuming every last trace of the deceased.
The defiler of the sky with blood, the devourer of sun and moon.
The First Primogenitor, Ki Juranbarada's first familiar — Parhelion.
"A fine performance, as a diversion."
Brunestud watched as Parhelion opened its massive maw, and gently spread her own hands.
Endless chains shot forth, binding the colossal wolf and the very world around it in a tight grip.
Snap.
The moonlight intensified, as if something had overwritten this pocket of space.
A blue garden flashed through the world—a realm even 'death' itself could not invade.
The howl of the wolf lasted but a moment before everything before her was utterly erased.
The night gradually returned to tranquility.
Brunestud walked slowly towards the regenerating Ki, like a serene maiden taking a stroll under the moonlight.
Her timing was perfect.
Ki Juranbarada. The First Primogenitor. Ruler of the Warlord's Empire. Suzerain of Europe.
Also, the main driving force behind the 'Holy Ground Treaty' which maintained the balance and coexistence between humans and demonkind.
It wouldn't do if the 'Holy Ground Treaty' hadn't been signed yet.
She watched as Ki's head slowly reformed and spoke softly, "Has the Holy Ground Treaty been signed?"
"...It has."
The treaty had long been signed, yet this Primogenitor seemed unaware of it.
Just where did she appear from...?
Ki clicked his tongue briefly and lay on the ground. "Aren't you going to kill me?"
Brunestud cast him a bland glance. Kill him?
Killing him would likely throw the world into chaos and disrupt her travels.
"Unnecessary. A bit of environmental damage is one thing, but it should be kept within limits."
"Is that so."
Ki sprang up from the ground, brushing off the familiar he'd used as cover.
Acting as if nothing had happened, he looked at Brunestud and waved a hand, signaling the assembled Warlord's Army in the distance to stand down.
"I apologize for my rudeness tonight."
As if the entire battle had been a mere trifle, Ki lowered his head slightly. When he raised it again, the noble figure was gone.
Vatler, too, remained bowing in the distance, not raising his head for a long time.
His heart pounded violently, his pulse racing.
Arteries and veins alike felt like they were boiling.
He knew what his current reaction signified.
Just moments ago, he had already...
Become utterly enthralled by that power.
--+--
In a city far away, Brunestud walked quietly along the deserted streets.
She gently touched the necklace at her throat, and the mercury within writhed in response to her magical energy.
A few seconds later, another set of footsteps joined hers on the street. A maid with silver hair and amethyst eyes fell into step behind the Princess.
Brunestud glanced at the shops lining the street, her steps light.
This was the Warlord's Empire, meaning she was currently in Europe.
It seemed quite far from Itogami Island.
But... if she remembered correctly, Itogami Island was built upon a leyline.
An interesting idea began to form in her mind.
Just then, a faint ripple of magical energy interrupted her thoughts.
Looking up, her gaze settled on a building not far away.
A black-haired girl was seated by the window, writing something.
--+--
T/N: Having to do updates on an odd number makes me feel weird so ima just do 3 chaps today to make it even but today is an exception
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.