Takeyo teleported to Koneko's side the moment Kuroka's hostile aura flared. The spatial shift was so seamless that Koneko didn't even register his movement until she felt the ground disappear beneath her feet.
"Huh?" Koneko's hazel eyes widened in genuine surprise as she found herself lifted effortlessly into the air. "Wait... Senpai picked me up?"
A delicate blush colored her cheeks as she processed what had happened. She took a slow, steadying breath, forcing herself to remain calm despite the unexpected princess carry.
But just as she managed to compose herself, the scenery around them changed completely. Her heartbeat quickened again as she realized they'd traveled instantaneously to an empty clearing far from his apartment.
"Senpai? How did we, ?" Koneko began, her vertical pupils contracting as she took in their new surroundings.
"Sorry about the sudden relocation, Koneko," Takeyo said with an apologetic smile. "But I don't know how to repair houses, and I'd rather not have to find a new place to live. Fighting your sister in my apartment seemed... unwise."
His reasoning was sound. Since Bikou had accompanied Kuroka, the monkey youkai could undoubtedly track their location through various means, sensing their aura, following magical signatures, or simply searching the immediate area. An open clearing was the better battlefield.
"Senpai..." Koneko's shy expression shifted, replaced by wariness and calculation. "You're not an ordinary human, are you? How did you manage to take hair from both my sister's tail and ears without her noticing? Even Rias-buchou, who's a High-Class Devil, couldn't accomplish something like that."
Her mind raced through the possibilities. If her older sister, a master of Senjutsu and Youjutsu, hadn't detected Takeyo's actions, then his abilities far exceeded what she'd initially assumed.
"Could it be..." Koneko's voice dropped to barely a whisper. "Are you at the Maou-class level?"
The implications stunned her. A Maou-class being had been attending Kuoh Academy all this time? Taking first place in every exam? Acting as a normal student while possessing strength that rivaled the Four Great Satans themselves?
The world suddenly felt far stranger than she'd thought... though, admittedly, it was already a world filled with gods, devils, and dragons. Perhaps one more impossibility shouldn't surprise her.
Hearing Koneko's speculation, Takeyo couldn't help but chuckle. If he truly possessed Maou-class strength, he would have pinned Kuroka to the ground and spanked her for causing trouble. Then he'd confiscate Bikou's Ruyi Jingu Bang and wait for the old monkey himself to come asking for it back.
"It's just that my abilities are rather unique," Takeyo explained honestly. "You could think of it as an awakened heroic bloodline. My actual combat strength is roughly the same as yours."
He wasn't lying. Without drawing on his incarnations, he possessed the physical capabilities of a Middle Class devil, approximately the same level as Koneko in her base form without utilizing her Nekomata powers.
Of course, when he employed his incarnations' abilities without overdrawing his body's capacity, he could fight at that same level indefinitely. The power of Vamana the Dwarf, for instance, allowed him to traverse space effortlessly. No barrier, seal, or dimensional boundary could impede the incarnation that had crossed the three realms in merely three steps.
In the ancient Hindu myth, when the demon king Bali conquered the three worlds, Vishnu manifested as a humble dwarf and asked for land measuring three paces. The arrogant demon agreed, not realizing the dwarf would return to his cosmic form and measure the universe itself, heaven in one step, earth in the second, and hell reserved for the demon himself.
"A hero's bloodline?" Koneko asked, genuine curiosity breaking through her usual stoic demeanor.
"That's right."
Takeyo had already decided on his public persona. Revealing partial truths while concealing the full extent of his powers seemed the wisest course.
"Which hero, Senpai?" Koneko pressed, her cat-like curiosity fully engaged now.
"A particular hero with... specialized abilities. I'll tell you more about it another time," Takeyo said with an enigmatic smile.
He knew that telling Koneko was essentially the same as telling Rias. The information would inevitably reach the Occult Research Club President, which was fine. Some level of transparency would be necessary for maintaining his cover at the academy.
"Okay..." Koneko accepted his deflection, though her expression showed mild disappointment.
"Senpai," she said hesitantly, shifting in his arms. "Could you put me down now?"
"Actually, I'm going to need you to hold onto me instead," Takeyo said, gently lowering her to the ground before turning his back to her. "I won't be able to fight properly while carrying you. So... climb on."
The meaning was clear, he wanted her to cling to his back while he handled the confrontation.
"..." Koneko stared at him silently for several long seconds, her golden eyes searching his face.
"Alright," she finally agreed, moving forward and climbing onto his back.
She felt her face burning, all the blood in her body seemingly rushing to her cheeks. If anyone touched her face right now, it would probably feel like touching a furnace.
But she wasn't an unreasonable person. If Takeyo truly didn't possess overwhelming strength, her stubbornness would only push him toward disaster. Her sister might spare her own life, but Takeyo would receive no such mercy.
"By the way," Takeyo commented casually as Koneko settled against his back, "since your sister is a cat demon, that means you're one too, right?"
He immediately sensed the change as Koneko's weakened state, caused by Kuroka's poison mist, made maintaining her human disguise impossible. The ears and twin tails she'd kept hidden for so long materialized without her conscious control.
And he... had just accidentally touched them.
"Nya?!" Koneko's breath hitched, a small sound escaping her lips. "S-Senpai?"
Even though her sister's specialized poison wouldn't kill a devil, it reduced them to their weakest, most vulnerable state, unable even to maintain basic glamours or transformations.
Takeyo caught a faint scent in the air, something like orchids mixed with musk, subtle but distinctly present.
"Oh, sorry," Takeyo said smoothly, his excuse perfectly calibrated. "You seemed a bit unstable, so I was just making sure you were secure."
The explanation was reasonable enough. Since Koneko lacked the strength to hold on properly, his steadying touch seemed purely practical.
Takeyo had tested something earlier with the cat girl costume, when he'd touched the fake tail attached to the outfit, the system hadn't registered completion of the sign-in task. That confirmed it had to be Koneko's actual Nekomata tail.
Now, having touched her real cat tail, the system finally responded.
[Ding!]
[Silver-rank sign-in successful!]
[Sign-in location: Koneko's tail.]
[Congratulations to the host for receiving reward, Demon Slayer Sacred Sword: Terminus Est (Incomplete)!]
[The highest-ranking sword spirit. Full name, "Terminus Est." The legendary holy sword used to kill the Demon King.]
[Note: This is not the original body but an independent clone branched from the main form. Since the true body and most of its power remain in the elemental spirit world, this version possesses approximately one-tenth of the original's strength.]
[Additional Note: As a holy sword, it possesses the power to dispel curses. However, its true nature involves storing the resentment and grudges of the spirits destroyed by the holy sword. When accumulated curses exceed the storage limit, they begin to backlash against the contractor's body, potentially causing death. This system-granted holy sword has no such drawbacks.]
"Not bad at all," Takeyo mused internally. "Even at one-tenth strength and with my current limited spiritual power, this is still an exceptionally powerful holy sword."
If he weren't currently carrying Koneko on his back, he would have immediately materialized the legendary demon-slaying blade to examine it properly. The thought of wielding a weapon that once killed a Demon King was undeniably appealing.
"She's coming!" Koneko whispered urgently against his back.
She'd sensed her sister's approach, Kuroka wasn't bothering to hide her overwhelming presence at all. The suffocating aura announced her arrival like a predator making its territory known.
"I know," Takeyo replied calmly, his hand moving to rest gently on Koneko's head in a reassuring gesture.
He could tell that Koneko's condition wasn't good. The poison was still affecting her system, leaving her vulnerable and frightened in a way she'd never admit aloud.
"My, my, my~~" Kuroka's sultry voice drifted across the clearing as she emerged from the shadows, her distinctive cat-walk making each step look deliberately seductive. "Taking someone else's little sister and running away without asking permission from her big sister, nya? That's quite rude, handsome boy."
Her hazel-gold eyes gleamed with dangerous amusement as she studied them.
"Sorry," Takeyo said with a bright, disarming smile. "But your sister? I'm keeping her."
The declaration was simple, direct, and deliberately provocative.
"How shameless, nya!" Kuroka's playful expression vanished instantly, replaced by cold fury.
Countless magic circles erupted into existence behind her, dozens upon dozens of complex spell formations, each radiating lethal intent. The sheer density of magical power made the air itself feel heavy and oppressive.
Takeyo's words had struck a nerve, reminding Kuroka of the devil who'd once taken her and Koneko in as orphans, only to plan horrific experiments on her little sister. The memory made her blood boil with protective rage.
If this human thought he could claim Koneko for some sinister purpose, he would learn exactly what an SS-Class Stray Devil could do.
"I think you might have misunderstood something," Takeyo said evenly, his tone shifting from playful to serious.
Behind him, the presence of a legendary warrior began to manifest, a heroic figure clad in magnificent armor, radiating divine authority and martial prowess. The incarnation melted seamlessly into Takeyo's body, flooding his limbs with supernatural power.
[Seventh Incarnation: Rama!]