It had to be said that Leon's three peerage members were each more outstanding than the last.
Yukino Yukinoshita went without saying; upon her reincarnation, she had awakened a talent for demonic power no less than that of a pure-blooded devil. Since then, she had been studying and practicing the use of devil power diligently. She could display impressive strength even without a Sacred Gear, and with one, she was capable of contending with High-class Devils. Her potential was truly startling.
While Asuna Yuuki did not possess the same overwhelming magical talent as Yukino, her swordsmanship was personally recognized by Miyamoto Musashi, a member of a Maou's (Serafall) peerage. Now, after only a month or so, she was already able to charge into a horde of monsters and cut them down. Even if her techniques were still somewhat green in places, she could fully be called a competent female swordsman. It was hard to believe she was a girl who, until recently, didn't even know how to hold a blade.
And although Utaha Kasumigaoka had only recently joined Leon's command, Leon had already discovered that this classmate, whom he jokingly called "Senpai," had her own extraordinary qualities.
She lacked Yukino's vast magical reserves and Asuna's innate swordsmanship, yet she possessed a remarkable flair for utilizing her Sacred Gear.
Ever since learning that a power known as a Sacred Gear slumbered within her, Utaha had developed an intense curiosity about it. Consequently, after resolving concerns like her power going out of control and becoming Leon's servant, the first thing she researched wasn't her newly acquired devil power, but her Sacred Gear—"Create World."
Then, in less than two days, Utaha seemingly became able to use "Create World" quite decently, which came as a surprise even to Leon.
Just now, upon being attacked by the ghouls, Utaha was the first to strike. Even amidst her panic, she casually released a barrier she had created. The speed of its creation and deployment was not that of a newly awakened Sacred Gear user, but rather a veteran who had mastered the craft over many years.
Now, as the battle progressed, Utaha's command over her Sacred Gear grew even more proficient, as she began to use "Create World" to arrange the battlefield.
Initially, she only used barriers to block ghoul attacks or to forcibly transfer groups of ghouls into a barrier to bomb them indiscriminately with phantasmal power. Now, however, she was creating several barriers at once, transferring batches of ghouls into separate spaces to isolate them. By dividing their forces, she significantly reduced the pressure on Asuna, who was fighting on the front lines.
She also used barriers to create obstacles, hindering the ghouls' movements. She even went as far as using a barrier to lock down the area where Yukino's ice and snow were raging, compressing the cold into a specific zone to maximize its lethality.
Seeing this, Leon was truly pleasantly surprised.
"Utaha Kasumigaoka... to think this woman is actually a genius when it comes to Sacred Gears. I didn't see that coming."
Recognizing this, Leon realized that her previous fears—that her Sacred Gear would go out of control, leading her to be branded a dangerous element and hunted by various factions—were completely unnecessary.
Judging by the talent she displayed, Leon estimated that even if she hadn't reincarnated as a devil and had remained an ordinary human, she would have eventually awakened her Sacred Gear on her own through some catalyst in the future.
With a little guidance, she would have been fully capable of skillfully wielding her Sacred Gear as a pure human without ever worrying about it spiraling out of control.
One could say that for Utaha, reincarnating into a devil was almost redundant; she could have made a name for her supernaturally gifted self in this world even without it.
"Is it my luck that I managed to make her my peerage member before she fully awakened?"
Leon felt quite a stir of emotion over this discovery, and his surprise was substantial.
This reinforced Leon's belief that these girls, who were the heroines of their respective stories, all possessed hidden talents to some degree.
Thinking of this, Leon's mind drifted to Mahiru Shiina, whom he had temporarily set aside.
Did she also have undiscovered talents that led him to seriously underestimate her?
As a "heroine," surely she wouldn't be a servant with low potential?
While Leon pondered this, Yukino and the other two continued to exert their will, ruthlessly trampling the group of ghouls.
Slash!
A few minutes later, Asuna's sword flashed, severing the waist of the final ghoul and causing it to vanish into ash amidst a wretched howl. Only then did the massacre come to an end.
"I-Is it over?"
Utaha didn't seem to realize what had just happened, nor did she seem aware of how incredible her performance had been, as several more barriers appeared on the field.
"It seems the remaining ghouls have fled."
Yukino spoke while extending her magical perception, standing before a field of ghouls frozen into ice sculptures.
"They certainly have." Leon snapped out of his thoughts and sensed the surroundings. He then said, "There are no more monsters in this area. You can temporarily lower your guard."
Upon hearing this, the girls all let out a collective sigh of relief, relaxing their shoulders.
"Is this what it feels like to fight using supernatural power?" Utaha murmured, looking somewhat dazed at the piles of corpses of the ghouls she had locked in her barriers and unilaterally slaughtered.
The holy sword in Asuna's hand had already dissipated. She herself seemed to be processing the sensation of a sharp weapon cutting into flesh; her expression was vacant, her eyes unfocused.
"...It feels different than fighting that woman." Yukino also silently processed the experience, etching the sensation into her memory.
"This was a very precious experience." Leon did not interrupt the girls' contemplations but spoke matter-of-factly. "Currently, while the three factions—Devils, Angels, and Fallen Angels—no longer engage in large-scale warfare, the individuals within them are still like fire and water. Conflicts are inevitable."
"If you were facing Angels or Fallen Angels, you might not be able to strike as decisively as you did this time to eliminate the enemy."
"In the future, if we are to participate in Rating Games, you will even have to take action against fellow Devils."
"So, remember the feeling of this moment. There will be many battles waiting for you in the future, and then, the enemy won't give you time to reflect."
Leon patted the shoulder of Asuna, who was closest to him, conveying silent encouragement.
"Of course, I'm not asking you to get used to a life of killing. You were originally ordinary human girls, and you should prefer a peaceful life over this. But since you have stepped into the supernatural world, you must be prepared to live with this supernatural identity and power."
"The future is long. When we don't have to strike, we can live a more comfortable life than anyone else."
"But when the time comes to act, we must not hesitate. Combat is not just a means to seek victory or prove strength; it is the reliance used to protect the people, events, and things around us."
Leaving them with those words, Leon no longer disturbed the three girls. He stepped forward on his own and released his magic.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!...
Under the churning of Leon's magic, all the ghouls frozen into ice sculptures shattered into a sky of ice shards. The piles of ghoul corpses on the ground were also instantly evaporated, vanishing without a trace.
The scent of blood lingering in the air was purged, and most of the traces of battle were buried.
This way, monsters in the vicinity shouldn't be attracted to the area.
"Let's go."
Having finished this, Leon turned back and called out to the girls.
Yukino, Asuna, and Utaha all nodded, suppressing the turbulent emotions in their hearts as they followed Leon.
"Eh?"
Suddenly, Leon stopped again, letting out a sound of surprise.
The girls immediately became alert.
"Are more enemies coming?"
Their post-battle reactions were quite intense; like startled birds, one began to emit a chill, one manifested a holy sword in her hand, and the other raised her hand to release a barrier. It was a classic case of "once bitten, twice shy."
"Don't be nervous, it's not an enemy." Leon quickly soothed the girls and pointed in a certain direction. "Look over there."
The girls all looked in the direction Leon was pointing.
A moment later, they froze, and then their eyes lit up one by one.
There, at the edge of the sandy area they were about to leave, a cat had appeared at some unknown time.
It was a tiny kitten, no larger than a palm, looking like a Ragdoll cat, yet its entire body was crystal clear and translucent.
The kitten sat on a patch of frozen ground, its ice-blue eyes incredibly clever. Its tail swished back and forth as it quietly watched them.
"Where did this cat come from?"
"So cute..."
Utaha and Asuna's attention was completely captivated by the translucent kitten, their previous complex emotions thrown to the back of their minds.
"...What is that? Is it a monster too?" Yukino stared intently at the kitten, asking Leon without turning her head.
"That should be an Ice Spirit, a relatively rare kind of sprite." Leon looked the creature up and down to confirm he hadn't misidentified it before saying, "It can be considered a monster, but because it's a sprite, it doesn't actually belong to the category of demonic creatures. Though it looks like a cat, it only looks that way; essentially, it isn't one."
"It was likely attracted by the cold air here. Sprites have a habit of being drawn to their own element. Ice Spirits naturally like low-temperature environments and things. It's not strange for it to appear here."
Hearing this, everyone turned to look at Yukino.
Yukino, however, did not look at them. She remained fixated on the cat, her eyes filled with a brilliance they had never seen before.
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