[After more than two months of training, your mana now far exceeds that of an ordinary magus. Yet faced with this giant Beast before you, you still feel an instinctive sense of oppression.]
[Because she is a Beast—the "other half" of the Beast of Pleasure. Unlike the Light Koyanskaya, Dark Koyanskaya is filled with innate hostility toward you, a human.]
[Even in the face of the crushing pressure and hostility unleashed by such a powerful Beast, you remain unmoved, staring steadily at the creature before you—this embodiment of "Darkness," brimming with hatred for humankind.]
[Your attitude doesn't strike Dark Koyanskaya as patience—it looks like provocation. And you've successfully provoked her.]
Dark Koyanskaya's hideous beastly eyes scrutinized the youth from head to toe.
Then, her massive body slowly began to shrink. A bewitching pink radiance shone from her form, and in the blink of an eye she transformed into a figure of unparalleled, savage elegance.
Immediately afterward, an awe-inspiring, terrifying will flooded the entire area.
Different from the Light Koyanskaya, her first impression was far more primordial and feral. She stared into Izaya's beautiful eyes—not with curiosity or playfulness, but with the cold predator's gaze of one who is looking at prey.
A Beast of Pleasures…
To be exact, she wasn't a Beast that "played with humans"—she was a Beast that punished humans.
As the true body of the Beast of Pleasures appeared, a faint sadness filled the air.
It was the silent curse of the animals that had been oppressed, slaughtered, and abandoned by humans for tens of thousands of years.
When Izaya first met Light Koyanskaya, his first reaction had been to be captivated by her beauty and charm. But facing this opposite extreme now, he felt a primal fear welling up from the depths of his soul—as if he were face-to-face with the apex predator of the opposite sex.
"You're weak," she finally said, "yet you still dare stand before me…"
"Not bad."
At last, the Beast of Pleasures slowly opened her mouth. Her golden beast eyes looked down on the youth with indifference—but the corners of her lips curled into a cruel smile.
"Then entertain me a little more… human."
As soon as she spoke, her hand suddenly reached toward Izaya.
[A mountainous surge of Beast magecraft descends upon you almost instantaneously. In the face of this terrifying mana, you do not resist—instead, you calmly unleash your Empathy magecraft.]
[A strand of your spiritual power slips into her inner world, and in an instant, a wave of grudges belonging to tens of millions of creatures floods toward you.]
[The Beast of Pleasures sneers. In her view, your approach is tantamount to suicide. Even without her personal interference, the grudges of these dead spirits alone would be enough to devour you.]
[However, what she didn't expect is that after over two months of purification, more and more of the undead spirits of this land acknowledge your existence. Instead of attacking you, their grudges allow your will to invade their spiritual domain.]
[The Beast of Pleasures seems to sense your danger level, and for the first time, a murderous intent without precedent surges in her heart. A monstrous mana erupts from her. She raises her claws and mercilessly strikes down at you.]
But at that moment, behind Sajyou Izaya, a torrent of magical power—similar to that of a Beast of Pleasures—burst forth.
If the Beast of Pleasures exuded cruelty and coldness, then the woman standing behind Izaya emanated nobility and grace.
"You really are such a low creature—one who can only use your claws and fangs to mindlessly destroy everything you see."
Behind him, Koyanskaya parted her red lips. Her voice was sweet but laced with venom. At some point, a modern-styled revolver had already materialized in her hand.
Bang!
A magical bullet shot out of the revolver, colliding violently with the incoming claw. Dark Koyanskaya was forced back half a step by the impact. Taking advantage of the opening, Light Koyanskaya wrapped an arm around the boy's waist, jumped lightly, and retreated a few meters away.
"You'd really become my enemy for the sake of a human?!"
The Beast of Pleasures suddenly threw back her head with a roar. Her golden eyes were filled with rage, as if she'd been betrayed.
"Enemy? You must be mistaken about something."
A bright, dazzling smile appeared on Koyanskaya's face—but there was no warmth in that smile.
"We were never allies to begin with. Ultimately, you're just a 'half' that only knows how to act on instinct. How dare you compare yourself to me?"
"This boy is my human. Before you do anything, the least you could do is ask for my permission. Or is it that you lack even the most basic social manners in that brain of yours?"
Her tone was dripping with mockery and disdain, making the Beast of Pleasures' expression grow even colder. Dark Koyanskaya stared fixedly at Izaya, then shifted her gaze to the other "half" of herself before her.
A terrifying sound—like the roar of a wild beast—escaped her throat.
"Today, you'll regret your choice… you fake."
[The Beast of Pleasures is completely enraged. She no longer holds back in the slightest. She draws in a sharp, freezing breath and unleashes a torrent of mana—an icy storm explodes out around her, cold enough to freeze everything.]
[Facing this cataclysmic assault, Koyanskaya becomes serious as well. This is your first time seeing her true strength.]
[The clouds in the sky look as though they're being torn apart. A gigantic, red-glowing orbital weapon quietly appears high above. Dozens of deep-crimson laser targeting beams instantly lock onto the Beast of Pleasures.]
[In the next second, beams of annihilation fall from the heavens and clash with the glacial storm ravaging the earth. It's as if the entire world has been transformed into pure white—]
[Their battle doesn't end in a clear victor or loser, but the Beast of Pleasures finally chooses to retreat for the time being. However, from what happened today, you suspect she has now completely set her sights on you—because the look she gave you before leaving was filled with cold hostility.]
[Perhaps, in her view, you're the one who changed Koyanskaya.]
Watching the silhouette of the Beast of Pleasures vanish beyond the horizon, Sajyou Izaya retracted his gaze and turned to the woman beside him.
"Are you alright?"
Koyanskaya snorted softly.
"Just a savage creature controlled by pure hatred—a thing that doesn't even have a proper name. She's no threat to me."
As she spoke, there was a touch of pride in her tone.
Unlike that barbaric Beast, she had a name of her own.
Pausing for a moment, she continued:
"Still, be careful from now on. She's already got her eye on you. Next time, she might come after you directly."
The young man nodded obediently and smiled.
"I'll be careful. Thank you."
"It's the first time I've ever seen you fight like that," he added earnestly, eyes full of admiration. "You were incredible…"
That heartfelt longing and admiration stunned Koyanskaya for a moment. After a while, she came back to herself, tilted her head slightly, and spoke in a feigned, casual dissatisfaction:
"Of course. I am a Beast, after all."
"Next, I'll teach you more advanced Age of Gods magecraft. You'll need stronger means of self-defense."
…
Three days passed unwittingly.
Perhaps because of the threat posed by the Beast of Pleasures—or perhaps for some other reason—Koyanskaya devoted even more time to Sajyou Izaya. Her dresses gradually shifted more and more toward her own aesthetic sensibilities.
Her elegant white-and-gold dress was tailored to barely cover her thighs. During training, Izaya's gaze was often drawn to her snow-white, plump, long legs and that absolute zone of whiteness just beneath the hem of her skirt.
Moreover, Koyanskaya's allure seemed to grow by the day. Already beautiful and charming, she now wore light makeup. Her red lips were painted with vivid, captivating lipstick, full and glossy. It was as if she wanted to tempt the youth to kiss them, to savor the perfect blend of fragrance between those lips and the lipstick.
Could it be that…
As her power grows, her "Charisma" parameter rises too?
Sajyou Izaya couldn't help thinking that from time to time.
There was also something else that felt a bit strange to him…
Almost every night now, he would fall asleep the moment he lay down on the bed—and never wake up halfway through the night.
At first, he thought it was because he was exhausting himself every day purifying grudges and then taking Koyanskaya's Age of Gods magecraft lessons at night.
But one morning, a faint, quiet, enticingly damp fragrance lingered on his bed.
If it had only been nocturnal emissions, there was no way it would have carried that kind of aura. So he instantly locked onto the woman in the neighboring tent.
He had no idea what she did by his side every night.
He was a little worried, but if he asked her directly, she probably wouldn't answer—and might even get angry…
With that thought, Sajyou Izaya could only pretend not to know anything for now.
Someday, when he's finally able to "stay up late," he might find out exactly what she's been doing every night…
...
[Time flies. Another month passes without you realizing it. Over this month, your relationship has grown increasingly intimate. The shy, flustered way she once approached you has gradually turned bold and proactive.]
[Love doesn't hinder cultivation. Rather, it fuels your motivation. Because the Beast of Pleasures hasn't appeared again during this period, Koyanskaya allows you to move about freely within a certain range.]
[Early one morning, she goes off to gather grudges farther away, while you relax in the misty morning air.]
[Within that hazy white mist, you faintly hear the sound of a small bridge and flowing water, and can't help feeling a bit puzzled. On this scorched earth, where not a single living creature remains, is there still a river somewhere?]
[You take a step forward and approach. There, within the white fog, you vaguely make out a black-haired man dressed in ancient robes. He's sitting upon a smooth blue stone. The hem of his slightly loose Daoist garments is damp with dew. In his hands is a simple fishing rod, its line hanging straight into the water… with no bait on the hook.]
[He seems to sense your presence. He tilts his head slightly and looks over at you with mild surprise.]
"I didn't expect… that in this dead land, there would still be a human."
Sajyou Izaya's heart stirred. He glanced at the fishing rod in the man's hand, then fixed his gaze on the other's face. Without even thinking, he blurted out:
"You are…"
He didn't even need to say it—his name had already surfaced in Izaya's mind.
Taigong Wang!