Atop the ruins of the MAR research facility, Mimori Akatsuki stared blankly.
In a pool of blood nearby, the dismembered fragments of her son, Kojou Akatsuki, lay scattered.
In her life, nothing mattered more than her two children. Now, her son had died right before her eyes—a devastating blow.
"Kojou—"
She stumbled toward the pieces of his body, clutching his head.
Crimson Queen sighed at the sight. Regardless of sides, as a mother, Mimori was pitiable in this moment.
A white-haired parent burying a black-haired child—the pain was beyond words.
August noticed Mimori, cradling Kojou's head with a vacant, chaotic gaze.
He knew this woman well. She was a deeply hidden figure—a MAR researcher secretly collaborating with Senra Itogami, pulling strings behind the scenes.
When August watched the series, he'd suspected more than once that Kojou becoming the Fourth Progenitor wasn't an accident.
It started when Kojou, still human, joined his sister Nagisa and their father, Togo Akatsuki, on an archaeological expedition to Gozo Island.
By sheer coincidence, that's where the twelfth vessel, Avrora, lay dormant. And with Togo—a "returnee from the underworld"—present, Kojou was shot.
Avrora then bestowed a pair of ribs upon him, making Kojou the "blood servant" of the Fourth Progenitor.
In the end, during the "Blazing Banquet," the "Origin" was destroyed. Avrora entrusted all the Fourth Progenitor's familiars to Kojou, ordering him to pierce her heart with the demon-slaying holy spear, eliminating both her and the "Origin."
When the dust settled, Kojou emerged as the new Fourth Progenitor.
Plenty of people were present at the Feast, including Koyomi Shizuka of the Lion King Organization.
August had every reason to suspect Kojou was chosen—that everything was a grand web spun around him, drawing him in step by step.
"Since your son's dead, you might as well join him. Don't worry, I'll reunite your family."
August's icy voice rang out. A sword shot from the Gate of Babylon, piercing Mimori's heart.
Crimson Queen sighed faintly in the distance. This was the harsh reality—before absolute power, all else was meaningless. A mother's love was noble, but without strength, it was futile.
Glancing at the unconscious Yuma Tokoyogi nearby, Crimson Queen unleashed a burst of flame, reducing her to ashes.
As the Red Dragon Emperor, Crimson Queen was no saint. Back in her world, her battles with the White Dragon Albion had claimed countless innocent lives.
Whoosh!
At that moment, a wave of frigid air swept in, rapidly encasing everything in ice crystals, freezing the surroundings solid.
August's gaze shifted to the end of the street. Amid the biting cold, a graceful figure approached.
"Avrora Florestina!"
The soul of the twelfth vessel, Avrora, residing in Nagisa Akatsuki, had taken control and arrived.
Esdeath looked at Avrora with delight—not for Avrora herself, but for the twelfth familiar she brought.
"You killed Kojou. I'll kill you."
Avrora's piercing, icy glare locked onto August.
The next moment, the Alrescha-Glacies emerged. With its appearance, the surrounding chill intensified, indiscriminately freezing everything.
Hiss!
The Alrescha-Glacies let out a low hum, sending waves of frost toward August.
In this world, battles were fought between familiars, with their vampire hosts playing a lesser role.
"Utter nonsense."
Crimson flames flared around August, instantly incinerating all the ice.
Crimson Queen chuckled from afar. Those flames were her innate power. Back when August wielded the "Boosted Gear," he'd fused with a fragment of her flame essence, gaining this power.
Seeing it now, as a reborn Crimson Queen, she felt a bit like a master watching her apprentice.
Whoosh!
Esdeath appeared before Avrora.
"Give me back the twelfth familiar."
"In your dreams."
Avrora snapped instinctively, commanding the Cerrolean Ice to attack Esdeath.
Esdeath smirked dismissively, unfazed.
Nine familiars materialized behind her. The Mesarthim-Adamas shielded her, while the Al-Meissa Mercury and Regulus Aurum pinned down the Alrescha-Glacies.
The remaining familiars loomed over Avrora, gazing down imperiously.
"My kin, stand down."
Avrora's voice rang out. As a vessel of the Kaleid Blood, she was a peer to all the familiars.
Ordering her kin to back off should've been simple—part of why she didn't take Esdeath seriously.
Her idea was sound, but reality was cruel.
None of the familiars budged at her command.
"How can this be? My kin refuse to heed me?"
"You've got it wrong. To me, they're not kin—they're beasts that submit to my will. And since they serve me, I'm the one in control. They obey my commands alone."
"What did you say?"
"No need to worry. Soon, you'll be like them—kneeling at my feet."
Bang!
With a swift kick, Esdeath sent Avrora flying. The Alrescha-Glacies, pinned down, was powerless to act.
Spurt!
Seizing the moment, Esdeath sank her fangs into Avrora's neck.
As the Fourth Progenitor, Esdeath held dominion over all familiars.
She drank deeply of Nagisa's blood. While not on August's level, Nagisa's exceptional medium qualifications made her a fine meal.
In the process, control of the twelfth familiar, the Alrescha-Glacies, was wrested from Avrora and claimed by Esdeath.
Avrora, after all, was merely a lingering soul fragment, manifesting through Nagisa's body.
And Nagisa herself, despite her top-tier medium potential, possessed no magic of her own.
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