Conquest stood stunned at the revelation that Azazel had killed the Sorcerer King. But she understood that someone of Azazel's caliber would have been a challenge for even him.
Especially if he was caught off guard. She didn't know the details of how the fight played out, or what Azazel was capable of after losing the Death title.
Still, she assumed Azazel was most likely the second most powerful demon, just behind Lucifer. That alone explained why they couldn't permanently cross the veil.
But regardless of how terrible this news was, it gave her even more motivation to get her mana issues resolved.
Conquest stepped out of the shower and slipped into her long black gothic dress covered in ruffles and frills. Along with her brand new black heeled ankle boots Kamui had mentioned.
Before leaving the bathroom, she crouched down and pulled at the cabinet below the sink one more time.
And to her surprise, a pair of black leggings sat folded inside. Exactly what she needed to fight the cold winter ahead.
Conquest threw a few jabs at the air, testing the range of her arms. She started with a right hook, then a left, then a quick combination to finish it off.
"Surprisingly comfortable. I expected all these ruffles to get in the way, but this dress moves quite well."
She threw one more punch at the mirror, stopping just short of the glass, and grinned at her reflection.
"Well, technically this dress belonged to my mother. That's why it has a grey crest stitched into the collar, bearing the image of my father's sword."
Conquest glanced down at the collar.
"What happened to your father's relic item…the seven-toothed sword I mean?"
Kamui let out a sigh.
"It went missing. The news reported about eight months ago that when they found his grave deep in the forest, the imprint of his sword was pressed into the ground where his tombstone stood. But the sword itself was gone."
"uhm…so someone took it?"
"Either some thief got to it first, or most likely, my sister Riko took it for safekeeping."
Conquest's eyes narrowed the moment he mentioned his sister.
"Do you even know where she is right now?"
For a moment, the hallway went quiet. Then his footsteps pulled away from the door.
"Get out of the bathroom. We're late."
Conquest stood there, both palms turned up, her face scrunched in disbelief.
Was that a touchy subject or something?
***
Kamui led her down to the first floor and stopped in front of the gymnasium. He pushed open the dual doors and Conquest stopped mid-step.
Inside, the lights were off. A projector sat in the center of the basketball court, casting two news anchors.
Granny Chiyo and Liu Han were already seated in folding chairs, their eyes fixed on the projection.
Beside them, Gundo held a bucket of popcorn, feeding handfuls to both of them.
Chiyo muttered a quiet thanks without turning her head. While, Liu Han gave a lazy nod. In return, Gundo grinned to himself at the praise, a low giggle rumbling from his massive frame.
"We're here…" Kamui said, trying to get Liu Han's attention.
Granny Chiyo and Liu Han both looked back at Conquest and Kamui. Then Chiyo turned to Liu Han with a grin on her face.
In response, Liu Han's eyes went wide as he glanced down at his watch, a shaky laugh escaping him.
"Amazing. Nine thirty-two pm, on the dot. You know, I've seen you do this a hundred times and it still gets me. How much money could I make if I put you next to a roulette table?"
"I don't gamble, kid. And even if you begged me nonstop, I wouldn't do it."
"And just like that, you just killed the mood."
What are they even talking about? Actually, never mind that. Where did that lesser demon go?
Conquest's eyes wandered from the projection and scanned the gymnasium. That's when she spotted the lesser demon.
He was pinned to the wall beside the scoreboard, four nails driven through its limbs.
Each nail had glowing glyphs carved into them, pressing deep against the demon's dark skin. Blood dripped from every wound, pooling on the floor beneath it. The damn thing looked half dead.
Granny Chiyo waved Conquest and Kamui over.
"Get over here, both of you. Something important is about to be said and these old ears of mine aren't what they used to be. So pay attention for my sake."
Conquest narrowed her eyes as her head tilted toward Granny Chiyo. Clearly, this was not what she came here for. But if babysitting a blind old woman through a broadcast was the price for getting answers, so be it.
"Uhh…? Sure…"
Just then, the news feed switched to a field reporter. A woman in her mid thirties stood bundled in her large white coat.
Her long brown hair spilled over her shoulders. And for whatever reason she held the brightest smile on her face.
"Good evening, Tokyo. It is your one and only Manami Sato. GNN's finest field reporter."
Manami blinked in confusion as something off-screen caught her attention. After a few nods, a grin spread across her face.
"Oh… yes, how could I forget my partner in crime. My cameraman, Motobe Endo."
She cleared her throat and continued.
"Now, I know what you're all thinking. What is the beautiful and stunning Manami doing all the way out here instead of her home city Kyoto?"
She turned and pointed upward, signaling Motobe to follow with the lens.
The camera tilted upwards, past the rooftops of the village until the peak of Mount Fuji filled the frame. At the very tip of the mountain, a faint red glow pulsed against the night sky.
"I'm currently in Oshino Hakkai, a small village in Yamanashi Prefecture, part of the Chubu region. For those of you watching from Tokyo, that's only about a hundred kilometers west of you. This village sits right at the base of Mount Fuji, and as you can see..."
She paused, letting the camera show the red glow.
"Something is happening at the summit. A red light has been visible from this village since early this morning. Authorities have yet to comment, but residents here have reported tremors, sudden disappearances, and a sound they describe as a low hum coming from the mountain itself."
Liu Han smirked as he leaned back on his chair.
"Damn, i usually don't find Japanese women attractive but Manami is such a fine lady."
The reporter brought her attention back to the lens.
"The government in the last few months has been working with sorcerers around the country to uncover the truth behind these so-called monsters..."
She paused mid-sentence, two fingers pressing against her earpiece. After a beat, she nodded.
"My apologies. I've just been informed that the correct terminology is demons and cursed spirits. These are the entities that have been terrorizing the country."
Manami cleared her throat and lifted the mic.
"With that being said, the government issued an emergency alert about an hour ago for all residents near Mount Fuji to evacuate immediately. Buses have been arriving at Fujisan Station every two hours, four at a time, to transport civilians to Tokyo."
As she spoke, figures in heavy coats moved past her in the background, relic items strapped to their backs and hanging from their belts. Their pace was urgent, heading in the opposite direction of the evacuation.
"Oh, I almost forgot," she flashed her signature grin toward the lens.
"As you can see behind me, sorcerers from across the country have been flooding into Oshino Hakkai. But they're not here to evacuate. They're marching straight toward Mount Fuji. Now, the question is, why would they do that?"
She pointed at the camera as more sorcerers crunched through the snow behind her.
"Simple. The government just issued a bounty. And not on your everyday criminals. These targets, and I use that word loosely, have been classified at a threat level equal to or exceeding the entire Japanese military. Let me say that again. Equal to or exceeding our military. Whatever is up on that mountain, it isn't human."
Conquest let out a slow breath. She already knew exactly who the reporter was talking about.
"Now, before we wrap this up, let me show you the updated bounty list. Motobe, if you would."
Motobe reached from behind the camera and handed her a piece of paper.
"Alright, first up. The number one most wanted "individual" as of November tenth, 2019. Is a demon-class humanoid. Authorities have not been able to identify him by name yet. However, what we do know is that he has greenish skin, a long ponytail, and tentacles protruding from both arms. His last known location was near Mount Fuji, where he's believed to be responsible for twenty two civilian deaths. Take a good look."
She held the paper up to the lens. The image showed a tall, lanky figure in a long white lab coat, grinning wide over the bodies of those he had slaughtered.
"His bounty sits at the top of the entire list. For those of you who want to see the full rankings, it'll be up on the GNN website shortly. But let me give you the headline number. Three hundred twenty-four million, seven hundred sixteen thousand yen. Dead or alive. Frankly, the government doesn't care how you bring him in. They just want him gone."
Kamui chuckled
"His bounty is higher than mine. Not bad."
At that moment, more sorcerers passed by Manami on screen. Then Conquest's eyes locked onto one of them. A girl in an oversized black jacket, messy short black hair cut just above her neck. And strapped to her back was the seven-toothed sword.
"Wait, is that Ri—"
"Riko!" Kamui cut her off, his eyes glued to the projection.