"The Vampires shouldn't be able to find this place."
Goshi Norito entered the room; he had just cast an illusion nearby.
Everyone was looking worriedly at Yoichi, who remained in his Demon Transformation while unconscious; Shinoa Hiragi was trying to undo it.
But before long, Shinoa Hiragi frowned.
Yuichiro asked urgently.
"Shinoa, how is he? Will Yoichi be okay?"
Shinoa Hiragi shook her head; the situation was very complicated.
"Yoichi's Sea of Consciousness hasn't been completely taken over by Moonlight Rhyme yet, so I can remove it, but his body's Demon Transformation is almost irreversible."
Yuichiro didn't quite understand and looked puzzled.
Sayuri asked.
"So you mean, even though Yoichi won't lose control, his body will still stay in the Demon Transformation state?"
Shinoa Hiragi nodded; that was essentially the situation.
"Isn't that super convenient? A strengthened body without even using a cursed gear!"
Shihō Kimizuki scolded bluntly.
"You really are an idiot! Yoichi only stays in control because Shinoa is here! That means if the distance between Shinoa and Yoichi gets too large, he'll still become the demon's puppet."
"Eh? Is that so?!"
Yuichiro didn't think it was cool anymore; this was too dangerous for Yoichi.
At that moment, Jujo Mika noticed Yoichi's eyelids flickering as if he were about to wake up, and quickly called everyone over to look.
Yoichi slowly opened his eyes, revealing pitch-black pupils.
"Yoichi, you're awake!"
Everyone crowded around in surprise and joy.
Yoichi looked at them, somewhat surprised.
"Huh, I haven't turned into a demon yet?"
He remembered that after firing the last arrow, his consciousness had been severely infected by Demonic Aura.
Shinoa Hiragi explained his situation again, but surprisingly, Yoichi took it well; at least he was still alive.
Yuichiro then asked Yoichi directly.
"Yoichi, what exactly happened?"
Shihō Kimizuki felt that since Yoichi had just woken up, he should rest for a bit first.
"Stupid Yu, Yoichi just..."
"It's okay."
Yoichi gave a helpless smile and quickly explained how Lacus and René had secretly left a note, how he had stealthily followed them, and also revealed that he was seeking revenge for his sister.
After hearing this, everyone lowered their heads, feeling sympathetic toward Yoichi.
But soon, everyone's attention shifted back to the note Yoichi mentioned.
"I remember it was placed right by Yu's head."
Everyone looked at Yuichiro again, but seeing his blank expression, their hearts couldn't help but sink.
He didn't fail to notice it, did he?
"It's probably this one I picked up."
Everyone, including Yuichiro, looked at Shihō Kimizuki, who had spoken.
Shihō Kimizuki pulled a note from his pocket and adjusted his glasses.
"After we were startled awake, Stupid Yu realized Yoichi was gone and rushed out immediately. I noticed this note and just stuffed it into my pocket."
Yuichiro was overjoyed and cheered.
"Awesome! Kimizuki, you actually did something useful for once!"
Mirai Kimizuki also cheered.
"Oh! Big brother is amazing!"
Shihō Kimizuki was very pleased with the praise, feeling on top of the world. For a siscon like him, what could be better than his sister's admiration?
Shinoa Hiragi wore a mischievous grin and teased Yuichiro.
"If you were just a bit more reliable, we'd be thanking our lucky stars."
Yuichiro scratched his head awkwardly; he really couldn't argue with that.
Shihō Kimizuki opened the note, and everyone instinctively leaned in to see.
There wasn't much written on it; essentially, it told Yuichiro to return to Sanguinem alone, promising to increase his strength.
No matter how you looked at it, it was a trap, but why go to such lengths to deliver a message that looked so obviously like a setup?
While everyone was pondering, Mika's voice entered Yuichiro's mind.
"Yu, Lacus and René belong to Krul's faction. Since Krul and Luke released you and are now asking you to return alone so soon, they might really increase your strength—like returning your sin key or something. I think it's worth trusting, but to be safe, I need to find a weapon to possess first."
Yuichiro was a bit troubled. Out here in the middle of nowhere, where was he going to find a suitable weapon? After all, he needed it for combat.
Clang.
A sound caught Yuichiro's attention: Mirai Kimizuki had sat down with a sword on her back.
A young girl, carrying a japanese sword almost as long as herself; she was a bit tired, but to avoid being a burden to her older brother and the others, she bore it in silence.
Even though she didn't know how to use a sword, her brother seemed very worried about the blade being too far from her.
Yuichiro only then noticed the sword. Wasn't that Guren's sword?
"Hey, Kimizuki, why is your sister carrying Guren's sword?"
Mirai Kimizuki was usually very quiet and kept a low profile to avoid causing trouble, so the others only just noticed she was carrying the sword.
Shihō Kimizuki recounted what Luke had told him to trick him.
"That white-haired Vampire Progenitor said that once the thing inside Mirai was removed, the demon would die if it left this sword. I didn't know if it was true, so I've just had Mirai keep it with her."
Shinoa Hiragi's lip twitched as she pointed at the sword.
"But there's no demon in that sword anymore; it's just a slightly sharper blade."
Shihō Kimizuki said in surprise.
"Is that so? Mirai, take the sword off; you don't have to carry it anymore."
He had already noticed that Mirai was struggling a bit with the weight.
Sannomiya Mitsuba watched Shihō Kimizuki's reaction and asked curiously.
"Kimizuki, aren't you angry about being lied to?"
Kimizuki gently stroked Mirai Kimizuki's head.
"Of course I am, but it's no use. Mirai is the only family I have left, and I didn't dare take the risk."
While they were chatting, Yuichiro was consulting with Mika, his eyes fixed on Guren's legacy sword.
"Mika, how about that sword?"
Mika's Sea of Consciousness was connected to Yuichiro's, so he easily knew what Yuichiro was planning and gave an affirmative answer.
"Yeah, I can possess it. Since it's been nurtured by the Demonic Aura of Guren's previous demon, it should go very smoothly."
Yuichiro understood and didn't beat around the bush; he went forward and told everyone he wanted Mika to possess the sword, and explained his intention to go to Sanguinem.
After a series of rebuttals, protests, silences, and compromises, the demon within Guren's sword became Mika. This way, when Yuichiro fought with the blade and borrowed Mika's power, it would be like adding wings to a tiger.
After discussing a few more details with everyone, Yuichiro resolutely set off for Sanguinem.
But Shinoa Hiragi couldn't possibly let Yuichiro go alone; she quietly followed him. She had acquired quite a few interesting special abilities from demons back in Shibuya, so hiding her presence was a simple matter.
Byakuya Akane watched their figures from afar but didn't follow. In Shinoa's words, Byakuya Akane was the trump card.
Byakuya Akane pulled a sin key from her bosom and looked at it.
"This was the one that originally belonged to Shinoa Hiragi..."
You will get 30 chapter ahead for this fanfiction.
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