Island of Gozo.
In front of the entrance to the underground mausoleum.
A lazy female voice suddenly echoed through the space.
Akatsuki Kojou's pupils contracted, and he paused mid-step.
Liana's body tensed. She immediately turned around, her piercing blue eyes locking onto the source of the voice, alert and wary.
Then, a blonde beauty dressed in cyan came into view. She rested one hand on her waist, eyes carrying a lazy expression, but her face held a mature aura tempered by the passage of time.
Behind her stood a slightly younger girl with long black hair, her eyes full of curiosity as she observed the surroundings.
"Who is it?"
Liana let out a soft cry and instinctively clenched her fists. Her muscles tightened, and the magic within her surged, on the verge of summoning her beasts.
"Relax,"
Yukari glanced at her and said, "Lion King Organization. Do you mind if I take a look inside?"
"Lion King Organization?"
Hearing this, both Liana and Gajou were stunned.
Clearly, they had heard of the Lion King Organization before.
But…
Why was the Lion King Organization showing up in Gozo?
At that moment, Liana's expression turned grim.
After a pause, she spoke coldly, "Your Lion King Organization is also interested in the Fourth True Ancestor?"
She was clearly displeased. She had invested time and resources for over a month, working non-stop. Now, these so-called people from the Lion King Organization suddenly appeared, hoping to reap the benefits?
Even though her family had declined, she wasn't someone to be pushed around.
Corner her, and she'd bite back hard.
Besides…
The Fourth True Ancestor was vampire business. Why was a human organization sticking its nose in?
The more she thought about it, the darker her expression became.
On the other side, Yukari's eyes lit up at her words.
"This really is the place where the Fourth True Ancestor is sealed?"
She narrowed her eyes.
Originally, she had simply seen some people excavating and decided to bring Yukina to scout the area. She didn't expect to stumble upon something this big.
Liana: "…"
So you didn't even know?!
She felt like she'd said something incredibly stupid.
Still…
Even if Yukari hadn't known, with the strange space in front of them, she would've figured it out eventually.
Liana's eyes narrowed. She raised her hand and waved. A faint ripple passed through the air.
"Sköll, Hati!"
As the words fell, two massive wolves appeared behind her.
"Awooo—!"
With one cloaked in molten lava and the other bathed in moonlight, they howled into the sky. The sheer pressure in the air trembled from their power.
Yukari raised an eyebrow.
She knew she was trying to swoop in and take credit, which wasn't exactly honorable, but…
She had her own mission.
Since negotiation was off the table, there was only one option left.
"Yukina."
Without hesitation, Himeragi Yukina pulled the Snowdrift Wolf Schneewalzer from her backpack.
Clang—
The spear emitted a crisp ring as its blade gleamed under the sunlight.
The moment she saw it, Liana's heart skipped a beat.
Her blood began to stir.
Not even the extreme Arctic cold could suppress the heat spreading through her body.
What was this?
There was a flicker of surprise in her eyes as she stared intently at the spear in Yukina's hands.
This weapon… something wasn't right!
Even so, Liana showed no signs of retreat.
The Fourth True Ancestor was key to her family's revival. She wouldn't allow any interference.
A standoff filled the air.
Akatsuki Kojou surveyed the situation, then subtly positioned himself in front of Nagisa, shielding her. He gave Gajou a frantic look.
Find an opportunity to slip away!
That's what his eyes were clearly saying.
Gajou gave a small OK sign in return, raising a confident eyebrow.
Leave it to me!
Kojou: "?"
Seeing Gajou step forward, Kojou's mouth twitched.
Liana, who noticed him move, frowned. "You want me to hand over this mausoleum?"
"Don't be so dramatic," Gajou shrugged. "We could cooperate with the Lion King Organization."
"After all…"
"We don't know what kind of danger is inside. With more firepower, we'll be safer…"
Liana's expression didn't change. "Which means we'll have to split what's inside the mausoleum."
Seeing her hesitation, Gajou didn't press further. Instead, he stared at the weapon in Yukina's hands.
"If I remember right, that spear is the Mechanical Demon-Purging Assault Spear Mark Seven?"
"Oh?"
Yukari looked at him with interest. "You're pretty knowledgeable for a human."
Gajou smirked. "I'm an archaeologist, after all."
"Heh, archaeology?" Yukari sneered. "That's what you're calling it now?"
She looked past him toward the dimensional rift.
Digging into otherworldly spaces and recognizing the Snowdrift Wolf?
This guy clearly wasn't just any ordinary archaeologist.
Meanwhile, Liana's frown deepened at Gajou's words.
"A weapon especially effective against vampires?"
As a noble vampire, she was quite aware of its capabilities.
This was… problematic.
Also, the Lion King Organization entrusted such a weapon to a mere high school girl?
Gajou whispered, "Liana, you should understand how effective that weapon is against your kind."
"Don't be deceived by the fact that it's in a student's hands. The weapon itself ignores the difference in power between wielder and target."
"You don't have to spell it out for me."
Liana clenched her fists, her face still troubled.
Restoring her family had never been easy.
Seeing this, Gajou couldn't help but smile slightly.
Finally, after all her nagging over the past few weeks, it felt refreshing to see her humbled a bit.
Suppressing the smirk, he asked flatly, "So, what's your decision?"
Liana gave him a look, silent for a moment.
Then she sighed, dismissing her two summoned beasts.
In any case…
She had come to pledge loyalty to the Fourth True Ancestor.
Letting them enter wouldn't cause her any loss… right?
She consoled herself and looked up, speaking coldly, "We can cooperate."
Upon hearing that, Yukari smiled slightly and nodded to Yukina.
Yukina understood and placed the Snowdrift Wolf back in her backpack.
Liana let out a barely noticeable breath of relief.
She still needed to revive her family. She couldn't afford to throw her life away now.
Still…
If she was going to agree to a partnership, she needed to set terms. She didn't want it to seem like she gave in out of fear.
Her eyes flickered. "We can cooperate, but…"
She turned toward Kojou and Nagisa.
"Once we enter the mausoleum, I want you to guarantee the safety of these two."
"?"
Yukari blinked in mild surprise.
A vampire… concerned about the safety of humans?
Interesting.
She gave Liana a curious glance.
This vampire… might not be a bad person?
Kojou was also stunned.
He hadn't expected Liana's condition to be his and Nagisa's safety.
He was dragged into this without any warning, but…
This blonde sister might actually be a decent person?
Still…
It looked like he'd have to go underground too…
Thinking of that, he wanted to cry but had no tears.
He glanced at Nagisa, who stared blankly ahead, unresponsive, and sighed inwardly.
"Alright, I accept."
Yukari nodded without hesitation.
Even without Liana's request, the Lion King Organization would never leave two children to fend for themselves in a dangerous place.
So this condition was basically meaningless to her.
"Good. In that case, let's head down."
Seeing the cooperation established, Gajou clapped his hands and urged everyone forward.
Hearing that, the group exchanged glances, nodded, and walked toward the dark abyss ahead.
At the same time…
Above them in the space distorted by magic.
A petite figure hidden within the void watched everything unfold.
(To be continued.)