At the center of the vast church, the air was lively with sounds of play and teasing.
From the window ledge, one could see cherry blossoms blooming atop overlapping snowy peaks.
A thin stream trickled down from the mountain ravines, forming a scene of breathtaking beauty.
But Shinryu Hayashi had no leisure to appreciate such a view—he felt like he had plunged into the deep sea, his body wrapped tightly in resilient tentacles.
The crushing force and pressure made Hayashi struggle with all his might.
Realizing that pushing outward was ineffective, he switched tactics and charged straight through.
The scene could only be described with a line of poetry: "A silver vase suddenly bursts and water sprays out, steel cavalry charge forth with blades clashing!"
In a duel where only the bold survive, Hayashi unsheathed his metaphorical blade and pierced straight through the tentacles with a single strike.
By the time he finally broke free, Kalawarner, who had been fighting him, was already on the brink of collapse.
Mittelt still tried to escape but was immediately pinned down by Hayashi.
"You little brat, don't even think about running!"
As soon as the words fell, Hayashi slapped her.
Smack!!!
The crisp sound echoed through the air, accompanied by a faint flash of waterlight.
Hayashi didn't even need to take further action—the curse activated on its own, making Mittelt "suffer unbearably" and collapse to her knees in supplication.
Grabbing her by the throat, Hayashi lifted the four-foot-tall Mittelt off the ground.
He turned her delicate little face toward the statue in the church.
"You Fallen Angels raised the banner of rebellion against God. Today, I'll raise His banner and punish you in His name!"
"No! No! I know I was wrong! Nooooo—!"
Mittelt kicked her legs frantically in midair, her throat choked tight, and soon she was barely breathing.
Her arrogant, vicious personality crumbled completely in that moment.
Her will was so weak that it only took a single instant for her to break down—she was nowhere near as resilient as the blue-haired onee-san Kalawarner.
But everyone present who saw this couldn't help but swallow hard, their eyes filled with fear.
Even Maria, who had been recording everything, flinched slightly.
Despite being a Succubus, she was starting to feel a little uneasy.
"So that's… what we looked like back then…"
Raynare and Mio both had that thought flash through their minds.
It hadn't been as shocking with Kalawarner, but seeing it done to the petite Mittelt—it hit totally different.
"N-No… I… I can't breathe…"
Mittelt's face flushed red as she struggled to draw in air, but she simply couldn't breathe properly.
Smack!
Hayashi slapped her again and said flatly, "You're a Fallen Angel. Don't you know how to use light power to sustain yourself?"
"L-Light… I-I can't circulate it…"
"Hm?"
Realizing she might actually be in danger, Hayashi quickly infused her with a surge of magic power.
With that, her vital signs finally stabilized.
But in the end, she was still "drowned by seawater" and collapsed to the side in a half-suffocated state.
Seeing this, Raynare and Mio Naruse suddenly realized—Hayashi must've been holding back with them before.
Noticing their startled expressions, Hayashi clapped his hands.
"Alright, clean up this mess. This church is our base now, after all."
"Yes, Master."
Raynare immediately adopted a submissive demeanor and cast a cleaning spell, clearing away the corpses from the floor.
As for the unconscious Kalawarner and Mittelt, they were left to the side for now.
Feeling refreshed, Hayashi let out a long breath.
The Trait [Beast Power (Blue)] had too many mixed-in components.
Among them were traits from animals with extremely high stamina—keeping that repressed usually felt uncomfortable, but now he felt completely at ease.
"Perfect. A Succubus should really collect stuff like this. This one's just right!"
Maria, who had just packed up the camcorder, was buzzing with excitement, clearly thrilled.
But when Hayashi cast a glance her way, she blushed and turned her head guiltily.
Of all those present—
She, the Succubus, was ironically the most innocent one here.
Not in a rush, Hayashi calmly took a seat.
Seeing him sit down, Mio—still shaken—shuffled over in small steps and sat down beside him.
"Um… Onii-chan, how do I use Gravity Magic? I still don't really get it."
Even though Hayashi had demonstrated it once, Mio still hadn't grasped the trick.
Hayashi didn't show any impatience. He took hold of her soft white hand and poured his magic into her.
"Follow my magic. Gravity Magic is an extension of your power attribute. Learn to control it."
As Hayashi's magic flowed in, Mio suddenly felt like countless hands were caressing her body.
That sensation, like a curse seeping into her, surprisingly didn't frighten her at all.
In fact, she wanted more, more~
In a mentally blank state, Mio subconsciously followed Hayashi's lead and activated her own Gravity Magic.
Just then, while tidying up the aftermath, Raynare suddenly approached and interrupted.
"Master~ Pardon the interruption, but the barrier I set nearby detected a human approaching."
Raynare's voice startled Mio, snapping her out of her immersion.
She let go of Hayashi's hand like she'd been shocked, her face flushing bright red as she lowered her head.
She wasn't the kind of shameless girl who indulged in lewd fantasies—and yet, she had just thought of those things…
Mio slapped her own cheeks, trying to compose herself.
Hayashi didn't comment on her flustered state. Instead, he raised an eyebrow at Raynare's report.
"There's someone approaching? Didn't you set a repelling barrier?"
"I did… but this person seems a bit special. Also, she appears to be in some trouble. I thought Master might be interested."
Raynare paused and chose her words carefully.
If it were just an ordinary person, she wouldn't have cared.
But this one looked rather cute. Considering Hayashi's preferences, she decided to report it just in case.
She didn't want such a trivial matter to displease her Master.
Even she hadn't realized it—at some point, she had already started thinking about everything from Hayashi's perspective.
Hearing that, Hayashi's interest was piqued.
He quickly walked outside the church and saw the girl Raynare was referring to.
A black-haired girl in a pale tunic and dark skirt was walking through the forest outside the church.
Her cold, fair skin made her stand out in the scenery.
On her soft, beautiful face, her golden eyes held a flicker of panic.
Not far behind her, a grotesque Cursed Spirit resembling a rotting corpse was slowly approaching.
The girl's gaze would occasionally, almost involuntarily, sweep past the Spirit—as if she could sense its presence.
Yotsuya Miko was practically panicking inside, wishing she could walk faster.
But she knew all too well—if those monsters ever discovered she could see them, she'd be doomed!
Pretending not to see anything, Yotsuya Miko stiffly muttered to herself, step by step, "Why's the path to the church so long…? Aren't we there yet…"
One day, she had suddenly gained the ability of spiritual sight—able to see things that normal people couldn't.