She glanced toward the others' excited chatterAnd then she saw it.
"!!?"
Her eyes went wide.
Her 12th Familiar, Alrescha-Glacies. The Azure Ice Princess!
She slapped a hand over her mouth in shock, afraid the others would notice her outburst.
But, seeing they were all still captivated by the icy figure above, she relaxed a little and turned her gaze back to the Azure Ice Princess, eyes flickering with emotion.
Why Why was her Familiar here?
Shethe True Primogenitorwasn't even with her now!
Did that manDid that man throw her in here too?
Did something happen to Avrora?
Lynn's face flashed across her mind, and her fists clenched.
But at the same time The appearance of her familiar sparked a new idea in her mind.
She didn't know why the Azure Ice Princess had been tossed in here too, butThis was a chance!
She was the Fourth Primogenitor. And that icy Familiarthat was her familiar.
If she could just use her Familiar's powerShe might be able to bust out of this damn place!
Her chest rose and fell with excitement. For the first time in a while, she saw a glimmer of hope.
Stay calm. Stay. Calm.
She did her best to steady her emotions, though her fury still bubbled underneath.
When had she ever fallen to such lows?
Damn it!
All because of him!
Once she got out, once she reclaimed all her powerShe was gonna make him pay!
She'd turn him into a walking wine barrel, producing 'vintage' for her for the rest of his life!
Cyrora seethed inwardly.
Then, sneaking a glance at the still-distracted girls, she focused all her will on connecting with her familiar.
But...Nothing.
Silence.
Still nothing.
The Azure Ice Princess floated blissfully through the nebula, humming softly to herself, fully immersed in her own world.
Cyrora: "..."
She stared upward, bewildered.
Why?!
Why wasn't her 12th Familiar responding?!
Didn't she know her master was right here?
As if sensing the intense stare, the Azure Ice Princess slowly lowered her frost-colored eyes.
Their gazes met.
Cyrora's face lit up with joybut it only lasted a second.
The Azure Ice Princess simply looked away, like Cyrora, the Original Fourth Primogenitor, was a total stranger.
Cyrora: "???"
Azure Ice Princess: Who was that just now? No clue.
.
.
.
The Concept of Ice
Inside the Devil Piece's starry domain
Cyrora stood frozen, wide-eyed and slack-jawed as she stared at the joyful form of the Azure Ice Princess drifting freely through the stars. Her expression was beyond words.
That was her Azure Ice Princess.
And nowit had betrayed her?
Cyrora couldn't believe what she was seeing.
What the hell was going on?
Deep down, she had a sinking feelingsomething had definitely changed in the outside world. Otherwise why would the Azure Ice Princess be acting like this?
Lynn's face flashed through her mind again, and she ground her teeth in frustration.
No doubt about itit had to be him!
Cyrora clenched her jaw, her fingers turning white from the pressure.
Damn it!!
What the hell was she supposed to do now?!
The strange emotion that had flickered in her heart when she first saw the Azure Ice Princesshope, maybe?was instantly shattered under the creature's indifferent gaze.
...
Elsewhere in the same space
Actually, the Azure Ice Princess hadn't forgotten her former master. But that bond with Cyrora? Long gone. Completely severed. She had a new master now.
Lynn.
That was the name of the one she now served.
Not only did he have a lifespan far greater than anything she'd known, but the quality and sheer quantity of his magic power completely dwarfed anything she'd ever encountered.
And more than that, he had brought her to this breathtaking place.
The Azure Ice Princess fixed her gaze on the Pisces constellation, her eyes full of awe and curiosity.
Somehow, she knewdeep in her corethat this place could elevate her very existence.
So as far as she was concerned Cyrora, now reduced to a pathetic shell of her former self, wasn't worth her attention anymore.
The Azure Ice Princess focused entirely on unraveling the mysteries of Pisces.
Just then, Lynn materialized in the Devil Space.
"Master!"
The moment he appeared, Stella and the others lit up with joy and rushed over to greet him.
Lynn smiled and patted each of their heads affectionately before turning his attention to the changing constellations.
He quickly spotted the Azure Ice Princess drifting among the nebulae.
A small grin tugged at his lips.
He hadn't just recruited a new familia memberhe'd also picked up a powerful beast companion.
And there were still eleven more like her waiting to be claimed.
The possibilities thrilled him.
Meanwhile, the Azure Ice Princess twitched her nose as if sensing Lynn's presence. Her massive body stilled in the air, and her gaze dropped.
There he was.
Her eyes gleamed with delight. Letting out a soft hum, she dove straight toward him.
As she approached, Lynn raised an eyebrow.
Was it just him, or had she gotten bigger?
He thought back to when he'd first encountered her in the underground tomb and compared that memory to the form now before him.
Yepdefinitely bigger.
And not just that. There were other subtle changes, too.
But the most striking was what lay beyond her, hidden within the constellation of Pisces.
A star system shrouded in icy torrents.
[Concept Acquired: Ice]
Ice?
Just as he suspected, something had shifted.
It was like when he gained the concept of "Gravity" from the Cancer constellation.
Still, something puzzled him.
He already had other familia members with ice-related abilities. So why hadn't they triggered the Ice concept within the Devil Space?
Lynn stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Maybe it had something to do with strength?
To test the theory, he summoned Kaguya and Yukina's pieces and examined their blessing info.
And right there, the level caught his eye.
Ah. That explained it.
So it was a power issue after all.
Suddenly, a chill swept across the space, coating everything around Lynn in layers of frost.
In the next moment, the Azure Ice Princess loomed large in his vision.
"La~ La~ La~"
A musical chirp echoed in his ears as the Azure Ice Princess began to shrink in size, circling around him playfully.
Lynn lifted his hand.
The Azure Ice Princess swam over, nuzzling her head into his palm with closed eyes, clearly enjoying the contact.
—
From a distance
Cyrora watched in stunned silence, her hand clutching her chest as though to stop her heart from breaking.
The Azure Ice Princess was acting that affectionate with him?
And right in front of her, its former master?!
It hurt.
God, it hurt so much.
She couldn't breathe.
"D-Damn it" she choked, eyes wide with disbelief and fury.
Why had things turned out this way?
Cyrora stared daggers at Lynn, who was gently stroking the Azure Ice Princess like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Lynn must've sensed her burning gaze. He turned his head, calm eyes locking onto hers.
Cyrora's heart skipped a beat. She instantly looked away and shrank back.
Lynn raised an eyebrow, amused. He turned to Stella and the others.
"Looks like you've trained her well."
He remembered how defiant Cyrora had been at first, acting like she ruled the worldeven when he had her fate in the palm of his hand. She had even tried to get Avrora to summon the Azure Ice Princess to freeze him.
And now?
The once arrogant Cyrora looked like a frightened little quail. Lynn couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
Cyrora: ""
Trained, huh?
Noit was just she'd finally realized the truth.
She snuck glances at the seemingly harmless little girls around her.
But they weren't girls.
They were monsters. Abyssal beasts wearing the skin of children.
Sure, they looked like familiars or summoned beastsbut the sheer power they held was way beyond the norm.
Even in her prime, Cyrora's strongest familiars couldn't compare to these lolis.
That's why, when the Azure Ice Princess appeared here, she hadn't even considered using it to fight them. All she wanted was to escape this damned place.
Too bad
Cyrora slumped her head, but her emotions were still a whirlwind inside.
She'd known from the start that this place was connected to Lynn. But when she saw him walk in, and heard the girls call him "Master" with such joy, her whole world shook.
These petite girls, small in form but carrying earth-shattering powerthey were Lynn's familiars?!
Gulp.
She swallowed hard. Her throat was dry.
Only now did Cyrora truly grasp the extent of Lynn's terrifying power.
And realized how laughable her earlier assumptions had been.
Someone with a life force that vast how could she have ever thought he was just some ordinary guy?
Had she been asleep so long her brain had melted?
What was she thinking, acting like she had any leverage?
Cyrora was furious with herself, mentally berating her past decisions over and over.
Honestly she couldn't even relate to her former self anymore.
Back in the Devil Space, Lynn spent a while playing with the Azure Ice Princess, watching the stars shift above him.
Then, satisfied, he withdrew from the space.
When he opened his eyes, he was greeted by the smooth curve of Avrora's back.
She was still lost in thought.
Lynn pulled up her blessing information, duplicated it, and held it out in front of her.
"Take a look."
.
.
.
Erina Nakiri's Shock
Lynn's voice snapped Avrora out of her daze.
She lowered her head and took the blessing status sheet handed to her.
Then, suddenly, she felt a chill on her chest.
Avrora: ""
Smack!
She immediately slapped the sheet onto her chest to cover herself.
And the worst part? It fit perfectly.
Lynn's expression turned a little awkward. He reached out to pat her head and offered a small consolation. "Don't worry, small is cute too. And I had seen worse."
"???"
Avrora's eyes went wide.
S-small?
SMALL?!
She looked down, then slumped forward like the air had been sucked out of her.
W-well, she didn't exactly have a comeback for that.
But still!
Did he really have to say something so mean?!
Avrora puffed up her cheeks in protest and shot him an angry glare.
Lynn, completely unfazed, gave her another head pat and nudged her, "C'mon, check it quick. Our guest'll be here soon."
"The one who's amazing at cooking!"
Avrora's eyes lit up instantly. She stopped sulking in an instant and, still using one hand to guard her modesty, eagerly began looking through her blessing sheet.
Her gaze paused for a second on the "Master" section, then drifted downward.
"Kaleid Blood?"
Her eyes widened in shock.
Wait a sec, isn't that the title of the Fourth Primogenitor?!
She read the skill description more carefullyand her expression turned weird.
What the hell?
Did she become the Original Fourth Primogenitor now?!
Meanwhile, inside the Devil space...
Cyrora let out two sneezes in a row.
"???"
Can souls even sneeze?
She blinked, puzzled.
Then suddenlyshiver. A chill ran down her spine. Something felt off.
Like someone had stolen her life.
Why did she feel that way?
She frowned, discomfort bubbling up inside her.
Shaking her head, she pushed the strange feeling aside and looked toward where Lynn had just disappeared.
So he really just left?
Wasn't he going to take her with him?
Cyrora bit her lip.
Sure, this place was lively and all, but she was stuck at the bottom of the food chain. No matter how "lively" it was, she couldn't enjoy it.
She looked up again, her eyes filled with frustration as she glanced at the Azure Ice Princess.
In the end, she sighed, hugged her knees, and curled up into the corner.
Fresh out of one ice coffin prison, only to end up in another.
Back in the real world.
After reviewing the ability [Kaleid Blood], Avrora focused on her connection with Azure Ice Princess.
"Hmm..."
It felt stronger than beforemore tightly linked. She could control it more directly now?
Back then, she'd only served as a vessel to this 12th familiar. If she wanted to use Azure Ice Princess, she had to rely on the Original's power. There was always a layer in between.
But now? That layer felt like it was gone.
It was like she'd also broken free from the Original's chainsand the Azure Ice Princess inside her had done the same.
Avrora's face twisted with a complicated expression.
She really was turning into the Fourth Primogenitor.
Then she looked at another skill: [Devour Devil].
Yeah, let's be honest.
She basically was the Fourth Primogenitor at this point, right?
Nomaybe even a buffed version of it.
And if she really collected all the familiars?
Gulp.
She didn't even want to imagine how powerful she'd be.
And unlike the Original, whose devouring ability was limited in scope.
Her [Devour Devil] was way more versatile. It could even devour divine beingsand permanently steal one of their abilities!
Way stronger than just munching on vampires, that's for sure.
Still, Avrora wasn't exactly obsessed with getting stronger.
If she could choose, she'd rather just be a normal girl. Go to school, enjoy delicious food, live a peaceful life.
But her origins had already sealed her fate.
It was either seal the OriginalOr be devoured by it.
Now, though, she'd finally escaped that doomed path.
Avrora lifted her head slightly, her ocean-blue eyes settling on Lynn.
At first, she only followed him because of that bottle of milk.
But she never imagined he'd give her more than just good food.
He gave her a new future.
When she first agreed to go with him, she'd been full of doubts.
But now, all she felt was gratitude.
Knock knock!
Suddenlythere was a knock on Lynn's bedroom door.
Hayasaka Ai's voice came through from the other side.
"Lord Lynn, two visitors just arrived outside the villa."
Lynn's eyes narrowed slightly. "That was quick."
Outside the villa
Hisako Arato parked the car nearby.
Nakiri Erina looked at the sprawling estate in front of her, awe flashing in her eyes.
"Whoa!"
"This place is so massive!"
She clicked her tongue.
Yeah, definitely looked like a devil's lair.
