~ Support & Read 30 Advanced Chapters on Patreon
~ Bonus Chapter every 200 Powerstones!
<><><><><>
In that moment, time seemed to slow down dramatically. The sword-shaman girl, her life hanging by a thread, widened her eyes in astonishment as a familiar figure in white filled her entire vision, standing protectively just inches away.
"Sen...pai?"
"Hmm~?"
This casual, affectionate address seemed to particularly delight the young man. With a slight tilt of his head, Bokue Keikain glanced sideways, the corner of his mouth curling into a smile as gentle and reassuring as the morning sun.
"You okay, Yukina?"
"Y-yes… I'm fine."
Yukina swallowed softly, calming her heartbeat just a little.
"Bokue-senpai… When did you get here?"
"Just now, obviously. When else?"
Shrugging nonchalantly, Bokue pushed back the enormous Golden lion's paw single-handedly, creating some distance to prevent the girls from getting caught in its AoE damage.
Dazzling arcs of lightning violently enveloped half his body—electricity potent enough to instantly obliterate even werewolves and vampires famed for their regenerative powers. Yet, on this young man, it seemed about as harmless as a gentle breeze.
Bokue turned his head again, looking toward the sword-shaman girl behind him who was kneeling on the ground, cradling Nagisa Akatsuki's unconscious form protectively.
"A few seconds ago, I was still peacefully eating breakfast at a childhood friend's house nearby. Then suddenly, your side blew up out of nowhere. Didn't even finish my noodles before rushing over to help… Speaking of, considering I just saved you, the least you could do is thank me first, right?"
"Um… Thank you for saving me, Senpai."
Though Yukina had no idea where his calmness came from, she obediently and sincerely thanked him.
Bokue surveyed the chaos around them.
"Anyway, how did this happen? What's going on here?"
Turning back to the shopping center street behind them, he could see shattered glass scattered all over the sidewalk, blown out by the magical explosion. The asphalt had been ripped apart by golden lightning strikes, making the whole street look like it had been violently steamrolled by a convoy of armored trucks.
Still, it was a small miracle there were no obvious civilian casualties—except for two unlucky individuals who had been instantly charred to ashes.
Thankfully, the citizens of Itogami Island, a Demon Special Zone, had developed an innate survival instinct, much like a certain nation's ability to instinctively dodge trouble. At the slightest sign of supernatural combat, people would instantly scatter to safety, ducking into alleys or retreating deep into buildings.
As a result, the entire downtown street was already deserted. Only a few bent loudspeakers continued blaring alarm sounds into the emptiness.
"Actually, it went like this…"
Without hesitation, Yukina quickly and succinctly recounted what had happened just now.
Bokue listened intently, his eyes settling thoughtfully on the unconscious junior-high girl in Yukina's arms.
"From your description, it sounds less like an automatic defense from the familiar protecting its master, and more like PTSD triggering a mental breakdown, causing the familiar to rampage uncontrollably."
"And this lion... It's definitely one of the Fourth Primogenitor's familiars, right?"
Yukina nodded cautiously.
"Yes. Judging from its appearance and abilities, this should be the Fourth Primogenitor's fifth familiar—Regulus Aurum, the Lion of Gold."
"Got it."
Bokue turned his gaze back toward the enormous golden cat—or lion—that hovered before them. Their eyes met briefly amid the fierce crackling of electric sparks in the air.
ROOOOAR!
Sensing impending danger, the golden lion suddenly roared, leaping backward and landing firmly atop the rooftop across the street. Its claws gouged deep, defensive furrows into the concrete, wary eyes fixed steadily on Bokue, who still casually maintained his raised-hand posture below.
"By the way, Yukina, can you do me a favor?"
"Huh? What favor?"
"Hold this for me."
Before the sword-shaman girl could respond, Bokue turned around and handed over his half-finished bowl of chicken noodle soup, not forgetting to add:
"No stealing bites, okay? This is my breakfast. All I've eaten since morning is half this bowl of noodles, and I've been busy with physical labor for the past two hours. If you steal even a bite, I'll starve later. Also, most importantly, I've already eaten from this bowl, so who knows what'll happen if you share it?"
"Huh…?"
Only then did Yukina notice that he was still wearing nothing but a pair of cheap plastic slippers, and she couldn't help but twitch her lips slightly.
"Wha… Of course I wouldn't eat your food! Who do you think I am?!"
How could she possibly stoop so low? And even if he was joking, couldn't he pick a better time? And what was with the implication that something terrible would happen if she ate from the same bowl—is his germophobia really that severe? She wasn't dirty, for goodness sake!
While Yukina internally complained, Bokue had already turned his back and waved dismissively.
"Good. I'll be right back."
BOOM!
As soon as the words left his mouth, the young man shot upward, soaring high into the sky. As he passed by the giant golden lion cautiously perched on the rooftop, he reached out with one arm, effortlessly grabbing the enormous lion by the neck—just like the Raikage's Lariat technique in Naruto—and yanked it straight upward.
In half a second, man and lion ascended over a kilometer into the air, dominating the entire view of Itogami Island.
From this vantage point, the enormous artificial island seemed as small as a hand could easily cover. Violent winds whipped around them, and the clouds—once distant—now appeared within casual reach.
"Rrroar…"
The golden lion let out a low, dazed growl, clearly confused.
Like a mischievous cat caught in the act, planning to scratch and wreak havoc, only to suddenly receive a disciplinary slap from its owner and then be aggressively petted into submission—it didn't understand how a mere human could effortlessly drag it so high above the ground.
'Wait, who's the real monster?' The lion mentally questioned, bewildered.
Bokue cracked his knuckles casually, standing mid-air as if on solid ground.
"Honestly, I've never dealt with something like a familiar before."
"The easiest solution would be just punching you twice and sending you straight to your maker. But considering you're linked to your master, outright killing you could negatively affect her..."
He sounded as if he might peacefully resolve this—but immediately changed his tone:
"But leaving you just barely alive should be fine, right? Like weakening a Pokémon just enough so I can throw a Pokéball."
"ROOOOAR!"
"Ah, good! The kitty has spirit."
Bokue applauded lightly, his eyes glinting with anticipation.
"Now, let's fight!"
As soon as the word "fight" left his mouth, like the starter pistol at a track meet, Bokue vanished from sight. When he next appeared, he was directly before the lion, his fist slamming down mercilessly.
The golden lion, crackling with electricity, instantly plummeted from over a kilometer high, accelerating far beyond the speed of sound. Its descent generated five massive shockwaves visible to the naked eye, tearing violently through the air.
Seconds later, a colossal spray of water over a hundred meters high erupted spectacularly several kilometers offshore from Itogami Island.
A certain troublemaking kitty had officially learned its lesson.
<><><><><>
~ 30 Advanced Chapters Available on my Patreon
https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
<><><><><>
Keep the chapters coming—Support with Power Stones!