In the starry sky within the Evil Piece space.
Aurora stared wide-eyed at Alrescha-Glacies, who was joyfully drifting about. Her mouth hung slightly open, her expression indescribable.
Alrescha-Glacies…
Had betrayed her?!
Aurora looked utterly stunned.
What the hell had happened?
A sense of foreboding welled up within her.
Something must have changed outside. Otherwise...
Why would Alrescha-Glacies be like this?
That man...
Lynn's face flashed through her mind, and she clenched her teeth.
There was no doubt. This was his doing!
Aurora bit her lip hard. Her fingertips went white as she squeezed her own hand.
Damn it!!
What do I do now?!
That faint hope she had felt when she first saw Alrescha-Glacies had been crushed by its cold indifference.
Meanwhile.
Alrescha-Glacies had not forgotten its former master. But...
Its connection with Aurora had already been completely severed.
It had a new master now.
Lynn.
This new master not only had an incredibly long lifespan, but also possessed magic of a quality and quantity that far surpassed anything it had ever known.
And more importantly...
He had brought it to such a beautiful and mysterious place.
Alrescha-Glacies was captivated by Pisces, its icy eyes completely absorbed by the constellation.
It felt it deep in its core.
This place could elevate its lifeform level.
So...
Aurora, abandoned and pitiful like a stray dog, was no longer worthy of its attention.
Alrescha-Glacies fully immersed itself in the mystery of Pisces.
At that moment.
Lynn appeared inside the Evil Piece space.
"Master!"
The moment Lynn arrived, Stella and the others immediately noticed him and rushed over with cheers and laughter.
Lynn gently patted each of their heads before turning his gaze to the starry sky.
That's when he noticed Alrescha-Glacies gliding gracefully through the nebula.
The corners of Lynn's lips curled upward slightly.
When he accepted a Peerage member, he received their beast as well.
And there were eleven more just like this.
Lynn couldn't help but feel anticipation stir inside him at the thought of what kind of transformation might occur after gathering them all.
Elsewhere.
Alrescha-Glacies sniffed the air. Sensing Lynn's presence, its massive body halted. It lowered its head slightly and spotted Lynn's figure.
Joy flickered in its eyes. With a soft hum, it swooped down toward him.
As it approached, Lynn noticed something.
This body...
Was larger than before?
He compared the current Alrescha-Glacies to the one he had seen sealed in the underground tomb.
Yeah...
It had definitely grown.
Lynn examined it closely.
There were other subtle changes too.
Most notably...
Through Alrescha-Glacies's translucent form, Lynn saw the constellation behind it.
Pisces, now enveloped in dense frost.
[Concept of Ice Acquired!]
Ice...
Pisces.
As expected, change had occurred.
It was just like the time he obtained the concept of Weight from Cancer.
But...
Lynn furrowed his brow.
There were other Peerage members with ice-related abilities.
Yet none of them triggered a concept in the Evil Piece space.
Why?
Lynn rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
He pulled up Kaguya Shinomiya's Evil Piece data to check her information.
Ah...
So that's it.
It must be a question of strength.
Suddenly.
A cold gust swept past him.
The air around Lynn was instantly blanketed in frost.
The next second.
The icy form of Alrescha-Glacies filled Lynn's vision.
"Yaa~—"
A clear and pleasant chirping echoed as Alrescha-Glacies shrank in size, then began to circle Lynn joyfully.
Lynn extended his right hand.
Alrescha-Glacies swam over, gently pressing her head into his palm and rubbing against it with closed eyes.
"?"
Not far away.
Aurora stared, completely stunned, and subconsciously clutched her chest.
Alrescha-Glacies...
Was showing affection to that man?!
Right in front of her former master?
It hurt.
It hurt so much.
Aurora covered her chest. Her breath caught, a sharp ache radiating through her body.
Why... Why did it come to this?!
Her eyes locked on Lynn's hand, which was stroking Alrescha-Glacies gently. Her teeth clenched hard.
As if sensing her glare, Lynn turned his head and looked toward Aurora.
His gaze was calm.
"!"
Aurora's heart tensed. She immediately looked away and tried to appear obedient.
Seeing this, Lynn raised an eyebrow, then turned to Stella and the others. "Looks like she's been trained well."
Aurora used to act as though the world revolved around her, second to none.
Even when he had her life in his hands, she still demanded Avrora summon Alrescha-Glacies to freeze him.
Now...
Seeing her shrunk back like a timid quail, a glint of surprise flickered in Lynn's eyes.
Aurora: "…"
Training?
No...
This was simply recognizing reality.
She glanced at the group of petite girls. Despite their appearance.
They were abyssal monsters.
They resembled familiars in form, but...
They were far too strong.
Even at her peak, these girls' power far surpassed her own familiars.
So...
When she saw Alrescha-Glacies appear, she never considered using it to fight them. Her only thought was using its power to escape.
Unfortunately...
Aurora lowered her head in frustration. The emotions swirling in her eyes were anything but calm.
She had known from the beginning this space was tied to Lynn.
But the moment she saw him in person, surrounded by girls who called him "Master"...
Her heart shook violently.
These girls, childlike in stature yet catastrophic in strength—were all Lynn's pets?
Gulp.
She swallowed dryly, her throat parched.
Only now did she truly realize how terrifying Lynn was.
Her earlier thoughts now seemed utterly ridiculous.
How could a being with such overwhelming vitality be ordinary?
Had she been asleep for too long?
Was her brain just mush now?
Could she not even think straight anymore?
Or had she been blinded by her own hunger?
Aurora was utterly disheartened and continued mentally berating herself.
She couldn't even relate to her old self anymore.
Lynn played with Alrescha-Glacies for a while in the Evil Piece space, then observed the new changes in the starry sky before quietly withdrawing.
When he opened his eyes, he was greeted by the sight of Avrora's bare back.
She was still dazed.
Lynn calmly conjured her Blessing panel and handed it to her.
"Take a look."
(To be continued.)
***
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