Chapter 97: Such a Simple Battle

The Exorcist had completely gone berserk. He picked up his battle-axe, which had fallen beside him, and with his now gigantic body, charged directly at Arthur.

Arthur didn’t retreat. For this attack, there was no need to dodge at all. He had no intention of holding back anymore. He manipulated the Wind King’s Barrier, condensing the wind pressure into his hand. Everyone could see it clearly—Arthur fully intended to annihilate this Exorcist.

Arthur's Wind King Hammer erupted, unleashing a destructive tornado that surged toward the Exorcist. The Exorcist trudged forward with difficulty, each step heavier than the last.

Arthur didn’t say a word. His other hand reached for his bow, magic power surging around him.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven—seven light arrows manifested in an instant.

One arrow falls, seven stars align!

Without hesitation, Arthur released all seven arrows at once!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The arrows shot out simultaneously, striking the same spot on the Exorcist’s Familiar.

“Useless! This is the defense I gained by sacrificing my life!!” the Exorcist roared.

“Is that so?” Arthur replied coldly.

The light arrows, all focused on a single point, continued to burn with radiance. Perhaps a single arrow wouldn’t penetrate his defense—but seven, layered upon one another, were a different story entirely.

Unfortunately, the Exorcist failed to understand the principle: constant dripping wears away the stone. Under the unrelenting assault of the seven arrows, his outer shell eventually collapsed. A radiant beam of light pierced straight through his body.

“H-How... how is this possible?!”

“Nothing is impossible,” Arthur replied calmly, walking toward him.

“Goodbye, pitiful Exorcist.”

Suddenly, figures rushed to Arthur’s side. Each of them wielded varying degrees of magical power. The Demon Slayers of Itogami Island had finally arrived.

“I say... do you guys know the Hong Kong police?” Arthur muttered, glancing at the group. Unsurprisingly, none of them understood what he meant.

“You really did a good job. You're more reliable than I expected,” came a familiar voice.

Natsuki Minamiya’s small figure appeared, fan in hand, and she lightly tapped one of the Demon Slayers. She gave Arthur a nod, acknowledging that he had performed well.

Arthur said nothing. Instead, he walked over to pick up Astarte. A faint sphere of magic power formed in his hand, its light softly enveloping her.

The glowing energy slowly seeped into Astarte’s body.

“This little girl will be entrusted to you,” Arthur said. “Treat her well. From now on, I’ll be the one raising her.”

Arthur then turned and left with Yukina Himeragi. Natsuki instructed others to take Astarte away. But then, she caught sight of someone who shouldn’t have been here.

“kojou Akatsuki! What are you doing here!?”

kojou, who had hoped to slip away unnoticed in the chaos, turned around sheepishly.
“Uh... Teacher Natsuki, what a coincidence.”

“Yes. What a coincidence,” she said, fanning herself with a dangerous smile.

“Come to my office tomorrow. We need to have a long talk about the cause, the process, and the result of this whole incident.”

Natsuki glared at him. She hadn’t been this furious in a long time.

“Got it…” kojou mumbled, clearly resigned. It was just his luck. As he walked off, his mind replayed the scenes he’d witnessed today. Arthur’s power was terrifying. The level of destruction from their battle was immense.

Looking around at the surrounding ruins, kojou couldn’t help but wonder about his own power.
Can my Familiars do something like that?
He had no idea how terrifying his Familiars truly were, nor did he know how high Arthur’s limits reached. Under the bright moonlight, kojou clenched his fists tightly, as if something within him was ready to break free.


---

Meanwhile, Yukina Himeragi, walking alongside Arthur, kept glancing at him. Her eyes shimmered with curiosity.

“What’s wrong, Yukina? What are you looking at?”

Arthur was puzzled. Ever since the battle ended, she had been staring at him.

“Nothing...” Yukina hesitated, then asked,
“Teacher, was that really your true strength?”

Arthur smiled and shook his head.
“My true strength? Not even close. Against that guy, I didn’t even use ten percent of my power.”

“What?! Someone who couldn’t even beat an old-era vampire... couldn’t even push Teacher to use ten percent?”

Yukina was stunned. If that wasn’t even a fraction of Arthur’s true strength, just how powerful was he?


---

“Alright. Go home and sleep—it's already very late.”

“Mm!” Yukina nodded obediently.

If, before today, Arthur was simply her respected teacher—then now, he had become her hero. Especially after saving her life, Yukina felt an overwhelming sense of admiration and gratitude.


---

At the same time, in a distant corner of the world—inside the War King’s territory—something unusual was unfolding.

“Vattler, this time on Itogami Island, you must bring back the Fourth Progenitor,” the War King declared from atop his throne, his gaze full of majesty.

Below him, Vattler bowed respectfully.
“But, my King... the target is a True Ancestor. I’m not sure I’m strong enough to subdue him.”

Though Vattler was arrogant, he wasn’t foolish. A True Ancestor was on a completely different level. Even if Vattler was the strongest beneath the Vampire Ancestors, he was still far from their league.

“It doesn’t matter. I entrust this to you.”
The War King tossed a small ornate box toward Vattler.

Catching it, Vattler examined the delicate item with curiosity. What could possibly be inside that would sway a True Ancestor’s decision?

The War King continued,
“Last time, we suffered tremendous humiliation. If we don’t quickly grow stronger, the other factions will crush us. That’s why your mission must succeed. Understood?”

“Yes, my King,” Vattler replied solemnly, accepting the task.

“Oh, my powerful and beautiful Fourth Progenitor...” he thought to himself.
“I wonder if you will let me witness the most powerful force in this world.”

But suddenly, a memory surged in his mind—a terrifying figure wielding a black greatsword. That image had haunted him ever since. Even his strongest trump card couldn’t last more than a few moves against that monster.

That moment—the day he was overwhelmed by that being’s presence—Vattler had felt true fear. A fear that he, of all people, couldn’t forget.

“That guy... is best left alone.”

Unfortunately for him, Vattler had no idea that the very person he feared most was currently living quite peacefully—on Itogami Island.


---