The demon Basara was furious.
The vessel he so desperately wanted was right in front of him but everything was ruined by an intruder.
Not only had he failed to take the body of the saint, but he had taken the body of a human being who looked like a little girl.
Nothing could have been more humiliating.
Basara looked down angrily at the way things had turned out, and suddenly felt a pang of doubt.
[This?]
Basara's eyes lit up as he took a look at the body he had unintentionally taken over. Normally, a human body containing his power should have disintegrated, its skin cracking like a drought because uncontrolled power is a curse. But there was nothing wrong with his current body.
It was more than fine, it was too fine.
Because it was strong?
No. In terms of strength, Louispold's body was the most ideal.
But this body was still healthy for one reason. Her potential was greater than anything else.
[Her magical potential is far greater than Louispold. She may be weak now, but in a few years, her talent will be in full bloom.]
The heights to which Louispold had been driven by the inhumane experiments were merely milestones that Flora could reach in the not-too-distant future.
Such was Flora's talent. A once-in-a-century occurrence.
[I had originally intended to take the body of the saint.]
It was like finding a jewel in an unexpected place.
Basara scattered his power throughout Flora's body. The important thing now was to take control of Flora's mind.
Basara was a demon of deception and mind control. It was no small feat to extinguish a student's mind and turn her into an idiot.
Moreover, this girl, Flora Lumos, harbored a great deal of darkness in her heart.
Despite her magical talents, she is not accepted by her family and suffers from severe trauma.
Although she presents a façade of strength and dominance, she is very vulnerable and easily hurt by the slightest criticism.
Basara couldn't have asked for easier prey and sought to destroy Flora's self.
[What?]
But it didn't work as he thought.
Flora's tiny, delicate self fiercely resisted Basara's will.
If he tried to force her, he might actually lose control of her body.
[Yes, such resistance is to be expected given your talent].
Basara decided to hold off on destroying Flora's self because as it stood, there was no immediate danger of him losing control.
With his demonic powers, Basara pushed Flora's physical potential to the limit.
[The colors I see with my eyes, the scents I smell with my nose. What a body, to be able to feel the power of magic so sensually.]
A pleasant smile tugged at the corners of Basara's mouth as he took over Flora's body.
Flora's appearance had also changed slightly due to the demonic power. Her once blue-black hair had turned jet-black, like the darkness of a starless night sky. Her skin had become more lustrous, and her eyes had taken on a strangely seductive glow.
Squeezing her own hand, Basara turned to Rene, who was now staring at her in disbelief.
* * *
Darkness, like a violent storm, swirled around Flora.
In skin-crawling terror, Rene couldn't take her eyes off the scene before her. Soon enough, the storm subsided and a seemingly unharmed Flora emerged. But something was off about her appearance.
Her hair color had changed, but more importantly, her aura was different.
"Who are you?"
Renee asked without realizing it.
The figure was Flora, but there was an inky darkness behind her. The darkness was eerily similar to the one she'd seen underground.
She felt an instinctive certainty that she wasn't Flora and something else had taken over her body.
Basara, who had taken over Flora's body, raised her index finger to the corner of her mouth and smiled at Rene's question.
"Hmm, curious. Why would a saint of this era be here without an escort? Moreover, it seems you haven't even fully awakened your abilities yet."
"……."
Rene didn't understand what Basara was talking about. What was a saint and what was an awakening?
Just as she was about to ask, she felt a stabbing pain in her eyes.
"Ouch!"
"Hmph. My judgment still seems a little immature. I must have woken up in an absurd world."
Basara muttered to himself as he gazed at the architecture of the capital.
Suddenly, Basara wondered how much stronger he could become if he harnessed the power of this body.
If this was the case, he might be able to fulfill his mission once again.
Then let's test it.
What great things could be done with this body.
"Mu, what happened?"
"Suddenly my head……."
The panicked students and guards around him woke up.
"I guess I should clean up here first."
Basara muttered that and snapped his fingers.
At that moment, black shadows swirled around him, scattering a dark aura in all directions.
The black particles contained within themselves the emotion of negativity. As it spread in all directions, the people, at first wondering what was going on, quickly turned to panic and they froze in place, floating like aspens.
Rene felt her head hurt at the sight and Basara marveled at her ability to maintain her sanity in the midst of such a dense atmosphere.
"Still, a saint is a saint, and even if she doesn't realize it, she is unaffected by my power."
Flora's slender, pure white index finger pointed at Rene.
"Then I have no choice but to kill you myself."
Black magic began to form at his fingertips.
It was nothing more than a high concentration of compressed energy but it was a blow that would be impossible for the current Rene to block.
Rene knew it, and staggered back. She didn't know how, but Basara was trying to kill her now.
If only she could get out of the way.
"Ah, there's no point in running away."
As if reading her mind, Basara smiled seductively and reoriented his fingers as a pulsing black aura pointed at the panicked people.
"If you run, I will kill everyone here, but if you don't run, I promise I will only kill you and leave these people untouched."
"……."
It was a lie, of course. Basara's mission was the extermination of all humans. Still, saying this was nothing more than a way to taunt Rene.
She knew it, but she couldn't get away.
Basara smirked.
"You're a sweet girl, and the owner of this body thinks so too."
Basara turned on his feet and walked slowly toward Rene.
"The human who interrupted me seems to care deeply about you. If that's the case, I'll have to kill you to get even."
Basara turned his right hand and the black magic at his fingertips spread out around his hand, transforming it into a sharp beast's hand.
This vicious grasp was directed at Rene's heart.
"Goodbye."
Just as he was about to stab his hand into it something stepped out of Rene's shadow and grabbed Basara's wrist.
"Teacher?"
Rene stared at Rudger's back in disbelief.
From the shadows, Rudger slowly rose to his feet.
Shrouded in Aether Nocturnus, he glared at Basara with eyes that boiled behind his mask.
Basara was not displeased to be interrupted. In fact, he even smirked, as if he had been waiting for him.
"Well, well. You finally came?"
"You've suddenly taken an unpleasant turn in tone."
"I'm acting in accordance with the body's owner. It's called respect. Why? Does it suit you?"
Rudger didn't answer. Instead, he reached out with his right hand and extended his index finger toward Basara.
The gesture reminded Basara of an underground fight, and he backed away.
Only later did he realize that Rudger's gesture contained no magic, and he frowned in annoyance.
Meanwhile, Rudger turned his head slightly to look back at Rene.
"Rene, are you okay?"
"Yes, yes. I'm fine, but you, sir, you look like……."
Rene stuttered, unable to adjust to Rudger's shadowy form.
Rudger glanced at Rene's condition, then back at Basara.
"I'll deal with him. You evacuate those around you."
The words reminded Rene of what was important right now.
"Senior Flora was taken while trying to save me."
"……Yes."
"Can she be saved?"
"That's……."
Rudger couldn't answer easily. This was the first time he had ever fought against a demon that had taken over a human body in the first place.
There were a lot of things to consider, starting with the complete separation of body and soul. And it wasn't like Basara was going to allow it.
With every second counting, he wondered if he could bring Flora back in one piece.
It was a luxury to even question that.
"Don't worry. I'll be done in a minute."
She must have sensed something in that short answer so Rene breathed a sigh of relief and stood up.
As she slowly backed away, Basara stared at Rudger.
Just as he was about to say something, Rudger cast a spell and his shadow engulfed Basara.
The shadows shifted their position from the streets within sight of the palace to a deserted square with no people in sight.
Basara looked around at the change in scenery.
There was no one around so it was clear from there what Rudger's intentions were.
"Interesting."
Basara knew it, but he deliberately didn't resist Rudger's magic. He was certain that no matter what he did, he would not be defeated.
Basara was happy to participate in the entertainment.
"Why don't you get some help, I don't think you can do this alone."
"No matter how many people there are, they'll only get in the way."
"Really? Is that why you kicked that saint out?"
Basara giggled in amusement. It was the first smile he had ever seen on Flora's face but Rudger found the sight more offensive than refreshing.
"You're lying. You think I don't know you came all the way here on purpose because you're worried about her?"
"You speak as if you've suddenly become intimately acquainted with me."
"Of course I do. I got a glimpse of her memories when I took over this body. I think I know who you are now. You care about people, even if you pretend not to, and you care about that kid in particular. The owner of this body must be very disappointed."
"……."
Rudger didn't answer but Basara didn't say it because she wanted a response. Rather, she said it to make Rudger feel bad and it seemed to work.
Rudger didn't show his feelings outwardly, but the hostility in his eyes grew stronger.
Even now, in possession of a perfectly gifted body, it made his skin crawl and Basara laughed in amusement.
"Are you going to kill me, and if you kill me, this child will die with me?"
"If necessary."
"You really are a ruthless teacher."
Basara smiled seductively and spread his arms wide.
It was an invitation to come and play and Rudger took a step toward her as a violent storm of darkness began to swirl around Basara.
There was no finesse or skill, just the overwhelming violence of power emanating from a body whose talents had blossomed to the extreme.
With that alone, the entire street was swallowed up by the storm.
Rudger took a slow step forward, his gaze fixed on Basara.
The storm pushed him forward as the distance was only a few meters, but taking a single step was far more arduous than traveling a thousand miles.
Worse, the closer they got, the more exponentially the density of the storm's power increased.
His breath caught in his throat and his vision blurred as Rudger's steps slowed but Basara remained still deliberately.
It was such a pleasure to watch the man who had driven him to annihilation panic under the strain.
All this time, as a demon, Basara had wielded the emotions of others while remaining numb to his own. He thought emotions were a waste of time and a distraction.
Basara admitted that he had been stupid, he didn't realize it when he didn't feel it, but now he did.
Emotions are a good thing. Especially when it comes to watching humans struggle.
It was sweeter than a drop of water in the midst of a soul-twisting thirst.
For now, at this moment, Basara decided to put aside the agenda of his mission and focus on one thing.
Let me taste more.
Delight me more.
See how far the man in front of her would go.
What a pleasure it would be to watch the process, and then to show the master of this body his shabby end.
Just thinking about it was enough to drive him crazy with excitement.
"Ahaha! Don't give up, sir, for your student is waiting here pitifully!"
The shout rang clearly in Rudger's ears, even through the dark storm.
* * *
Aidan fell into a deep sleep. He felt as if he were floating alone in a pitch-black space.
Despite his awareness that it was a dream, his body vehemently refused to wake up.
I wonder what happened.
Just as Aidan was about to ask himself that question, a light flashed in front of his eyes.
-Hey! Wake up!
Who is that?
The voice sounded vaguely familiar. But the shout wasn't enough to wash away the darkness.
-If you sleep here, you're going to pay for it! I thought you told me not to sleep on the floor!
At the sound of that vaguely familiar voice, Aidan's eyes widened at the intense energy that erupted from the depths of his mind.
"Ugh!"
Aidan screamed as the area around his eyes was throbbing with pain.
"Uh, sorry. Did I hit you too hard?"
"Master……?"
Aidan's eyes widened as he recognized his master, Madeline.
"What the hell happened…….?"
"I just wanted you to wake up. Here, take your staff, it's shaped like a sword, just like you."
"What? Why?"
"Why?"
Forcing Aidan to his feet, Madeline pointed to the massive dark storm spreading in the distance.
"We need to get through that."
"……?"