Chapter 96

As our weapons clashed in a deadly dance, Iris spoke with the leisurely air of a kindly old grandfather.

"Hmm. Dost thou know? There are three reasons demons take humans as vassals. First, as pawns—like myself. Second, as outlets for desire. And third... as partners. Which art thou?"

"The third, in Albert-sama’s case."

He’d made me his vassal to break his curse. That alone placed me in the third category. I’d never been treated as a mere tool, nor as an object of lust.

"Mmm. As I thought. ’Twas plain to see. Yet fate is a curious thing. I investigated thy past, to some extent. A chance meeting—Albert collapsed on the roadside, saved by thee. A betrothal to break a curse. And now, mutual affection. Quite tangled, is it not?"

"Not really. It’s simpler than you think. I came to cherish Albert-sama... and he, in turn, cherishes me. That’s all."

Truthfully, there was nothing extraordinary about it. Love had simply grown unnoticed, as it often does—the kind found everywhere, if one bothers to look.

"Hmm. Youth is a splendid thing. It reminds me of my late wife. ...But enough chatter. We are our masters’ hounds. Thus, we slaughter their enemies. Agreed? Eh, Yuuka?"

"Yes. Let’s settle this."

The pressure radiating from Iris intensified, a crushing aura meant to overwhelm me.

A moment of silence. The next exchange would decide it—whether I fell, she fell, or both.

"Then behold my trump card. Surpass it if thou canst—Yamata no Orochi, the Eight-Headed Serpent!"

"GYAAAAAAAAAOOOOOON!!!"

A monstrous silhouette erupted behind her: an eight-headed, eight-tailed serpent, its colossal frame stretching over 20 meters. Its scales shimmered venomous purple and gold—the legendary Yamata no Orochi in the flesh.

"A talent for summoning, it seems. My master recognized it. Canst thou overcome this?"

"It’s not a question of can. I will."

"Bold words! Prove them!"

"I hadn’t planned to unveil this today... but I’ll do what I must."

With that, I resolved to play my trump card. Against an opponent like this, holding back would be fatal.

Crackling electricity erupted around me, static snapping intermittently. In my palm, a single iron nail levitated, aimed at the Orochi. A force born of electromagnetism—an attack harnessing the very laws of physics. Its name—

"Railgun: Super Electromagnetic Cannon."

A hypersonic projectile tore through the air.

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