Familiarion Kingdom, royal palace.
A fair-skinned, curvaceous red-haired girl stood on the training field, swinging a greatsword.
Sweat dripped from her brow, matting her crimson locks.
One minute, five, ten…
Ignoring her body's protests, Stephani pushed her limits with sheer will.
Then, she froze, a terrifying aura erupting. "Who's there!"
"Greetings, Crimson Princess."
Ripples shimmered in the air as Le Fay appeared at the field's edge. "I'm Le Fay Pendragon, here with no hostility."
"Pendragon?" Stephani frowned, recalling a monstrous figure from days ago. "Arthur Pendragon's relation?"
"My brother."
"So, Brigade of Calamity too?"
"Yup."
"I've said it a million times—I'm not joining the Brigade," Stephani snapped, her expression icing over.
Since Cao Cao's group arrived in Familiarion half a month ago, they'd kept sending people.
The first was fine; she'd repelled Jeanne with her strength.
But the second time, the Hero Faction upped the ante, sending Arthur.
She was utterly outclassed, no chance to fight back.
Then Cao Cao himself extended an invitation.
But…
"No matter how dire Familiarion's state, we'll never bow to terrorists!" Stephani declared. "Tell Cao Cao I'll fight to my last breath, with Familiarion!"
Boom!
Surging flames roared, forming a dragon that charged Le Fay.
"Please, calm down. I'm here for the Red Dragon Emperor, not the Brigade," Le Fay dodged, explaining.
"Hm?"
Stephani paused.
Though Familiarion was small, she knew of Roy and the Brigade's enmity.
"You're Roy's spy in Cao Cao's ranks?"
"Misunderstanding. I just have a deal with Roy," Le Fay said, pulling a letter and sending it over with mana. "Roy asked me to deliver this. Please take it."
"A letter? What's in it?"
"No clue. I'm just the courier," Le Fay said. "But personally, I'd read it."
"…Fine. You can go."
Stephani took the letter, waving her off.
Le Fay vanished via teleportation magic.
Scanning the area with her senses, confirming no threats, Stephani opened the envelope.
No letter inside—just a business card.
[Gremory Odd Jobs: We'll fulfill any wish.]
Stephani got Roy's drift.
He was drumming up clients.
Devils often built networks through commissions.
"Red Dragon Emperor… might be worth a shot," she mused.
Roy's rep wasn't stellar, but he wasn't a terrorist.
Plus, his Akatsuki ties put him at odds with certain governments.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Hiring Roy could be a smart move.
"I'll find a chance to reach out."
---
Meanwhile.
After parting with Le Fay, Roy teleported back to the villa's third-basement training area.
A day later, Rukia was still in her isolation barrier, unmoved.
Standing by her, Roy noted her dropping body temperature and fluctuating aura. "Trouble, huh."
He cast Senjutsu and magic, setting a triple array beside her.
He couldn't directly aid her Bankai, but external support was fair.
The array would replenish her spiritual pressure.
If she couldn't master Bankai with this, she needed more work.
"Good luck."
Leaving Rukia, Roy exited the basement, returning to his room.
"Roy! You're back!" an eager voice called.
Asia and Xenovia sat on his bed, fiddling with a pile of cards.
Both wore sheer nightgowns, their figures faintly visible under the light.
Seeing Roy, Asia yelped, blushing. "R-Roy, g-good evening."
"Xenovia found a fun board game. Wanna play?"
"Sure," Roy said, sitting on the bed and picking up cards.
[Hypnosis Pocket Watch: Use to command target to do anything.]
[Spiked Drink: Grants a drink laced with a white pill.]
[Cicada Shell: Remove one clothing item, dodge enemy card effects, draw a card.]
"?"
Roy's brow twitched.
Was he that out of touch? Since when were board games like this?
"Pretty cool, right?" Xenovia beamed. "I asked Rias and bought it from an exclusive shop!"
"Don't let the cards fool you—they're made with special materials, etched with magic!"
"Activate them with mana, and they work for real!"
"That's wild," Roy said, intrigued.
Grabbing the remaining cards, he asked, "Xenovia's one thing, but Asia's playing too?"
"…Yup," Asia mumbled.
Her gratitude for Roy saving her life had blossomed into affection.
Living together, his constant help pushed her to the edge of something more.
So, when Xenovia invited her, Asia jumped in.
She set up the game board on the bed. "R-Ready!"
"My turn!" Roy grabbed the dice, swapping to luck-based entries led by Fortune's Convergence.
The dice rolled, landing on six.
Moving his piece six spaces, Roy triggered an event.
[Top Exam Rank: You aced the monthly exam. Draw two cards.]
"Lucky start," Roy said, drawing and playing instantly. "I activate Ex Nihilo, drawing four more cards."
"Huh?"
"For real?!" Xenovia and Asia gaped at his luck.
Roy kept going. "Ex Nihilo again, draw two!"
"Chain Link: Your next card effect hits both of you!"
"Power Weld: My next card's effect doubles!"
"Fusion: I combine two Hypnosis Pocket Watches!"
"You two skip your next two turns!"
"My turn again!"
Asia: "?"
Xenovia: "?"
This… this ain't right.
---
Time passed.
Through skill and sweat, Roy crushed it, leaving Asia and Xenovia in the dust.
A night of intense "sparring" followed, toppling both.
Leaving them to nap, Roy stepped out, opening his status panel.
[Asia is smitten. Entry 'You Are All My Wings' enhanced.]
[Xenovia is smitten. Entry 'You Are All My Wings' enhanced.]
"Interesting," Roy mused, rubbing his chin.
When he first got [You Are All My Wings], he'd tested it with schoolgirls, trading charm for results.
Fast-tracking to the final step didn't trigger smitten status.
Further tests, via Rias and others, led to a conclusion.
[You Are All My Wings]' smitten condition was a digitized affection meter.
Only maxing it triggered the status.
Until now, Roy hadn't realized "deep bonding" could speed it up.
His women fell into two camps: Sona and Rias, smitten before diving in, or classmates and Serafall, diving in without triggering smitten.
Asia and Xenovia, hitting smitten right after, were a first.
"So, at a tipping point, deep bonding accelerates smitten status," Roy concluded, eyeing [You Are All My Wings].
With Asia and Xenovia, the entry had seven boosts, five from max.
Fully maxed, it'd grant +500 training speed and +500 charisma—a hefty buff.
But it needed time and the right moments.
Closing the panel, Roy pulled out a letter.
Le Fay's intel on the Old Demon Faction from yesterday.
He'd known they'd target the summit, but their lineup was far stronger than in the source material.
To maximize gains, he'd need prep.
---
A week passed.
Roy enjoyed rare peace, focusing on training and small research.
Time power applications and Evil Piece analysis progressed steadily.
Entry-wise, after distributing sealing devices, Akatsuki's spirit and demon capture efficiency soared.
Teaming with the Lion King Agency to hit crime syndicates and rogue mages, Akatsuki's HQ jail filled with terrorists, and their warehouse brimmed with sealed devices.
Thanks to this, Roy, chilling for a week, had to visit HQ to clear inventory.
"Strength in numbers," Roy sighed, exiting the underground cells after wiping out spirits and criminals.
He netted 233 White Entries, 110 Green, and 6 Blue.
Compared to his old grind of hunting for entries, this was way more efficient.
Skimming the new entries, Roy closed the panel, turning to his follower. "Caught so many spirits. Anyone earn enough contribution for an awakening slot?"
"Yup, five people," Suzuki Masaru said, handing over five files.
Akatsuki ran on a contribution system.
Capturing spirits, demons, or terrorists earned points based on target strength.
Points could buy magic, gear, intel—or awakening slots.
Since Roy showcased awakening powers at Akatsuki's founding, most members aimed for that.
A week in, the top performers had enough points.
Roy took the list, eyeing the first file.
[Applicant: Suzuki Masaru]
"?"
Staring for two seconds, Roy asked, "Masaru, skimming bribes?"
"Uh… took some 'fees,' but I've worked hard for the group, boss. Trust me."
"I do," Roy nodded, flipping to the next.
[Applicant: Meredith Aldington]
"Miss Meredith gained followers after making sealing devices, racking up points," Masaru explained.
[Applicant: Suzuki Ichiro]
"Cough—my dad used branch chief perks for prime intel. Those top-wanted guys you just took out? His catches," Masaru said.
[Applicant: Magical Girl Levi]
"Miss Serafall showed up days ago. Joined Akatsuki and extorted tons of points from others," Masaru added.
[Applicant: Gojo Satoru]
"Mr. Gojo joined recently too. As Gojo Clan head, he donated heaps of cash and bought points."
"…I get it now. You're all packing serious skills," Roy said, half-joking, half-wondering if he should replace Akatsuki's management.
At this rate, Akatsuki would turn into a shady "Night Organization" in three months, all backroom deals.
"Boss, trust me!" Masaru pleaded, sensing Roy's thoughts. "I'm trying, but Akatsuki's a mess!"
Blame him?
Suzuki Ichiro: His dad.
Meredith: Likely the boss's girl.
Serafall: Demon Lord.
Gojo Satoru: Akatsuki's biggest investor.
All heavyweights with scary power. He couldn't control them!
"Fine, one chance," Roy said, not firing Masaru but devising a fix. "Send a notice: no private point trading or collecting."
"Points come from missions only. No suppressing the grunts' drive."
"Got it!" Masaru exhaled.
He couldn't rein in Gojo or the others, but Roy could.
With Roy's orders, things would smooth out.
"Boss, when's the awakening ceremony?"
"Skipping it. Showcasing you lot would crush the others' morale," Roy said, tossing Masaru a Green Entry.
A ceremony for these schemers would just demoralize the regular workers.
"Meredith's fine; I'll handle her at home."
"Gojo and Ichiro, have them at HQ tomorrow."
"And Miss Serafall?"
"Finding her now."
Roy summoned a teleportation array.
Time to head back to Kuoh for the Three Factions Summit prep.
---
If you want to read more than 20 chapters early feel free to visit pa tre on . com /Archus