"Want it?"
Lynn waved the golden flame of life on his fingertip. The thick vitality it emitted made Aurora's eyes shine as she stared, drooling unconsciously.
Hearing his words, Aurora nodded without thinking, her eyes brimming with impatience.
Lynn's lips curled into a smile. "If you become a member of my Peerage, you'll have as much of this as you want."
"Mm-hmm!"
Aurora nodded again on reflex—then suddenly froze, her eyes clearing as the words sank in.
Peerage?
Me?
The Fourth True Ancestor?
Be someone else's follower?!
???
A string of question marks flashed through her mind.
Wait a minute... something feels off.
Wasn't this reversed?
Her gaze finally left the flame of life and shifted sharply to Lynn's face. Her scarlet eyes narrowed, and a flicker of malice emerged.
She didn't even try to hide it.
You want the Fourth True Ancestor to become your servant?
Aurora sneered. This guy... did he not understand the situation?
But...
As she scrutinized him more closely, a sliver of doubt entered her mind.
There was something strange about this man.
Those wine-red eyes showed no reverence. Not even a hint of fear toward her identity.
Aurora frowned. Her gaze swept across the room and landed on Liana, still kneeling on the ground.
Feeling Aurora's eyes on her, Liana immediately lowered her head. Her body stiffened, and sweat began to soak her back.
He dared say that to the Fourth True Ancestor?!
He was finished.
Liana's expression turned pale, her pupils dilating.
She will definitely rip him apart...!
She trembled at the mere thought.
On the other side.
Aurora, seeing Liana's reaction, gave a small nod of approval.
That's more like it. The correct response.
She looked toward Akatsuki Gajou next.
Hmm...
Anxious. Worried. Fearful. All acceptable.
But when her gaze moved to Yukari and Himeragi Yukina, her expression shifted slightly.
Calm?
They were the same as him?
Aurora wasn't pleased.
Have people forgotten the name of the Fourth True Ancestor?
What annoyed her more.
These two actually looked at Lynn with... respect?
Her brows knit slightly.
And on Yukina, she could even smell a trace of Lynn's aura.
Not just any aura either...
Something deeper.
Something not human.
Aurora's thoughts raced as she racked her memory.
And finally, she locked on.
Her eyes widened as she raised her head and asked in shock, "Devil?!"
Lynn wasn't surprised at all.
In fact, he felt her reaction was... slow.
The Fourth True Ancestor only just figured it out?
Was her brain still in sleep mode?
Aurora paused, stunned, but quickly recovered.
A devil was just a devil.
How could one ever compare to the supreme True Ancestor?
And yet...
A devil actually wants me to serve him?
What kind of joke was that?
Her eyes narrowed. "Devils are recruiting followers now too? Just like vampires?"
She'd never heard of such nonsense in her time.
But...
Anyone who dares provoke her must pay the price!
And that life energy... she still hadn't forgotten about it.
Her eyes gleamed with a wicked light.
He needs to be punished.
Severely.
Aurora licked her lips, voice sultry and dangerous. "You dare speak to me like that. Surely, you've accepted your fate?"
With those words, she suddenly lunged forward and reached for Lynn's neck.
She would drink his blood today.
Even if Cain himself tried to stop her!
Bang!
Just as her excitement peaked, Lynn's hand shot up and caught her wrist midair.
"...?"
Aurora blinked, confused.
"...!"
So strong?!
No matter how hard she pulled, she couldn't move an inch.
Lynn's expression remained calm. "Have you ever considered something?"
"...?"
Aurora paused, curiosity momentarily winning over anger.
He looked her dead in the eyes. "With such immense life energy... do you think someone like me would be easy to control?"
"!"
Her pupils shrank.
Before she could even react, a wave of dizziness hit her.
Thud!
With a dull impact, her body slammed against the ice.
A crisp duang echoed through the underground mausoleum.
Aurora's cheek was pressed against the cold surface, her eyes blinking blankly.
What just happened?
"Y-Your Majesty!"
Liana let out a panicked cry at the scene.
Yukari raised a brow, her face clearly saying, This is gonna be fun.
Gajou had quietly stepped back toward Akatsuki Kojou and Nagisa, relief in his eyes.
With Aurora distracted by Lynn...
Nagisa should be safe. For now.
Still, he didn't dare fully relax.
Meanwhile.
Aurora, dazed for several seconds, finally came to her senses.
She began struggling.
But Lynn's foot was already pressed down on her stomach, keeping her firmly pinned.
"Ugh!"
She let out a sound of protest, furious.
Her strength hadn't returned yet. She didn't even know where her twelve bodies were.
And now?
Being stepped on by a devil?
It was..
Unforgivable...!
But...
Lynn's earlier words echoed in her mind.
With that much life energy...
There's no way he's weak.
In that case.
Her expression changed again.
If she couldn't absorb him...
Then why not possess him?
A faint blue light shimmered around her body as her soul abruptly separated and flew toward Lynn.
"I'll just take this delicious body for myself!!"
Her eyes sparkled with triumph.
She had the upper hand now.
There was no way he'd expect a possession!
Lynn's brows twitched. He stared at her soul and gave a strange smile.
A soul body, huh...
She just happened to jump right into his domain.
With everything he'd learned recently from Miko, Midoriko, and the others, Lynn's spiritual strength had grown rapidly—like a rocket.
So this time...
Aurora had walked right into a trap.
Calm as ever, Lynn watched her approach.
Then, right before her soul made contact.
He raised his hand slightly.
(To be continued.)
***
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