My stepsisters are sexy demons, and I must protect them

Hakuto freezes as he stares at the faint rain of fuchsia petals.

-Those rose petals… without a doubt, this is Akashi, one of the members of the Cult of the Primordial Shadow! D-Damn it… I thought things couldn't get any worse, but apparently there's no end to how bad it can get…-

Not only Hakuto, even Velshekar is paralyzed by the same terror.

-What is that bastard Akashi doing here?! And why are the petals fuchsia instead of red?! My chances of surviving were already slim, but now they're completely gone. Even abandoning this body and possessing another is not an option. If I took Clarissa, Chantal, or Shin, I'd only make things worse, while Hakuto—though surprisingly powerful—is almost as wrecked as I am. On top of that, I've never tried to possess someone who carries the Sacred Flame—it might destroy my spirit, and that's a risk I can't afford. As for Cassian's body… no, that would be suicide. His dark soul, infused with the life essence of Nyratalir himself, would annihilate me the moment I tried to take over… No matter how desperate, the safest choice is to keep fighting in this body…-

The petals gather as if drawn by an unseen force, shaping into a humanoid figure—then, a flash of fuchsia light.

«N-No way…» Hakuto murmurs, stunned.

«I have no idea what's going on, but things just got a whole lot more interesting,» Velshekar sneers, staring at the figure that emerges from the glow.

It isn't Akashi Chihane as they all expected… but Itsu—and that isn't even the most shocking part.

His body is wrapped in an intense fuchsia flame, and his right eye has been replaced by something everyone there recognizes all too well—the eye of the Fallen-One.

«Itsu… why do you have that eye? What's happening…?» Hakuto asks, his voice strained.

«A lot has happened since you gave me that little red sphere my brother entrusted to you. But I don't think this is the right moment to talk about it,» Itsu cuts him off, his tone unusually cold and serious.

-His brother…? This is the first time he's spoken of Akashi as his brother in such a calm way, without a trace of anger or resentment in his voice.-

«Akashi…» Cassian growls through clenched teeth. «You never stop causing me trouble, not even in death! But this time, I'll make sure you disappear from this world for good!»

Dozens of sharp shadow tentacles rise all around Cassian, aimed straight at Itsu.

They shoot forward at incredible speed, like a nest of serpents striking their prey.

But Itsu doesn't move an inch.

–SBAM!

An instant before the dark appendages can pierce him, a thick orange armor shaped like a skeleton materializes around his body, covering him from head to toe—his Innatus.

The shadow tentacles slam against the skeletal armor but fail to leave the slightest scratch, dissolving on contact.

«Itsu, it's been a long time,» Velshekar murmurs with a renewed smile—he knows all too well the immense power granted to those who possess the eye of the Fallen-One.

Itsu looks at him with suspicion.

«Do we know each other?»

«Oh yes, I imagine this form is new to you. It's me, Velshekar. Somehow you've managed to obtain Drakhul Volkom's eye and your brother's power. Combined with your own powerful Innatus, they create an unmatched blend of abilities. Come on, let's destroy Cassian together!»

«Someone like you talking about teamwork. You must really be desperate…» Itsu murmurs. «Anyway, as much as I appreciate the thought, in your current state you and Hakuto would only get in my way. You should know my brother died at Cassian's hands, but during their fight he managed to uncover the weakness of that seemingly invincible being. Attacking him directly is a waste of time and energy—you have to destroy the black mantle covering the ground. That's the only way to stop him from being reborn endlessly. Still, even knowing this, I'd be lying if I said I could defeat him alone. But I can buy some time, enough for you and Hakuto to recover your strength.»

«As if I'd just stand by and watch while your friends recover,» Cassian retorts.

More shadow tentacles rise, dozens upon dozens—not only aimed at Itsu, but also at Hakuto and Velshekar.

At a mere gesture of Cassian's hand, the sharpened appendages shoot forward at incredible speed.

Itsu thrusts both arms out in an instant—a torrent of blood gushes from his palms.

«Blood Word Lv. 4: Cocoore!»

From the pools of blood that spread out, countless thin crimson threads rise, rushing toward Hakuto and Velshekar. They coil around them, wrapping the two inside thick cocoons.

The Blood Word completes just in time—a moment later and their bodies would have been pierced through by the swarm of dark tentacles, wounds that even their fast regeneration would have taken too long to heal.

The sharp appendages slam again and again against the cocoons but fail to pierce them—for now, they're holding.

-Itsu… there are so many questions I want to ask him, but the more I think, the clearer it gets. Finally, things are starting to make sense. Itsu's screams and his sudden disappearance with the fuchsia light, the red sphere Akashi told me to deliver, the fragments I found in his apartment in Ashiya… so it contained the Fallen-One's eye. He said his brother died against Cassian, yet Akashi gave me that sphere long before the battle with Eskari in the Amazon. So… he had prepared everything that far in advance? Incredible…-

From inside the cocoon, Hakuto can clearly hear the roar of terrifying explosions shaking both the earth and the shell. The protective layer shudders under the relentless whips and thrusts of the tentacles, while Itsu struggles to keep them at bay.

-Itsu has become truly strong, but I can't let him fight alone! I just need to recover my strength as fast as possible!-

But this is where the second effect of the Blood Word Cocoore comes into play—not only protection from outside attacks, but also a source of energy for those inside.

Hakuto feels his strength returning much faster than usual, counting the seconds impatiently.

-Damn it… damn it… faster… I need to recover faster!-

—CRACK!

Despite its incredible resistance… in the end the shell gives way under Cassian's unstoppable blows.

A piercing scream of pain escapes Hakuto's lips as one of the tentacles breaks through the cocoon, stabbing clean through his calf despite the diamond armor covering it.

Streams of blood mix with the pink healing fluid found in the saliva of succubi and incubi, spilling from Hakuto's wounded leg.

In an instant, a fierce electric shock surges through his body from head to toe, strong enough to shatter the shadow tentacle.

But he knows that now the cocoon has broken, more tentacles will follow. And in such a confined space that protective shell would turn into a deadly trap.

-I've barely recovered half my energy, but I have no choice. I must break free and face Cassian together with Itsu!-