Summon the Twelve Kizuki at the Start!

Rokuro was not a noble man. But at the very least, he was a subordinate absolutely loyal to Rivo's command.

Once Rivo gave his order, Rokuro lowered his body and remained kneeling without moving.

Meanwhile, far away, Akaza—who was preparing to go out in search of his enemy—suddenly felt a shift in his body. His strength surged, rising with incredible speed. It was so rapid that even Akaza himself found it hard to believe.

At the same time, countless memories of past battles flooded his mind.

His promotion had come—not only as a servant, but his star rank had risen as well.

A one-star servant held the power of a typical Lower Moon demon, but a two-star servant was something else entirely.

He could now break the previous limits. His body's strength and speed were greatly enhanced.

"Amazing…"

"So this is power…"

Looking at the swelling muscles in his arms, Akaza's eyes lit up with excitement.

He knew—this was granted by his master. There had been no room left for others to grow, but the gift had been given to him.

This recognition made Akaza's heart swell with pride. His potential had been acknowledged.

And now, even if he were to battle Doma, that filth who devours women, he would not lose.

If he encountered that mysterious strong enemy again, Akaza believed he could now keep up.

"I won't disappoint Master Rivo…"

A slight grin crept across Akaza's face, not just from his rising strength, but from the new mission imprinted in his mind.

He was ordered to protect the life of the Former Prime Minister.

General Esdeath would return in less than half a month.

But Akaza's speed would allow him to get there before her.

Even if he couldn't save the minister in time, he would at least turn him into a demon before the last breath left his body.

East of the Imperial Capital – Elysium Dawn headquarters.

After months of expansion, Elysium Dawn had grown to a sect of hundreds.

The darker humanity became, the more hopeless life grew for the poor.

And that hopelessness led them to faith—a chance for meaning.

That was how Elysium Dawn, under the guise of religion, flourished into the only armed cult within the capital.

Inside its compound, Doma suddenly felt something.

As a demon of the same lineage, he could sense when another had died—or when one broke their limits.

"Your Excellency… it seems the master favors you now."

He muttered lazily, staring at the devout followers below.

There was no jealousy in his voice. He wasn't obsessed with power like the Higher-Ups.

Doma had his own desires: to fulfill Rivo's tasks and grow Elysium Dawn into a haven for harvesting high-quality human souls.

But just as everything was going according to plan...

Boom!

A wall exploded beside him. A piercing beam of aurora light shot through the dust and struck Doma's chest.

"Gah—!"

Doma coughed blood, eyes wide with shock. The sudden attack had pierced straight through him.

Even with his ability to sense danger, the speed was too fast.

Below, the once-praying followers panicked.

"Lord Doma!"

"Lord Doma—!"

To them, Doma was divine—their salvation. If he died, so did their hope.

"Looks like he's dead, Mine."

Two figures emerged from the smoke of the crumbling wall.

One wore a lilac cheongsam, long purple hair cascading to her waist.

Her cold eyes alone made people tremble.

Beside her stood a girl with pink twin-tails, calmly holding a massive firearm.

They were members of Night Raid.

The one with the gun was Mine, the sharpshooter from the western tribes.

The other was Sheele, calm and deadly, her massive scissors resting at her waist.

"Well, that makes it easier."

"Let's go. We've got to report back to Najenda."

Mine raised her gun, glancing at Doma's unmoving body.

But before she could turn, Sheele suddenly drew her scissors.

Both women were seasoned warriors—Imperial Arms users—and possessed peak battle instincts.

"No way…"

Mine's pupils widened in disbelief as Doma slowly stood back up, the hole in his chest beginning to freeze over.

The warning from their last mission resurfaced:

Najenda had told them about Daki and Gyutaro—demons who had been killed multiple times, only to regenerate.

Realizing the threat, Mine aimed her Pumpkin directly at Doma.

Bang!

She fired instantly. The blast tore through walls and shrouded the room in smoke and rubble.

"That should've—"

"Such a dangerous toy, and in the hands of such a cute girl."

A voice whispered behind her.

Mine froze. Doma was already beside her. One hand stroked her gun gently.

"Aaaaah—!"

Sheele moved in, but it was too late. Frost bloomed across Mine's body—along with the entire firearm—encasing half of her in ice.

The freezing pain was excruciating, and even Mine's consciousness began to fade.