The abandoned Quartz Gate stood like an illusory and desolate glass castle.
At the center of this castle, beneath the glass ceiling, a figure stood tall.
His slender yet upright fra evoked the image of a pine tree.
Judging by his appearance, he appeared to be male.
However, his face was concealed behind a mask, obscuring his features.
Surrounding the plaza, arranged in a fan-like formation, were twelve coffins.
In four of these coffins lay four identical-looking girls.
Number Eleven, Number Eight, Number Seven.
And Number One.
The four vessels he possessed now rested peacefully in their coffins, their eyes closed as if they had already crossed the bridge of oblivion. Only the faint rise and fall of their chests proved they still clung to life.
At the very center of the twelve coffins was a gray-haired girl encased in crystalline gemstones.
Her body was emaciated like a mummy, devoid of any sign of life.
The masked man silently gazed at the withered remains.
"Not here yet?"
His deliberately deepened voice carried a hint of impatience.
The masked man turned and looked toward the inner part of the plaza.
There stood two won—one older, one younger.
The elder woman wore white robes, her shoulder-length short hair giving her a sharp deanor. Her eyes were as rciless as an assassin's. She was the woman who had previously kidnapped Nagisa Akatsuki, known as Toyama.
At that mont, she was restraining a young girl who appeared to be only thirteen or fourteen years old. The girl had short, tied-up black hair and an adorable face that now looked utterly miserable.
That girl was Nagisa Akatsuki.
When she woke up, she found herself in the central plaza of Quartz Gate.
Threatened with harm to her family, Nagisa dared not resist and could only wait obediently.
The sight of the coffins scattered on the ground in the distance sent chills down her spine—there was no doubt they contained the demon race she feared most.
And now.
The sky was gradually darkening.
Golden twilight stread like flowing light, casting the last of its warmth and brilliance upon the earth. The chill of night slowly crept in, and the masked man's heart grew colder with it.
"Don't rush."
Toyama cast him a cold glance, her stern expression unwavering.
"Kojou Akatsuki will definitely bring Acolyte here. What you should be considering is how to deal with that armored man!"
The masked man remained silent.
How could he not be anxious?
He had waited here all day, yet what he desired had yet to appear.
He wished he could set out imdiately to seize Number Twelve, but he didn't dare!
He had co to Demon Sanctuary in secret, without informing anyone—not even bringing any subordinates—all to remain hidden in the shadows and secure whatever spoils he could before the armored man could react.
But delays bred complications!
Who knew where that armored man was hiding now? Was he already watching this place, waiting to strike like a mantis stalking its prey?
"They're here!"
A mont later, Toyama suddenly spoke.
Just as the sun nearly vanished below the horizon and the sky began to be dyed with darkness, several figures stumbled into view from the distance.
Their clothes were riddled with holes, their faces etched with exhaustion, as if they had just erged from a fierce battle.
In truth, they had indeed fought their way through while fleeing.
Veldiana's sudden attack had provoked an excessive response from the Special Zone Security Team, who had pursued them all afternoon.
After entering the old southeastern district, they encountered a large number of natives who, completely irrational as reported in the news, indiscriminately assaulted them. They barely managed to break through the blockade.
"Nagisa!"
But upon seeing his sister, Kojou Akatsuki imdiately perked up.
Aglora followed closely behind him, nervously eyeing the several homunculi in the coffins.
Veldiana, anwhile, was instantly drawn to the masked man, glaring at him with suspicion and a hint of murderous intent she hadn't even noticed herself.
"Brother Kojou!"
Nagisa Akatsuki looked over with delight, wanting to move but not daring to.
"Tohyama, release Nagisa!"
Kojou Akatsuki shot a fiery glare at Tohyama.
"I will release her, but not now."
Tohyama reached out, firmly gripping Nagisa's shoulder, completely unmoved.
Kojou clenched the holy spear in his hand, gritting his teeth as he glared in that direction.
"Don't be impatient, Kojou Akatsuki."
Just then, the masked man finally spoke.
"Since all the actors have gathered, let the curtain rise!"
He bowed with feigned elegance, his mood clearly lifted.
"Who are you?"
It was the down-and-out young lady who stepped forward in Kojou's place.
Veldiana glared at him with intense hostility, unable to suppress her murderous intent. The masked man bore an uncanny resemblance to the man she wished she could tear apart with her own teeth.
But hadn't that man already died?
Killed by the master of the director—the armored man!
"There's no need to hide anything now. Allow to reintroduce myself!"
The masked man seed to relish the mont.
He voluntarily removed the mask from his face.
Beneath it was the face of a very young boy, no more than fifteen or sixteen years old.
"Huh?"
Veldiana froze in shock.
She had assud the masked man might be Zaharias resurrected from the dead and was about to unleash a torrent of curses. Instead, she was t with the face of a teenager.
Though there were so similarities to Zaharias—the sa cunning, triangular eyes—there was no signature mustache, and his skin lacked the roughness of a middle-aged man, still bearing the softness of youth.
"Don't doubt it. I am Balthazar Zaharias, the Blood Servant of the Fourth True Ancestor!"
The boy's face broke into an elegant smile.
That deliberately refined smile was identical to Zaharias's.
No.
He was Zaharias!
"Blood Servant!"
Veldiana gritted her teeth fiercely, her pupils turning blood-red as hatred surged violently within her.
Kojou and Aglora were also stunned.
"Correct."
Zaharias nodded, a reminiscent expression crossing his face.
"The reason I asked Ms. Tohyama to bring Miss Nagisa here is to request that she perform a miracle!"
"A miracle?"
Kojou furrowed his brow, completely baffled by what this man was scheming.
"Indeed, the miracle of resurrecting the dead—to bring my sister, Pulestia, back to life!"
Zaharias turned to look at the gemstone crystal at the center of the twelve coffins.
He gazed deeply at the emaciated, gray-haired girl's remains, his tone growing increasingly agitated.
"Kojou Akatsuki, you should be able to understand !"
"Don't be ridiculous! Why would I understand soone like you?"
"No, you will understand !"
Zacharias turned around, and the sorrowful expression on his face left Kojou Akatsuki montarily speechless.
"Because my younger sister exhausted herself communicating with the First Spirit to resurrect after I died, making the Blood Servant of the Fourth True Ancestor! You and I are the sa!"
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