— — — — — —
Snap!
The moment Avrora's soul brushed against Lynn's hand, a crisp sound echoed in the air.
The next instant, she felt a crushing grip around her throat.
"?!!"
Avrora's eyes shot wide open.
What the hell?!This guy… he can grab a soul?!
Panic flashed across her face. Her hands instinctively shot to Lynn's, trying to force herself free by sheer strength.
But... Nothing.
She didn't even budge his grip—not even slightly.
Worse— Lynn didn't even seem to notice she was struggling.
"So weak."
Lynn sounded genuinely surprised.
She's supposed to be the Fourth Primogenitor. That's Devil King-tier, a Satan, right?
Even if she'd lost all her familiars… shouldn't she still be way stronger than this?
Honestly, she might even be weaker than Ultimate-Class Devil.
Well... to be fair, her original method of possession was hard to guard against. If someone didn't have a way to directly target souls, Avrora could be a real pain—even without her powers.
Unfortunately for her, the first person she encountered happened to be Lynn.
---
Lynn glanced at Avrora's spirit, then at the unconscious girl sprawled across the icy floor.
His brow twitched.
Wait a second... Now I remember.
That spirit—she must be the original Fourth Primogenitor.
And the girl—that has to be the real Avrora, the one I remember from the show.
So… from one future familia member to two?
I'm so lucky.
He hadn't expected the Fourth Primogenitor's soul alone to be a worthy candidate for his familia.
But… now that he thought about it, Avrora and the Fourth Primogenitor were originally two separate beings.
So, it made sense.
"Change of plans," Lynn said to the soul he was holding. "You're Cyrora Florestina."
"This girl who has the body there will be Avrora Florestina. Yeah, that's perfect."
— — —
The Fourth Primogenitor (Cyrora) was starting to panic. She still couldn't shake off Lynn's grip.
She shouted urgently, "Number Twelve!"
"You should be awake by now, right?!"
"Hurry up and freeze this guy into an ice sculpture!"
She knew all too well—
Once her soul left Number Twelve's body, that girl's original consciousness would resurface and retake control of the vessel.
"Stop sleeping, damn it!!"
Cyrora almost swore in frustration.
"Ugh..."
Avrora, the real one, stirred with a groggy noise, her sleepy eyes slowly blinking open.
She looked around in confusion, still not quite sure what was going on.
"You idiot, hurry and help me!"
Cyrora was practically shrieking now.
Hearing the yelling, Avrora instinctively turned her head—and her eyes went wide in shock.
"Th-The Original?!"
"Quit staring! Freeze him before I reclaim your body!"
Yeah… that was a bluff.
"A-ah, okay!"
Avrora flinched and nodded instinctively. She tried to get up—
But couldn't.
She blinked, lowering her gaze to her belly.
A foot was firmly planted on it, pinning her down like a mountain.
She looked up at the owner of the foot, then muttered seriously, "Dirty."
Lynn: "..."
Yep, still liked Avrora's airheaded innocence the most.
"You idiot, what are you just standing there for?!"
Cyrora was fuming, her little ghostly feet stomping the air in rage.
…Honestly?
She looked like a brat throwing a tantrum.
Lynn made a fair judgment.
Avrora shrank back at the scolding, nervously pointing to Lynn's foot with a pitiful look. "I-I can't get up…"
Cyrora: "..."
She looked at Avrora's helpless state and was speechless.
"You're getting held down by a single foot?!"
"Use your power!"
Avrora's eyes flicked to the hand that was holding Cyrora's soul in place.
And quietly muttered, "You're also stuck with just one hand."
Cyrora: "..."
Damn it! Just because she mumbled doesn't mean I didn't hear that!
Cyrora was furious.
How dare a lowly vessel talk back to her!?
Still, given the situation, she needed Number Twelve right now.
Once she got that body in her hands, she'd be the first to reclaim it!
"Use The Bewitching Princess of Azure Ice!"
After grumbling internally, Cyrora forced her tone to sound calm, though her rushed pace betrayed her anxiety.
"R-Right..."
Following her instruction, a phantom-like projection formed behind Avrora—part mermaid, part mythical siren.
In an instant—
The already chilly crypt was flooded with icy cold air.
Whoosh—
A biting wind whipped through the space, coating the frozen ground in even thicker layers of frost.
Liana and the others instantly shivered, eyes widening as they stared at the projection.
"Twelfth Familiar - Alrescha-Glacies! (Pisces Dodekatos)"
Liana gasped.
As someone who had once followed the Fourth Primogenitor, she'd pored over every scrap of information available—and she knew the familiar beasts well.
But—No written description could ever compare to the real thing!
Even the ambient cold leaking from its presence was enough to make her, a seasoned vampire, feel like she was going to freeze solid.
Terrifying.
This was the power of a true Progenitor.
---
On the other side of the room—
Gajou Akatsuki was hugging his son and daughter, teeth chattering, as if dunked into a frozen lake.
Frost gathered on his eyebrows and hair.
He had the sinking feeling he was going to end up an icicle at this rate.
Shiiiiver—
Just the aftershocks of this ability felt like death was right around the corner!
This was insane!!
---
Back on Lynn's end—
Cyrora finally relaxed a little once Avrora managed to summon the Bewitching Princess of Azure Ice.
She lifted her chin arrogantly.
"Now freeze him into a popsicle for me. But keep him alive."
That body was way too perfect to waste.
Even if she didn't get to enjoy it, it could still make an excellent vessel.
Avrora replied meekly, "U-Understood…"
But just as she was about to move—
She froze.
Wait a second…
Why was she listening to the Original again?
Avrora suddenly had a moment of clarity.
If the Original fully regained control, wouldn't she just absorb her?
Avrora, having connected the dots, stood motionless.
On Lynn's end, he gazed at the Princess of Azure Ice behind Avrora, a glint flashing in his eyes.
...
Inside his system interface—
Within the space labeled [Devil Piece], the Pisces constellation symbol began to pulse and flash wildly.
At the same time—
Stella's voice whispered sweetly in his ear.
"Master~ Master~ That familiar would be great for Pisces~"
Not that Lynn needed the reminder—he'd already noticed something unusual.
In fact, he'd long suspected this.
Anything tied to the Zodiac seemed to trigger a response from the Devil Piece system.
If he took Avrora in as a familia.
What would happen to Pisces?
Lynn felt a surge of anticipation.
His eyes lit up as he looked at Avrora again.
At the same time, he lifted his foot from her belly.
This was his future familia member, after all.
Gotta treat her with care.
Besides, all of this was Cyrora's fault anyway!
"????"
.
.
.