What?
A True Ancestor's body?
The final task privilege caught Shichen completely off-guard. That benefit was massive—within this world, the True Ancestor's power was undoubtedly top-tier. And somehow, he could just obtain the True Ancestor's body out of thin air.
What was that entity in his mind, to grant him such power?
But wasn't he already the "God's Body?" Could the two be compatible? It was unlikely the True Ancestor's body would surpass a "God's Body," right? So did he actually need the True Ancestor's body?
[The True Ancestor's body is just power, and it was yours to begin with.]
"What?" Shichen blurted aloud.
What do you mean it was mine to begin with? he wondered. But unfortunately, his question went unanswered—the presence in his mind fell silent.
"Hey, kid! What're you babbling about?" came the sharp voice of Minamiya Natsuki again.
Pushing down his confusion, Shichen refocused on Natsuki and shook his head. "It's nothing."
"Is that so? No matter. Let me ask you: Why did you suddenly appear—"
Halfway through speaking, the petite, doll-like face of Minamiya Natsuki grew serious as she stared fixedly at Shichen.
Shichen understood the cause: his newly granted privilege was manifesting. A strange aura swelled around him, and he could distinctly feel a transformation inside his body—becoming more powerful, more vibrantly alive.
"A vampire aura? An Old Generation? No… a True Ancestor?! But that's impossible!" Natsuki muttered incredulously, glaring at him.
No sooner had she realized it than a purple triangular magic circle appeared behind her. Instantly, several chains shot out from it, heading straight for Shichen.
"Wait, wait!" he yelped.
He hadn't expected Natsuki to use her Binding Chains on him without warning—he wasn't some big-time criminal. On reflex, he dived aside, dodging the first two chains, but there were more writhing like snakes. The next ones caught him fast, coiling around him—
But something miraculous happened. The chains, glowing purple at first, lost their energy the moment they touched him. The purple light dissipated, and they fell clattering to the ground.
"What?" Natsuki exclaimed in disbelief.
"Wait, please wait! Natsuki-chan, I'm not a bad guy!" Shichen hastily defended himself.
"You know me?" Natsuki frowned warily, yet she didn't attack again.
"Err… uh… The 'Witch of the Void' is pretty famous," Shichen improvised.
"Is that so? Then why'd you call me 'Natsuki-chan?' We that close?" Natsuki pressed.
"Sorry—just a habit. You look so… petite…" Shichen stammered.
"You're calling me petite?" Natsuki said icily, eyes narrowing.
"Don't let appearances fool you. I'm twenty-two, a fully grown adult woman. Are you even an adult yet? Actually, you're a vampire…" she trailed off.
"Twenty-two, so that's younger than me," Shichen teased with a grin.
"Hmph!" Natsuki folded her arms, letting out a disgruntled snort.
"Ahem… Maybe could you come down so we can talk?" Shichen ventured.
"What for? I can speak to you perfectly fine up here," Natsuki countered.
"It's just… from this angle…" Shichen hesitated, hinting.
"Angle?" She followed his line of sight and realized he was looking upward at her gothic-lolita skirt.
"You jerk!" Natsuki glared, descending to the ground.
"Don't get the wrong idea, I didn't see anything," Shichen clarified. "I only said that on purpose."
"Obviously!" she snapped, voice raised.
"Heh." Shichen couldn't help but laugh softly.
Seeing someone he "knew," hearing that familiar voice, those trademark expressions… In reality, they were strangers, but he felt a warmth of recognition blossoming inside him. Even if Natsuki's first response was to restrain him, to him it didn't matter—he held her in high regard already.
"What are you smirking at?" Natsuki demanded in annoyance. Despite her short stature, she exuded authority.
"You, boy—how did you end up here?"
"Huh?" Shichen blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb. I sensed you using spatial power. You appeared here out of nowhere."
"Uh…"
Now he understood why Natsuki found him immediately—she'd sensed him crossing dimensions. Like always, it seemed he had materialized in this world right away. The difference was that this time he materialized next to the Divine Fragment host: Natsuki.
And she was… well, both a legal loli and a strong "onee-san" type at once…
"Do you command a spatial 'beast vassal?' Is that how you came to the Demon Sanctuary?" Natsuki interrogated further.
"Beast vassal? No, I don't have such a power." Shichen shook his head.
"Don't lie. I can clearly sense a vampire aura on you."
"But I'm not a vampire." Shichen shrugged helplessly.
"…" Natsuki stood there quietly. He reeked of vampire energy, but he wasn't a vampire? It made no sense, yet the chains had failed on him, so the situation was undeniably abnormal. And he did carry a True Ancestor's aura, but she felt no mana from him. Coupled with the fact her Binding Chains didn't work, she couldn't be at ease letting him roam free.
"Look, don't worry, I'm not evil. Let's just say… I ended up here by mistake, okay?" He tried to gain her trust, but Natsuki wasn't that naive.
"Evil people never admit they're evil."
"Well, are you evil?"
"…" She arched a brow. "I'm not exactly good, either. And since you claim to know me, you know I'm a witch."
"That's fine. You're cute, and that's what matters to me," Shichen said nonchalantly.
"…?" Natsuki stared at him, baffled.
She had just been…hit on?
It was the first time anyone had spoken to her like that. If her chains had worked, she would have strung him up already. But without being sure of his motives, and since her usual method failed, it wasn't wise to escalate hostilities.
"Then why are you here?" she asked coldly.
"I truly arrived by accident," Shichen sighed. "If I could go back, I would. But I can't."
"What do you mean, 'can't go back'?"
"It's like somebody teleported me here and took away my power. Now I'm practically just a regular guy with some fighting ability."
"…" She eyed him suspiciously. "You think I'm an idiot? A 'normal guy' with a True Ancestor aura? Are you from the 'Lord Domains'? Are you lying about that, too? Or are you the Fourth Primogenitor?"
"You know about the Fourth Primogenitor? She's awakened already?" Shichen asked hurriedly.
That didn't match the timeline he'd been pondering. At Natsuki's present age, the Fourth Primogenitor shouldn't have awakened yet, right?
"Oh? You know the Fourth Primogenitor?" Natsuki homed in. "What's your relationship with her?"
"Uh… no real relationship, for now," Shichen admitted.
"…Hmph." Natsuki stared at him resentfully, convinced he was spouting nonsense.
"Come on, don't be mad. Just tell me how you know about the Fourth Primogenitor."
"'Warlord's Empire'? The name 'Fourth Primogenitor' is quite well-known," she said. "Why is that so surprising?"
"So you're confirming she hasn't appeared yet?"
He relaxed slightly. "So that means the Fourth Primogenitor still hasn't awakened?"
"What…? So you mean she's going to appear soon?"
"Yep." Shichen nodded. No point hiding it.
"…" Natsuki paused, then glowered. "Then is your goal to help awaken her?"
Feeling uneasy, she didn't know how to handle someone who might be a True Ancestor, unaffected by her chains. If he was set on awakening the Fourth Primogenitor, that spelled trouble.
Shichen scratched his head awkwardly. "Help her awaken? No thanks, I'm just hoping to live here peacefully."
"?"
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 100 Chapters Ahead of Others!