Surrounded…by Me Alone!

A death servant, wielding a heavy obsidian battle axe, swung violently as it launched an attack on Kurumi.

The crest that once symbolized honor was now torn and ragged, and the chain mail was marked by numerous sword and axe scars. Particularly at its chest, there was a massive tear as if from the claw of some gigantic beast, shredding the knight's armor and exposing its bluish skin beneath.

Kurumi sidestepped gracefully, her expression showing mild irritation.

It was 2 a.m., and this was already the ninth death servant to assault her tonight.

That damn Marquis Voban—would he never let her cuddle her little girls to sleep?

Her main body was sleeping peacefully, while her other selves had been on guard duty, switching shifts. But after being caught red-handed by her main self sneaking out with Erica to see the whales last time, she had no choice but to silently endure the grueling two-day shift.

Looking back, she was sure her main self had set her up. Why else would she be caught right when she was about to get her way?

Doing the worst job and not even able to hold her cute little kitten—she felt like her heart was being clawed by a cat.

The attacks kept coming more frequently.

Charging forward against the hulking death servant, Kurumi readied herself.

Her main self had instructed her: don't use the gun.

If she accidentally woke her up, she'd end up tied up and thrown to the mercy of all her other selves.

Not that the idea was entirely unappealing.

Why was she so tempted to unleash a barrage of gunfire?

The gunblade struck forward at the death knight, cutting clean through the obsidian axe handle as though splitting firewood, with the axehead clanging heavily as it hit the ground.

Kurumi deftly reversed her grip on the blade and swung it upward, drawing a bloody arc.

The gunblade's jagged edge easily tore through the death knight's chest, nearly slicing it in two.

In an instant, the death servant crumbled into dust, dissipating into the night.

Kurumi cast it a look of utter disdain.

These creatures showed up in the dead of night, and yet they were as weak as paper.

Even street thugs were more useful—they at least had some time she could drain.

Ever since she'd dispatched that witch down in the tunnel, these assaults had been a constant nuisance for almost ten days.

Sometimes, Kurumi would even select weaker death servants specifically to give the girls some practice.

Though clumsy and dull-witted, these souls retained some of their martial prowess from life, making them ideal sparring partners.

…

The cool moon above was growing fuller, and as Kurumi glanced at the luminous orb, a strange thought surfaced in her mind.

The full moon…the hour of reckoning.

——

Uneasy thoughts stirred.

Princess Alice shivered, engulfed in a fearful dream.

It felt as though two invisible hands were pressing down on her shoulders, covering her mouth and nose, forcing her to move through the dream.

It was a feeling she hadn't experienced since long ago when, for the first time, she ventured into the unknown, infusing her spiritual power into her body, allowing her soul to wander freely.

Yes, Princess Alice was also a witch of extraordinary spiritual power.

The world within her dream seemed indistinguishable from reality as Princess Alice walked through a building styled after Palladio's architecture. It was the red-bricked headquarters of the Council of Sages in Greenwich.

Only now it was eerily quiet, far too quiet.

Though she was within a dream, Princess Alice sensed a sinister presence.

Unable to wake herself, she pressed onward. The building was too silent, and her steps quickened, as though trying to shake off an internal dread.

Click, click—

Her high heels echoed through the empty hallway.

Then she saw it—a familiar figure standing at the corridor's turn.

Gasping in shock, Princess Alice covered her mouth, stifling a disbelieving sob.

"No…how could this be?"

The councilman's entire body was pale white, from head to toe, his clothes and his skin, frozen in place with an expression of terror, transformed into an elaborately carved pillar of salt.

It was a scene reminiscent of the punishment from the Old Testament, when Sodom was destroyed, and the disobedient were turned to pillars of salt.

The "Eye of Sodom."

Alice sprinted forward, only to find that everyone she encountered was the same.

At last, in her office, she found an elderly man, his elbow propped on the desk, seemingly lost in thought.

Though his form was indistinct, blurred for some unknown reason, his piercing green, dragon-like eyes were unmistakable.

Even in her dream, Princess Alice could feel herself shivering in fear. Those green eyes grew brighter and closer…

Until, at the very end, everything became blindingly white.

Alice woke with a start, gasping for breath.

Outside, the moonlight grew clearer and brighter. Hastily dressing, Princess Alice set off for Kurumi's temporary residence.

…

The wind outside howled with an eerie intensity, as if purposefully searching for something.

The nearly full moon hung low in the night sky, shrouded by dense, ominous clouds, as if any moment a fierce storm would descend.

This time, Alice didn't rely on her spirit form; she sprinted toward Kurumi's place in person, running as fast as her legs would allow.

Despite using body-strengthening magic, she still found it exhausting.

Always relying on spirit projections, Princess Alice's body had grown frail to the point of near uselessness.

If she kept this up, she'd only become weaker over time.

Alice continued her "sprint," unnerved by the haunting whispers on the wind, like the heavy breathing of a pack of wolves.

The three-kilometer distance from the Council of Sages to Kurumi's location felt like an eternity, her lungs burning painfully.

But she couldn't afford to stop.

London was cloaked in a gloomy fog, as though returning to its smog-laden days of centuries past.

The terrifying sound of heavy, labored breathing closed in, and the monstrous shadows of terrifying beasts prowled close behind.

Her heart pounded faster, her throat tightening as if gripped by an unseen hand.

Fine rain began to drizzle from the sky, but a faint light from the almost-full moon filtered through the black clouds.

Finally, she saw it—the noble, rebellious figure of the godly being walking the earth, standing before her.

Crossing the last stretch, Alice staggered forward, gasping for air, as dizziness overwhelmed her.

She was finally safe.

…

Kurumi calmly stared into the darkness behind Alice, where a host of black shadows began to materialize.

The ash-grey shadows pursued with stealthy precision, like hunting hounds toying with their prey, trailing unhurriedly behind Princess Alice.

The night sky was smothered by heavy clouds, and the drizzle gradually grew into a downpour. Suddenly, the pitch-black world was pierced by bright, blinding lightning, illuminating everything in an eerie white glow. The rumbling thunder soon followed, crashing like cannon fire in the distance.

Princess Alice, hands braced against her knees, came to a stop in front of Kurumi, gasping for breath. Her chest burned as she coughed violently.

She was finally safe.

Unlike her usual dignified appearance in a white coat and short knitted dress, Alice had fled from her dream in haste, now dressed in a loose, powder-blue nightgown with a notched lapel.

The rain poured down like a curtain, soaking the thin fabric, which clung to Alice's slender figure, her delicate curves faintly visible beneath.

"Ugh, bodies are such a hassle…" she muttered, casting a glance back toward the grey shadows closing in.

…

Britain was, in essence, the territory of the Black Prince Alec, but Marquis Voban had no intention of offering any notice. As he saw it:

"If anyone objects, let them come confront me themselves."

The oldest and most ruthless of kings, the Marquis was a law unto himself.

…

From the storm, a mass of grey shadows emerged.

They moved with the sleek forms of wolves, yet each beast was enormous, muscled like a charging steed, and they came in frightening numbers.

They moved swiftly, leaping nearly ten meters at a time. As they closed in on Kurumi's position, the pack dispersed, forming a massive circle around her. Blood-red eyes filled with murderous intent flashed through the gloomy rain, glimmering like torches in the darkness.

The demon wolves circled with an air of hunger, each step closer radiating a primal menace. Their dark grey fur was matted and coarse, reminiscent of vermin, as they drooled hungrily, inching forward.

Each wolf boasted strength nearly on par with mythical beasts, the kind only elite knights or witches could hope to face.

This was Marquis Voban's first Authority—Legion of Hungry-wolves.

The Marquis had stolen this power from Apollo Lykeios, the wolf-linked Sun God of Greek mythology.

With this Authority, he could summon an unlimited number of demon wolves, the holy beasts of Apollo, also known as the "Beasts of Darkness and Earth," and control them at will.

The pack prowled restlessly, their eyes fixed on Kurumi with bloodthirsty intent.

Voban, ever cunning, had grown even warier upon suspecting Kurumi might be a supreme deity, proceeding with utmost caution.

After days of sending death servants to harass her…now, on the night of the full moon, he already had a grasp of her fighting style. Yet even with this knowledge, he sent the wolves ahead for another test.

…

Kurumi offered Alice the chance to retreat inside, but she declined.

"I want to witness the power of Her Highness in action."

Kurumi chuckled softly.

"Then keep your eyes open and witness what it truly means to be strong."

Uncorking a vial of Fire Salamander Potion, Kurumi handed it to Alice, who felt warmth rush through her body. Hugging her arms, she gazed at Kurumi's fearless figure, filled with anticipation.

Black clouds loomed overhead as rain poured down.

Droplets fell right through Kurumi, splashing onto the ground as though she were merely an illusion.

She advanced steadily, boldly, toward the pack of wolves.

The approaching grey wolves numbered around thirty or so.

Clink—

Chains rattled as two gunblades, shrouded in ancient designs, materialized and dropped into her hands.

The clinking of chains seemed to signal the start; the wolves leaped in unison, lunging at Kurumi.

Their blood-red eyes gleamed with ravenous desire, and the foul stench of their drooling jaws filled the air as they drew close.

Kurumi raised her right arm high, and finally, the raindrops, no longer passing through her, began to sizzle on her skin, white steam swirling up to envelop her.

A blood-red edge slashed down, effortlessly tearing the first wolf in two.

The massive beast let out a dying howl, its body split in two.

Yet no blood sprayed from the wound; instead, a viscous blackish-green liquid oozed out.

The demon wolf's body disintegrated into shadow, sinking into the darkness. Like the servants of death, these creatures were anything but natural beings.

Kurumi wore a look of disdain. "More time-wasting filth," she muttered.

"Not even worth it—at least the sea demons put up a decent fight."

She moved like a blade, her twin ponytails flying behind her, her stance low and her grin bold.

The gold-rimmed, clock-like eye was especially vivid against the dark night, drawing the attention of Marquis Voban, who observed from the shadows.

The wolves, formidable as a legion, crumbled before Kurumi, helpless against her blade.

Leaping from the corpse of a freshly slain wolf, she was upon the next one in an instant.

Supporting herself with her left hand on the ground, she whipped her legs together in a powerful sweep, toppling the wolf to the ground.

——Upward Kick.

"Oh dear, little doggy, why so eager to kneel?" she sneered.

…

As she kicked, her body twisted with unnatural grace, leaping upward at an angle.

"Hahaha~~" Her laughter echoed, playful and teasing.

Driving her knee under the wolf's chin, a sickening crack echoed as bones shattered.

With a nimble flip, Kurumi landed back on her feet, standing amidst a ring of wolves.

"Oh dear, looks like I've…got you all surrounded!"

The wolf corpses dissolved into darkness, while the remaining wolves circled Kurumi warily, inching forward.

These wolves were no mindless beasts; they were holy creatures of legend, embodiments of night and earth. In battle, they fought as a regiment, a truly monstrous force.

…

Dealing with so many wolves was a pain; they were swift, numerous, and utterly uninteresting to fight.

Kurumi twirled her pistol deftly, deciding she was in the mood to charge straight in.

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