Chapter 327 Rescue
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Maria’s small hands trembled. At that, Zolgear’s patience finally snapped.
He had no plan to let a traitor go. From the start, he never meant to let a single one of Shela’s family leave alive. He’d planned to take Naruse Mio first and deal with Maria later—but it seemed he would have to speed up his schedule.
A pale violet light lit up in Zolgear’s eyes. Maria, on high alert, felt a sudden, sick change in the air. She tried to push down her rising panic, hoping to keep up the act and buy more time with the threat against Mio—but suddenly, she couldn’t move a muscle.
”What did you do?!” Maria cried out, her voice high and scared.
Maria tried to break free, but even pouring in all her strength, she stayed completely stuck in place.
Zolgear let out a low, mocking hum. “A lowly Succubus dares to threaten me? If you weren’t still of some use… hmph.”
The violet light of his power grew stronger. Naruse Mio floated into the air, held by an invisible hand, and drifted slowly toward him.
”Once I get Wilbert’s power and bring this body back to full life, I will come back to properly take care of you,” Zolgear said, his voice cold and full of quiet threat.
The twisted, hungry look on his face made his already ugly, old features look even worse. Maria struggled against the unseen hold, her heart heavy with worry as she watched Mio, still unconscious.
To fool Zolgear, Mio’s unconsciousness had to be real. The original plan was to trade Mio for at least one hostage, buying them precious time. They had never thought that Zolgear never meant to let anyone go at all—he had only shown pictures of Shela and Lucia in prison to draw them in.
Maria had made up the fake threat to slow him down, but she hadn’t expected such a strange, freezing trick. Even if Zolgear hadn’t used this move and had simply attacked, Maria could never have truly hurt Mio. With how much stronger Zolgear was, the result would have been the same.
Maria’s forced bravery and her desperate wish to save her friend had, oddly enough, pushed away Zolgear’s doubts. The kidnapping had gone too smoothly—a success he thought came from Maria’s love for her mother and sister. In his twisted mind, how long had she even known Naruse Mio? Mio wasn’t worth more than her own blood, and he figured her family would understand the trade.
Devils as cold and ruthless as Zolgear could never understand such bonds. Even Zest, the loyal pawn he had made in the shape of his own lover, was nothing more than a piece he could throw away.
”Lord Zolgear,” Ras said, his voice short and businesslike.
Just as Zolgear reached for Mio, the masked Ras appeared.
He bowed slightly. “Zest says Underworld hunters have been spotted. Should we start the transfer?”
”Ras? You haven’t left yet?” Zolgear’s movements stopped, and he slowly pulled back his dry hand. “If Zest saw them, why are you the one telling me?”
Zolgear trusted Ras, but his centuries of experience told him that Ras being here was deeply suspicious. And anyway, trust meant little—he would kill Ras if he had to. Anyone who stood in the way of him gaining power had to die.
Before Ras could explain, black magic circles appeared above him. Zolgear, his face dark, launched an attack.
Ras jumped back, dodging the strike by a hair’s width.
”Lord Zolgear, what are you doing? The Underworld hunters are truly close; they will be here any moment,” Ras insisted, his voice urgent and professional.
Zolgear’s face changed. Seeing Ras stick to his story, he began to doubt his own gut.
”Nothing. I just feared you were an enemy in disguise,” Zolgear muttered, his voice a calm, restrained threat.
Zolgear threw out a weak excuse, then used magic to contact Zest, calling her to his position.
On the second basement level of the Rook, in front of a huge birdcage, Aki and Ras stood before a device that hummed with a bright, electric glow.
Shela and Lucia’s wrists and ankles were tied with chains, making them look like trapped birds.
Aki had returned to his true form, studying the lock-like mechanism on the cage.
A soft, young voice echoed. Shela lifted her delicate face, speaking in a fragile tone: “Ras? And this is…”
”I’m a friend of Maria’s,” Aki said quickly, keeping his voice steady and calm. “How do I open this?”
Though Shela and Lucia were full of questions, they knew better than to waste time.
”That is the control switch for the super-electromagnetic device (a trap using electricity and magic),” Shela said, her voice impossibly soft—she looked no older than Maria. “Without the password and the specific magic sequence, it is almost impossible to turn off.”
”If you try to force it, it will set off the device and burn everything inside the cage,” Shela warned, her voice shaking a little.
Aki looked up at the top of the cage, following Shela’s gaze. Zolgear hadn’t learned much in all his years, but he had certainly spent time studying plenty of other things. Whether it was the fake creation of Zest or this mix of magic and technology, the work behind it was high-level.
”The destructive power of this device is…” Aki thought out loud, his voice analytical.
Aki wanted to ask for more details, but Ras cut him off. “We’re out of time. My puppet can only hold him off for another minute.”
As a Doll Master, he could feel the state of his controlled puppets in real-time. Once Zest arrived, his cover would be blown. He didn’t care about the puppet, but time was slipping away. Even if Zolgear didn’t suspect someone was rescuing Shela and Lucia, Mio would be in immediate danger.
Ras wanted to say he had spotted the Underworld hunters, but that was Zest’s job. If he pushed that lie, Zolgear would immediately know something was wrong, and they wouldn’t even have a minute.
Without the code or the sequence, a forced rescue would surely warn Zolgear. They had to use the gap in timing.
Aki made a quick choice, calling out his Boosted Gear. A deep red, dragon-like armor covered his body.
Using the power of his Balance Breaker (a form that multiplies his strength), he boosted his power five times in a single heartbeat. His speed didn’t need to be faster than the electromagnetic waves; it only needed to beat the device’s reaction time.
With three seconds of buildup, Aki slammed his fist into the upper part of the giant birdcage.
Crimson and deep blue mana clashed, surging with a wave of pure destruction. It formed a streak of light that instantly burned away the top of the cage and the key parts of the super-electromagnetic device.
The remaining mana, its speed unchecked, tore through the floor and pierced the Rook entirely.
Outside, Nonaka Yuki and Nonaka Kurumi stared at the pillar of light, their young hearts shaken by the sheer scale of the power.
The violent hit struck the space barrier of the other dimension, shaking the whole area. The magic circles around Shela and Lucia lit up, only to flicker and die.
The destruction had happened too fast; the device couldn’t pull enough energy to power the circles.
Under Shela and Lucia’s stunned stares, Aki easily crushed the magic chains holding them.
”Ras, take them and meet up with Yuki and the others,” Aki ordered, his voice firm.
Aki left those words behind and rushed toward the place where Naruse Mio and Maria were.
Zest had just finished talking to Zolgear, but the puppet Ras had already learned from the main body that Aki was coming; he stood his ground against Zolgear’s murderous glare without a hint of fear.
Zolgear had no time for him now. That soaring beam of mana had terrified him. The intruder’s power was greater than his own—more than he could handle even in his youth, let alone now, with one foot in the grave.
”Zest, block him!” Zolgear commanded, his voice cold and threatening.
Zolgear made a quick choice. He let go of Maria and the bindings, reaching out to grab Naruse Mio so he could run away. Forget Maria; he was ready to give up this whole base. If he could only get the power inside Mio, he could take everything back later.
Just as Zolgear was about to grab her, the puppet Ras jumped forward, putting himself between Zolgear and Mio.
”Get out of my way!” Zolgear barked in a low, threatening tone.
Zolgear couldn’t waste time; he sent an invisible strike to sweep the puppet aside.
The puppet Ras knew he couldn’t stop Zolgear, but as long as he kept Mio out of his reach, that was enough.
”BOOM!!!”
As Zolgear’s face twisted in rage, the puppet Ras blew himself up. The shockwave threw Naruse Mio far away, toward Maria’s position.
A Doll Master’s puppet might pass for the real thing, but its fighting strength couldn’t match the original, and the explosion was more noise and flash than real power. That was why the puppet Ras hadn’t tried to hold out longer before. Even dodging a simple strike from Zolgear had been hard; if he had fought for real, he would have been taken apart as fast as Maria.
The fast-changing situation left the rabbit-eared Zest stunned. A terrifying mana beam had just burst from the Rook, and now, a second later, Ras was blowing himself up?
—
Summary:
Maria is paralyzed by Zolgear’s magic while he attempts to abduct the unconscious Naruse Mio. Meanwhile, Aki and Ras infiltrate the Rook to free Shela and Lucia from a complex magical-technological birdcage. Aki uses his Boosted Gear to destroy the containment device, and Ras sacrifices his puppet to prevent Zolgear from securing Mio as an escape leverage.
—
Trivia:
Zolgear created Zest in the image of his own former lover.
The birdcage device is a fusion of both magic and high-level technology.
Aki’s Boosted Gear ability allows for a fivefold power increase in the Balance Breaker state.
A Doll Master maintains a sensory link to their puppets in real-time.
The puppet used by Ras possesses significantly lower combat capabilities than the main body.
Notes:
• Zolgear – This gaunt, ancient Devil Grand Duke is a cold-blooded magic master and researcher known for mental arts and artificial life creation, notably the creation of Zest. An Ultimate-Class demon leading a hostile Underworld faction from an isolated dimension, he is obsessed with absorbing Mio and Wilbert’s power for immortality. Though physically weak, he is a feared, ruthless threat terminated by Aki.
• Maria – A young, sexually active succubus of royal lineage related to Shela and Lucia. Petite and cute with amethyst eyes and a heart-tipped tail, her mature true form is busty with long legs. Aki’s deferential subordinate eager to prove herself, she is tasked with saving Naruse Mio. She attempts to manipulate Zolgear by threatening Mio to buy time, but ends up paralyzed by his magic.
• Naruse Mio – A supporter and cheerleader for the Gremory peerage.
• Naruse – Mio Naruse is a fair-skinned, red-haired schoolgirl with twin tails and a voluptuous build. An heir to Demon King power and one of the “Sister Flowers,” she is protected by the Gremory household. Initially a hesitant tsundere, she becomes deeply devoted to Aki, accepting his polyamory. She refines her life essence while maintaining vital ties with Maria, Kurumi, and her adoptive parents.
• Shela – A petite, former Succubus Queen with white hair, ram horns, and violet eyes, she balances matronly grace with youthful charm. The protective mother of Naruse Mio, Lucia, and Maria, and a potential partner of Aki, she is currently held captive by Zolgear. She guards vital Gremory secrets and super-electromagnetic device info while orchestrating plans for her daughters’ survival.
• Mio – Naruse Mio is a fair-skinned Kuoh Academy student with twin-tailed red hair and a voluptuous, buxom figure. As the adopted Naruse daughter with Demon King blood, she is a fire/gravity-wielding Bishop in Aki’s peerage. Sought by Zolgear and interacting with Yuki, her proud, tsundere personality shifts to total surrender in her deeply intimate bond with Aki as Maria transports her.
• Wilbert – The deceased former Demon King and mysterious benefactor of the Naruse orphanage. The lover of Shela and father of Maria, he was linked to the previous Gremory head. His immense power, which Zolgear seeks to extend his life, is the source of Mio’s fire abilities. He shaped Mio’s upbringing by choosing kind, anonymous adoptive parents to raise her in the Human World.
• Lucia – A magic-using Succubus with an icy, abstinence-driven demeanor, she lacks the typical physical traits of her kind and potentially harbors a hidden side. As Shela’s daughter and Maria’s half-sister, she was present during the teleportation sequence with the Nonaka sisters. Currently, she is imprisoned by Zolgear, held captive alongside her mother.
• Zest – A tall, curvaceous artificial lifeform with dark skin, purple markings, and white rabbit ears, she was created by Zolgear in his beloved’s likeness. Initially bound by a death curse to guard the Rook and serve Zolgear, she now acts as a loyal guide for Aki. Despite her programmed devotion, she harbors secret desires to break free from Zolgear’s oppressive control over her mind and emotions.
• Ras – An SS-Rank Doll Master and former orphan raised by the Naruses, this elegant, white-masked magic user serves as Zolgear’s trusted subordinate and infiltrator. Though he acted as a double agent for years, his complex ties to his childhood idols ultimately led him to return to the Underworld with the Naruse parents, abandoning his role as a pawn to guide Aki through the enemy base.
• Y – The first initial/part of the name Y Ddraig Goch.
• Aki – A tall, handsome Kuoh Academy strategist and King-status devil with a powerful, dragon-like physique and scumbag-like charisma, he wields Dual Cultivation and soul contracts to heal, empower, and psychologically condition his growing harem of schoolgirl knights and supernatural companions. A master of magical tool control and Evil Piece distribution, he pragmatically expands his peerage while indulging his immense sexual stamina and appetite, balancing flirtatious charm with dominant control as he ascends toward Demon King-class power.
• Kurumi – Nonaka Kurumi. A petite, doll-like Hero Clan schoolgirl with a pale purple ponytail. More approachable than her sister Yuzuki, she shares a deep bond with Yuki and an envious closeness with Mio, whom she observes. Though typically a shy, spirited tsundere, she is driven by a powerful lust and longing to please Aki, feeling frustrated and curious when she isn’t the center of his attention.
• Nonaka – The Nonaka sisters—Yuki, Ikumi, Yuzuki, and Kurumi—are professional surveillance monitors. Maintaining a composed, unified identity, they double as Aki’s companions and Mio’s close security. One petite, long-haired sister with a delicate build observes Aki and Mio’s intimate encounter with curiosity, relief, and envy, later feeling physically exhausted after performing her own intimate tasks for Aki.
• Yuki – Nonaka Yuki is a busty, mixed-blood demon schoolgirl and Hero Clan monitor with long white-gold hair, indigo eyes, and a combat build. One of the “Sister Flowers” alongside Kurumi, she hides a volatile nature behind a cold facade. Serving the Nonaka family, she shares a sensitive intimacy involving Dual Cultivation with Aki, being the first to sneak in and engage with him.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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