Lieselotte was in absolute bliss from the kiss, feeling herself absorbing a massive amount of mana.
It was enough for her to connect to the Eternal Library and do anything she wanted! But before long, that initial rush started to feel off. There was simply too much mana, surging in an unending stream. She was already reaching her limit; if she tried to absorb any more, she'd probably explode.
Yet Rei Ao showed no signs of strain at all, continuing to pour mana into her as if it were nothing. That terrified her. If this went on, she was going to die!
"Mmph—mmm!"
Her eyes flew open, and she shoved Rei Ao away.
"Wow, you don't want any more mana?"
Rei Ao, who had been holding her tight, let her go at just the right moment—keeping her from literally bursting.
"Uh…"
Lieselotte looked troubled.
"You… your mana—is it limitless or something?"
"Because I'm the Demon King."
"…"
She had no answer to that. She'd never met a Demon King and had no idea how powerful he could be. Now, she felt like the butt of a terrible joke: the mana she couldn't handle at all, he carried so easily he could give it away at will.
That meant he was far stronger than she could have imagined. Even if she now had power strong enough to beat the academy's headmaster, it might not make any difference against him.
"You're looking pretty pale. Is that because you still don't have enough mana?"
Rei Ao leaned in with a suggestive smile. Lieselotte broke into a cold sweat.
"N-no more, please!"
But Rei Ao was already kissing her again.
"!!!"
For a second, Lieselotte thought she was about to be blown up by that insane surge of mana. But this time, there was no mana at all. It was simply… a kiss.
"Mmph!"
Her body stiffened momentarily, but she couldn't help wrapping her arms around him all over again.
"They're…they're doing it again?"
Lilith Asami nearly passed out on the spot.
"How could they do something so shameless?!"
Her protest changed nothing. Minutes later, Rei Ao and Lieselotte finally broke apart. Lieselotte ran her tongue over her lips with a complicated look on her face.
"I never imagined anyone like you existed."
"Oh?" Rei Ao smiled. "What kind of person would that be?"
"Someone strong, mysterious…and way too good at making people want you."
"So I've gotten under your skin?"
"…"
Lieselotte's expression wavered. She wanted to say she liked the feeling, but she only raised her hands in a gesture of surrender.
"All right, fine. I admit it: I enjoyed it. But unfortunately, we're enemies. Go ahead. Do your worst, Demon King. I guess I'm your prisoner now. Kill me if you want, or whatever."
She knew she was no match for Rei Ao, so she gave in, deactivating her own mana without hesitation.
"Even if you don't kill me, I'll soon be trapped in a time rift as the price for using my forbidden art."
Her "Secret Art" for halting time was essentially an extreme form of acceleration—speeding herself up so far beyond others that it seemed like time had stopped. But the price meant she'd eventually be caught in a rift in time.
Lieselotte had never expected her perfect plan to come up against such a one-of-a-kind Demon King—especially one who'd go straight for her first kiss and practically tame her body. And, in the heat of that intense kiss, she really had succumbed. It was…unbelievable.
Of course, Rei Ao wasn't going to just stand by and let her get sucked into a time rift. He raised a hand and gently touched her beautiful face.
"Instead of calling you a prisoner, I'd prefer to call a member of the Trinity Seven my… Demon Queen."
"Huh?"
Lieselotte sensed something far more stable and potent than regular mana flowing into her. Her body began to change: a pair of black wings burst forth from her back, and her clothes turned into a filmy, chaotic-looking gown. Black markings spread across her skin.
"A Demon King's essence?"
Mira Yamana muttered in shock, having seen a lot in her time.
"Did we just get another Demon King candidate?" Akio Fudō asked, stunned.
"No," Levi Kazama said sharply, staring straight at Rei Ao. "That's the Demon King's chosen queen."
"Demon King and Demon Queen, huh…"
Erica murmured softly, watching Rei Ao's back like she was deep in thought.
Meanwhile, Lieselotte herself just stood there, dazed, looking at the man before her. She didn't understand why Rei Ao was doing this.
The power bestowed by a Demon King's essence was far more stable and powerful than mere mana, and now the side-effects of her forbidden art weren't an issue anymore.
"I was planning to attack someone important to you—so why are you treating me like this?"
She was baffled.
"Because with me around, you couldn't hurt Hijiri anyway."
Rei Ao wasn't being dismissive or arrogant; it was simply a statement of fact. The difference in their power was absolute.
"Besides, my punishment for you is that you belong to me, the Demon King. Becoming my Demon Queen is a decent penalty, don't you think?"
"…"
Lieselotte was left speechless. The Demon King's essence inside her body was proof that she now held the position of Demon Queen. She'd been forcibly given it, and resisting was no longer an option.
"All right, then," she said, smiling with a hint of resignation. "If you call it punishment, by all means, punish me all you want."
She slid right into Rei Ao's arms, showing a complete about-face in attitude.
But they'd have to wait on that a bit.
Rei Ao pointed to the one girl still lying on the ground.
"What about your sister? Are you not worried about whether she lives or dies?"
"I'd never seriously hurt Selina. I only borrowed a bit of her mana."
She made it sound so casual, though in truth she'd sucked Selina almost dry, leaving her unconscious. Still, with some rest, Selina would recover.
Rei Ao sent a small ball of mana floating into Selina's body.
"Mmn…"
Not long after, Selina let out a soft groan, opening her eyes and slowly sitting up.
~~~
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