"Again...? No—wait, their target was Naruse Mio from the start."
Seeing Raynare descend, Shinryu Hayashi was initially confused.
But the moment he noticed her staring directly at Naruse Mio, all his doubts were resolved.
From beginning to end, the Fallen Angels led by Raynare had been hunting Naruse Mio.
Hyoudou Issei was just collateral damage.
The real issue was—how did these Fallen Angels know that Naruse Mio's group had come to Kuoh Town?
The fact that they continued the chase even after Dohnaseek's death meant they were certain she was here.
"A mole?"
Hayashi's gaze swept casually toward the trembling Naruse Maria.
Then he retracted his eyes, not intending to dig deeper.
Whether there was a mole or not didn't actually affect him.
At Hayashi's side, Naruse Mio now wore an expression of pure rage.
"I don't care if you're a Fallen Angel or a Devil… I'll never forgive you! I'll avenge my mom and dad!"
The death of her adoptive parents had always been a thorn in her heart.
Compared to the biological parents she had never met, her adoptive parents were her most important family.
She couldn't forgive the enemies who had taken them away.
A blazing red aura flared from her body.
In truth, she could've handled the earlier low-grade Cursed Spirits—it was just that she had panicked.
Now with her magic fully released, her power surged to the level of a Middle-Class Devil.
"Hayashi, stay back. This fight is beyond your reach."
Naruse Mio immediately pushed Hayashi behind her, then exchanged a glance with Maria.
Seeing these two lowly Devils dare to resist, Raynare sneered.
"So it was you two who killed that idiot Dohnaseek. Don't think I'll be as easy to deal with!"
Among Mid-Class Fallen Angels, the gap in strength could be massive.
Raynare happened to be one of the strongest at that tier.
"I don't get a word you're saying, but I'm gonna kill you a hundred times anyway!"
Having learned how to manipulate magic under Maria's guidance, Naruse Mio raised her hand and formed a red fireball-like explosive.
With a swing of her arm, the crimson orb flew toward the airborne Raynare.
Whoosh!
A blinding light spear suddenly dropped from the sky, instantly piercing through the magic orb and shattering it into fragments.
Naruse Mio's eyes widened in shock as Raynare grinned maliciously.
"Oi oi oi~ You really thought a cheap trick like that could work on me? How laughable!"
With a mere wave of her hand, a storm of highly concentrated light energy rained down.
Swish swish swish!!
Faced with this overwhelming assault, Naruse Mio and Naruse Maria could only clench their teeth and channel their magic to form a barrier.
But against such dense firepower, they had no chance to fight back.
"Mio-sama, we can't keep this up. Can you buy me some time?"
"I'll try, Maria."
Naruse Mio grit her teeth and forcefully pushed out more magic.
The surging red aura strengthened the barrier, giving Maria a brief opening.
Spreading her Devil wings, Maria launched herself from the flank.
Unlike Mio, Maria didn't excel at offensive magic.
Aside from her Succubus magic, her greatest strength was her physical power!
"Stupid Fallen Angel, get down here!"
Maria leapt high, raising her right fist and hurling it down.
But facing her was Raynare, already gripping a radiant spear of light.
"Idiot."
Raynare coldly uttered two words and thrust the spear toward the charging Maria.
Even though Maria tried to dodge sideways, she was still hit by a sweeping strike and dropped like a bird with broken wings.
As Maria fell, Raynare raised her light spear once more.
"Even though you're not my target, anyone who stands in my way can die!"
In the next instant, she hurled the spear, aiming directly for Maria's chest.
Just as the spear fell, a crimson-armored left hand suddenly reached out and caught the burning projectile.
"Boosted!"
Maria clearly heard the faint hum of activation.
The next moment, the hand clenched tight and crushed the light spear to pieces.
Under the stunned gazes of both Devils and the Fallen Angel, the long-ignored Hayashi stepped forward.
"Tch~~ Looks like I was really underestimated."
Strength doubling again and again, Hayashi's power had already reached the level of a High-Class Devil.
With cold, piercing eyes, he looked up at Raynare in the sky.
Boom—
A wave of energy erupted from the ground. In just a breath, Hayashi leapt skyward, closing in on Raynare.
"So fast!"
A flash of shock appeared in Raynare's eyes as she instantly summoned a shield of light.
The moment the dazzling barrier formed, Hayashi's fist came crashing down.
"Crushing Fist: Penetration!"
The compressed force erupted in an instant!
His brute-force punch tore through the light shield and struck Raynare squarely.
The impact shredded her bodysuit and undergarment at the waist, exposing her smooth, pale stomach.
The powerful blow left a deep fist-shaped dent in her abdomen, the shockwaves rippling through her entire body.
Guh!
Raynare let out a pained grunt as she crashed to the asphalt below like a meteor.
Hayashi followed close behind, grabbing her by the throat and dragging the half-dead Raynare up from the ground.
When he returned, holding Raynare like a piece of garbage, both Naruse Mio and Maria were dumbstruck.
They never imagined the Fallen Angel strong enough to kill them both would be taken out by Hayashi in a single move.
Like he had just picked up some litter, Hayashi calmly looked at the two girls and said indifferently, "Let's go home."
His commanding tone and overwhelming presence left the two speechless.
They instinctively gathered their bags and quietly followed behind him.
"Same bloodline? And that man… that's the Boosted Gear… how interesting."
A tall, voluptuous red-haired woman stood atop a nearby rooftop, watching the entire scene unfold.
....
Before long, the four of them arrived at Hayashi's private villa.
Clack!
Turning on the lights, Hayashi casually tossed the unconscious Raynare onto the living room floor.
After that, he dropped into the sofa.
Naruse Mio and Maria stood in front of him like two scolded children, heads bowed.
Maria cautiously peeked at Hayashi and timidly asked, "Y-You weren't affected by my memory magic, were you?"
"Of course not. Your little trick only works on normal people."
"..."
Hayashi's words instantly silenced Maria.
Naruse Mio was about to ask a question when Hayashi cut her off.
"You were going to ask why I pretended not to know, right?
Come on, two little sisters delivered to me for free to live together? That's a sweet deal. Why would I refuse?
Too bad I hadn't even started enjoying it before it all got exposed."
He clicked his tongue, clearly displeased.
His normie life had just begun and already it was interrupted—that put him in a foul mood.
Now, he was going to make sure Raynare paid the full price… with interest.