Ibaraki waited for her master in the room, sitting on the chair near the bed. She felt her master's presence inside the room with Amber, but she couldn't see him yet because of the barrier.
They lay on the bed and didn't move for some reason, and she became more and more worried as she waited. There was another presence in the room, belonging to something big and primordial. That presence stood across from her, beside the bed.
From what she felt, this said presence probably belonged to the Dragon King, who was swimming around the sea of dark clouds in the sky.
Previously, it was faint, and Ibaraki could only feel a tiny bit of presence above the sky yesterday when she talked with Amber. But when the Dragon King was right in front of her, she understood that this presence was as massive as it could get.
Even when they were separated by a barrier and moved to different spaces, Ibaraki could still feel her presence as clear as day, similar to how she could feel Kai and Amber through their connections.
"Why?" That question flashed in her mind.
In fact, it was strange. No matter how huge Dragon King's presence was, she couldn't feel it from within this barrier.
"But why could I feel her presence? I can only feel those inside the barrier with my usual senses. Also, Master and Amber are special because the barrier connects us. But why am I able to feel the Dragon King and know that it is the Dragon King herself?"
Indeed, she had met the Dragon King once or twice in the past when she followed her former boss. But that was long ago, and she had already forgotten the Dragon King's presence.
The only reason why she could feel her presence even from within the barrier and was confident that the one she felt was the Dragon King was that the Dragon King had made a contract with her Master.
"Could it be? But that's…"
It was strange that the Dragon King was here, and both Kai and Amber were in bed. Curiosity and worry mixed up together as she fidgeted.
'Should I take down the barrier now? Or should I follow Master's order and wait for that human's signal? I wanted to take it down and meet Master right now, but… I also don't want Master to get mad at me.'
What she wanted clashed with each other. But she was patient. She waited for a thousand years, not for nothing. She wanted to serve. Her patience was one of the best in this world, although she was still worried.
It was around the time she couldn't wait any longer that Robert and Rebecca entered the room. Ibaraki looked at the couple and the blonde man said.
"Miss Ibaraki. You can take down the barrier now. You know the catchphrase, right?"
"Yes, I know!" She beamed happily.
'Finally!'
Just sensing her master sleeping on the bed made her really worried that she was about to fail to be patient. But the waiting time was over. She was also ready to meet the Dragon King, although the couple behind her didn't seem to notice it.
However, she didn't even bother to tell them because of how hurried she was to see Kai again.
"By the name of Ibaraki Douji, release this barrier!"
As soon as she said that, the barrier cracked. The blue hue covering the entire city turned to normal with a glass-shattering sound.
Crash!
People's presence returned, and the city's bustling was heard again, replacing the sound of battle and splashing blood earlier.
Then they also appeared. The sight of two people lying on the bed with closed eyes and the appearance of a blue-haired woman with sharp eyes and a dignified look. Her clothes were composed of a blue and golden theme with intricate shoulder pads.
There were small golden horns jutted out near her tied hair, and her cleavage area was exposed open, revealing a deep slit between two massive breasts.
Ibaraki became sure when she saw the woman. She had also made a contract with Kai, probably just earlier, as she only felt her presence when she felt her Master was in the room.
If the mark around the woman's neck that got covered in the collar wasn't the indication of their contract, then she didn't know what that was.
Robert and Rebecca immediately felt a chill shiver down their spines and kneeled instinctively when they saw the woman. They sweated just by being in her mere presence.
"You've finally here, Shuten's subordinate." The woman, the Dragon King's voice rang in the room. She spoke softly, but it could easily be heard without any problem. "A bit late for a subordinate, aren't you? You weren't even there when my future husband had a breakdown due to the influence of your power."
"My apologies," Ibaraki responded with sadness mixed in her tone. She looked at Kai's figure and realized that her master had just gone through a hard time.
His depleted Spirit Power was enough proof of how hard the fight was. And the fact that there was a hole in his clothes around the stomach area could only mean that he was injured badly in the fight.
And then there was also Amber in a similar state.
Gritting her teeth, Ibaraki blamed herself for not being there for him. And she also blamed herself because the Dragon King told her that her master had a breakdown due to the influence of her power.
Just like Amber, who passed down her regeneration to him, it seemed like the madness from Oni's blood also got passed to him. She didn't know about that because Kai had always been calm, so…
"It was my fault for not telling him about the side-effects of my power…" She continued.
However, the Dragon King interrupted her.
"Worry not. It wasn't your fault. Raise your head with pride. Your power has also saved him." She started with a reassuring tone that could even calm a crying child down.
Ibaraki raised her head to look at the Dragon King.
"However, it is still a fact that the two of you didn't teach my future husband enough. With that said…" The Dragon King approached Kai, who slept soundly on the bed, and carried him. "I will take him."
The Oni girl immediately rose from her chair, glared at the Dragon King, and shouted, baring her sharp fangs.
"What are you going to do with Master?!"
"At least you have that loyalty." The Dragon King praised with a soft smile.
"Worry not. This lady will teach her future husband about everything, from controlling his Spirit Power and about mine's power he got. So just return with that Phoenix girl to his home and wait for him there. I will return him in a few weeks. Just think of it as he's having therapy in my castle."
"…!"
Ibaraki realized something in Dragon King's words. That meant they wouldn't be able to meet with Kai for a few weeks.
"That–" She was about to say something but was interrupted by a hand that held hers. She glanced down and noticed Amber slowly opening her eyes.
"Oh, as expected from a Phoenix. You've woken up even when you sustained an inner wound earlier." The Dragon King looked at Amber, who tried to get up sluggishly with amazement in her tone.
"I… will take that as a compliment." With a wry smile, Amber responded to the Dragon King. "Also… Please teach our masters about what he needs to know. I... It's such a shame, but… I don't know if Ibaraki and I will be able to stop him if he rampages once again. So, please…"
The Phoenix girl bowed her head deeply, surprising the Oni girl. Ibaraki knew how great Amber's pride was. The fact that she was willing to bow her head meant there was something that she didn't know had happened to her master earlier, and Amber really regretted that.
And that something wasn't something they could settle without the help of the Dragon King.
So she didn't say anything more. This was for her master's benefit. Not seeing him for a few weeks was… something she could do.
Following Amber, Ibaraki also bowed her head.
"That's what this lady planned from the start. My future husband really needs some anger management right now. This lady's castle is a perfect place for that. He won't be able to exit without my permission and can focus on getting stronger to face his future enemy. And I am sure it won't be as easy as now."
"We know about that," Amber responded as she raised her head with a bitter smile. "I know about that really well."
"Good then." The Dragon King nodded, satisfied with that answer. A perfectly clear sea blue Spirit Power then covered her body and by extension Kai's. "Let's meet in a few weeks, ladies. I assure you my future husband will calm down at about that time. Tell Marcus about this too."
As soon as the Dragon King said that, the figure of the Dragon King and Kai couldn't be seen. They disappeared from the room, leaving only a ripple of a puddle that suddenly appeared on the floor.
"Amber…" A weak voice could be heard escaping Ibaraki's mouth. "I am sorry. Because of my power–"
Without saying anything, Amber looked at the Oni girl and hugged her. While she had lived for a longer time than her, Ibaraki's heart was weaker. She broke down crying after Amber hugged her, and the Phoenix girl calmly caressed Ibaraki's hair with a soft movement.
"There, there. You're not in the wrong. Our enemies are just that cunning this time. We didn't prepare enough. We can learn from this mistake in the future. Let's show Kai that we can also grow, okay?"
"Sob… Un…"
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