HANNA, after growing up with Neoma and Nero, realized that sometimes geniuses make the worst teachers.
She remembered a conversation that she had with the Imperial Princess recently…
<"Neoma, how do you "swallow" Darkness?">
<"I just eat it?">
<"Well, I know that. But how EXACTLY do you do that?">
<"Just like how I eat normal food? I open my mouth and gulp it down?">
<"Neoma, unfortunately, not all people are born a genius like you. We ordinary mortals don't just open our mouths when we want to eat things other than normal food.">
<"Hehe~">
<"Don't just laugh there, dear sister-in-law.">
<"When I crave Darkness, I simply imagine putting them on a huge plate, then I'll make that plate shrink until it's bite-sized. Then it's perfect to eat~">
<"I still don't get it, but I can see your thought process.">
<"Are you asking because of the new technique that you're trying to perfect?">
<"Yes. I already asked my father and got the gist of it. But I feel like something else is missing. Hence, I'm asking you for advice.">
<"I don't know how to explain it because our styles are so different from each other. Let's say we're building furniture we bought from IK*A. I'm the type to start building the furniture as soon as I get my hands on the parts, while you're the type to read the entire manual first before you begin.">
<"I'm sorry, but I have no idea about what you're saying, Neoma.">
<"You're too careful, Hanna. And you care so much about the rules. I know that it's important for you to follow the steps that appa– I mean, Gavin Quinzel made when he created the Black Hole. But you know what? Just make your own rules and rebrand the technique to your style~">
At that time, Hanna didn't understand what Neoma was trying to say.
But, at that moment, she knew exactly what to do.
She opened her hand and created a small ball of dark energy.
Neoma said she would imagine a plate every time she wanted to eat something, but it wasn't Hanna's "style."
[I just need to gather the Ancient Devil's Darkness here.]
It sounded easier than it actually was, of course.
She could easily control shadows because she was a Quinzel.
However, controlling Darkness– especially one summoned by another Darkness attribute user– was like stealing someone else's belongings.
Argh.
[This is harder than I thought.]
The Darkness surrounding the entire mansion like a semi-transparent fence was resisting hard.
COUGH.
Yes, Hanna just coughed up a huge chunk of blood.
She may just be standing there, but she was using almost all the Mana just to absorb the Darkness around her. Even so, it still didn't feel like she was doing enough.
Ah.
She suddenly remembered what Neoma said about putting the Darkness she wanted to eat onto a plate.
<"When I crave Darkness, I simply imagine putting them on a huge plate, then I'll make that plate shrink until it's bite-sized. Then it's perfect to eat~">
'Plate?'
Hanna gasped when she realized what Neoma actually meant by that.
[Neoma, you idiot!]
Of course, she called the Imperial Princess an 'idiot' affectionately.
[By 'plate,' you actually meant your Core, didn't you? You could have just said so!]
Or perhaps Neoma didn't realize she was talking about her Core because she was too natural at using her power?
That was most likely it.
Hanna made a mental note to ~playfully~ hit Neoma on the back later, then she focused her strength on expanding her Core.
It was a dangerous move since her heart was weak, but she had to do it.
Instead of gathering the Darkness into the ball of shadows above her palm, she began to absorb it using her Core as the "plate."
And it worked.
Slowly, the Darkness that surrounded them like a fence began to get absorbed by her Core.
[I can feel my Core expanding.]
Fortunately, her heart didn't feel strained.
Moreover, the ball of shadows in her also expanded the more Darkness she consumed.
Hanna laughed softly in delight. "I did it!"
[Neoma, I owe you one.]
***
HMM?
Noah didn't really have the motivation to kill Hanna Quinzel. He was already contented stopping her from leaving the Underworld.
However, he was caught off guard when the Crown Princess began absorbing his Darkness.
[What a terrifying power.]
He wouldn't have felt threatened if the Darkness that Hanna Quinzel absorbed was ordinary Darkness.
[As they say, Darkness isn't inherently evil.]
But the Ancient Devil's Darkness WAS.
Hence, Hanna Quinzel absorbed Darkness that was full of malice.
And the scariest part?
[Hanna Quinzel unconsciously purified the malice out of my Darkness before she absorbed it in order to protect herself from getting tainted.]
Not even Gavin Quinzel, the genius of the family, could do that.
[If Hanna Quinzel learned how scary her true ability is, then she'll be a problem for me.]
A bone in his throat, so to speak.
"As expected," Noah said to himself, sneering. "Hanna Quinzel must die."
He failed to hide his bloodlust this time.
No wonder Drystan literally blocked Noah's way.
"Have you no shame, you pathetic old bastard?" Drystan growled at him. "You're the Ancient Devil and yet, you're bloodlust is directed at a child?"
"A child who's born as my natural enemy is no child."
The King of Hell sneered. "What nonsense are you talking about? Even if Hanna Quinzel isn't a minor anymore, she's still A LOT younger than you. I can't believe you're threatened by a child."
'Threatened.'
Yes, that was the right term.
[Ever since I turned back time as per my contract with Yoan, my power significantly weakened. And it weakened even more when I passed my title to Trevor Kesser.]
That was probably the cause of his concerns at the moment.
"Are you afraid of a child, you pathetic old COWARD?"
"Call it what you want," Noah said coldly. "It's better to cut off a sprout before it blooms."
He then moved and tried to jump off the balcony.
Drystan cursed under his breath before running after him.
But the two of them froze on the spot when a portal suddenly opened up right above Noah.
Ah?
[They already found a door when I made sure I've blocked all entries here?]
"Rufus Quinzel," Drystan yelled when he recognized one of the men who fell from the portal. Then he pointed at the Ancient Devil. "That old bastard is the Ancient Devil, and he's serious about killing Hanna Quinzel!"
Noah gave Drystan a dire look. "Have you no shame? You're the King of Hell. Why are you pushing your responsibility to a young man?"
"I'm a team player," Drystan said shamelessly. "I find no shame in playing with a team with younger members."
He had a lot to say about that, but he kept his mouth shut.
After all, Noah was attacked by Rufus Quinzel's shadow sword right away. He grabbed the blade of the sword with his hand, smirking at the duke. "Oh, you're weaker than Hanna Quinzel. How do you plan to defeat me when your daughter didn't even leave a scratch on me?"
"I was informed by Commander Ruto that the gentleman over there is the King of Hell, and that he's here to protect Hanna and Princess Neoma," Rufus Quinzel answered calmly while pushing Noah with his strength and shadows. "I admit that I can't take you down alone. However, fortunately, I'm also a good team player."
He sneered at the duke. "Have you no pride? Teaming up with a stranger that you just met…"
"When you're a father, your child's safety is always more important than your pride."
Noah lost his smile at that moment.
It was ridiculous, but he always had a complex about his lack of affection towards other people.
"He wouldn't know that, Rufus Quinzel," Drystan said. "That old bastard is heartless."
Rufus Quinzel chuckled. "I figured."
Noah was truly annoyed at that point, but he didn't move recklessly.
After all, he realized that Drystan and Rufus Quinzel wouldn't be his biggest problem.
His eyes met a pair of a cat's eyes.
Noah sneered once again. "Gin, my lovely pet."
***
HUH?
Hanna, after tasting the sweet flavor of victory, was distracted when the sky shook a bit.
When she looked up, she was surprised to see a portal open up in the sky.
Oh!
[Our reinforcement has arrived!]
She was already happy with that.
Hence, she was pleasantly surprised when she saw who their support was.
Hanna gasped, her eyes twinkling in delight. "Father!"
She also saw her father quickly attack the Ancient Devil as soon as his feet landed on the ground.
[Oh, no. It's dangerous…]
If she wanted to help his father fight, then she better finish her fight here first.
Hanna looked at the current situation.
As expected, Lewis was dominating the fight against Eloise.
Moreover, it looked like the fox boy was trying to fight as far away as possible from her.
[Lewis doesn't have to worry that much about me since I have these two boys as my little guardians.]
Hanna cleared her throat before she raised her voice. "Lewis, let's finish this already!"
Lewis, who just sent Eloise flying with a high kick, turned to her.
"I'm going to deal the killing blow now!" Hanna yelled. She actually wasn't used to raising her voice, but her adrenaline at the moment was pretty high. "But first, I want you to cut off Eloise's tails!"
***
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our favorite psycho royal twins!
Neoma and Nero were born on the 24th of October, Year XXX. LOLOLOL. I'll post the collage I made for them in the comment section.
Anyway, Neoma and Nero are accepting kofi donations as a birthday present because their creator is too broke to buy them cake. Haha. JK... unless... *wiggling eyebrows*
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