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“—And… down.” I dispatched the final opponent—a ship-bound spirit wielding a dipper—and officially cleared the control room of all enemy pets.

“Pathetically weak, but whatever. Tengai, have you cleared the other areas?” I directed the question to Tengai, who had just reverted to his human form.

“Yes, we’ve cleared out all the enemy pets and secured the entire ship. For additional security, the Imperial Guard and members of the Seven Beasts of Calamity are monitoring the critical areas. Outside, the Thirteen Demon Generals are standing by to suppress any escape or rebellion.” Tengai bowed deeply as he reported on the measures he had taken to secure the ship.

“And that’s the situation, Mister Momongai. Why not give up this pointless resistance and consider cooperating? It’d save both of us a lot of trouble.” Holding my skirt modestly, I crouched on my tiptoes and peered down at Momongai’s face. He lay sprawled on the floor, bound in orichalcum chains with a gag over his mouth. His frenzied expression and wild thrashing made him resemble a fish out of water, desperate to return to the sea.

“Wigaighahg! Ewratge0tgaeghhgahaoqqehnqohjhbw!”
(Translation: “Shut up! Only a fool would fall for your tricks!”)

“……Hmm, your expression makes it clear you won’t cooperate willingly, huh. Oh well, I haven’t even decided where to put you to work yet, so just sit tight and watch how things unfold.”

I gave a casual shrug, brushing off his frantic glare. Honestly, I would’ve preferred a conversation without the gag, but skills only required vocal commands to activate. Better safe than sorry, after all.

“Igqet? Caotgjeghegqhgqgoqgj0h0o?”
(Translation: “What? What exactly are you planning to do?”)

“I assume you’re asking what I intend to do. Don’t worry, it’s nothing outrageous—I just need to use the «Teleporter» on this ship.”

The «Teleporter» could be used without his consent anyway. Embedded prominently in the center of the control room’s floor, it resembled a manhole cover about two meters in diameter. At its core was a jet-black sphere—roughly the size of a clenched fist—engraved with intricate geometric patterns.

“Klkngaegohgeboa?!”
(Translation: “Teleporter?!”)

Ah, I understood that one. ‘Teleporter?!’ for sure. Comprehension dawned on Momongai’s face, his dubious expression morphing into shock. His eyes widened so dramatically I half-expected them to pop out of their sockets.

He growled something incomprehensible, flailing and thrashing on the floor like a madman. Tengai, clearly exasperated, gave him a sharp smack, which finally quieted him down. Even so, his wide, trembling eyes betrayed boundless fear and utter despair.

“So it really does connect to Devta’s base… Good thing we didn’t fail at this stage after all the effort we’ve put into mobilizing the entire operation.”

This was no small matter. We had worked in tandem with Imperial Princess Oliana, who deployed the Empire’s elite—Magic Ship Beluga and its accompanying naval fleet—under the pretense of delivering an official document to Enyuria’s governor. Meanwhile, the Empire’s intelligence and inspection units had long since infiltrated Enyuria to uncover the source of leaked information and bait out the «Crimson Sail Pirate Order». Simultaneously, they aimed to expose the officials colluding with the pirates, striking two birds with one stone. By now, the Empire’s influence likely ran deep within Enyuria’s governance.

Oliana had been contributing in her own way, so I couldn’t afford to slack off and be the only one without results.

“First, take Mister Momongai and secure him elsewhere. Once that’s done, we’ll proceed with our predetermined plan: gather the Demon Generals of the Round Table to form a raid party. Additionally, dismantle Kaitei-Ou’s engine and relocate it to the Sky Garden. That will serve as our teleportation point.”

Rising to my feet, I issued the commands.

“But considering the size of the teleportation circle, the larger ones may not fit through,” Tengai speculated, his gaze fixed on the teleporter. His expression was laced with concern as he kept Mister Momongai pinned beneath his foot.

He had a point. Many of the Demon Generals had colossal forms, but we had accounted for that. This was why we planned to relocate Kaitei-Ou to the Sky Garden—not only for teleportation but also to bring in Kagerou, who couldn’t act openly. Additionally, we might consider enlisting other forces beyond the Demon Generals. I had a hunch that Maroudo and Kuin would be the first to step up.

“At worst, we can reposition the Sky Garden above Faximile and summon reinforcements as needed.”

Of course, that would effectively sound the trumpet of war between Imperial Crimson and the Holy Kingdom of Aeon. If it came to that, my defeat would be all but certain. Worse still, the entire Holy Kingdom might face obliteration, which would sow the seeds of even greater chaos.

The Sacred Teaching had long been the foundation of morals and the way of life across this world. Its destruction would incite the people of the continent to resent and despise Imperial Crimson—or more likely, me, Hiyuki, personally.

Such resentment could spiral into violence or push me to dominate the masses as a tyrant—a grim possibility. But bloodshed wasn’t in my nature, and I refused to rule through fear or turn lives into sacrificial pawns. My goal was simple: to be a kind neighbor. To achieve that, I had one critical task—to eliminate Devta, the one playing god with this world.

“Alright, that’s enough planning. Let’s get moving. Teleportation can wait until we’ve organized our forces… That should cover everything. Be ready—there won’t be time for warm-ups, so keep your guard up at all—”

As I renewed my resolve and turned to leave, I noticed something odd about Mister Momongai. The man who had been flailing wildly under Tengai’s hold just moments ago was now eerily still, like a statue. His face was void of life, his gaze fixed on a single point, reflecting nothing but pure despair.

Startled, I followed his gaze and saw the teleporter glowing with an ominous blue light.

“—Damn it. They’ve beaten us to the punch!”

It wasn’t us—someone on the other side had activated it. The timing was far too precise to be a coincidence. Could they have figured out what was happening here? The real question was: who was coming? Was it Lubbock, Tamegoro, or perhaps Miss Achako?

Shielding my eyes from the blinding light, I squinted to make out the figure. It wasn’t Lubbock—the height and shoulder width were all wrong. Nor did the silhouette resemble Tamegoro or Miss Achako.

“A Dragonkin…?” Tengai murmured, his voice laden with unease.

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