My stepsisters are sexy demons, and I must protect them-Chapter 72: A new Hakuto

—SWISH!

With a swift slash of his diamond blade, cloaked in the fire of the Sacred Flame, Hakuto cleaves straight through the body of a towering monster.

The creature stands over ten meters tall, resembling a massive red-furred gorilla, with black spikes jutting from its back and huge, sharp claws.

Its body is partially decayed—patches of fur missing, exposed muscles and bones visible in several places.

The creature’s carcass, sliced vertically in half, turns to ash before it even finishes falling onto the packed dirt of the massive training arena where the fight is taking place.

Hakuto stands at the center of the arena, his body covered from neck to feet in the diamond armor that, just three months ago, he could only manifest on his upper half. In his hands, a diamond sword different from the one he used before.

The blade is now straight, thicker and longer than before—he’s reshaped it to match his new combat style. It’s something between a regular sword and a large two-handed greatsword.

Yet Hakuto wields it with such finesse that it looks like he’s holding a light dagger.

«These kinds of opponents were fine a month ago. Don’t you have anything better?» Hakuto asks, raising his eyes toward the stands.

Only two people are seated there, observing his training.

The first is Chris Kendrow, younger brother of Alexia Kendrow, the Crystalbearer Shin entrusted him to—the one who holds the crystal of Thural, the Relentless Storm.

The other figure—Hakuto’s actual target—is Velune.

Because of her incredible necromancer skills, Alexia turned her into a literal monster-producing machine, giving her full access to HESPARC U.S.’s corpse storage.

These were cadavers that had already been studied thoroughly, originally kept for research on the anatomy of creatures from N’Raeth.

Now, they’ve been handed over to Velune so she can reanimate them for training purposes—for Hakuto and other HESPARC agents.

Not that any of this pleases her—far from it.

But Deputy Director Alexia Kendrow didn’t leave her much of a choice: «Cooperate with us, or I’ll reduce your undead body to ashes.»

And after three months of captivity, Velune has given up hope that anyone from the Cult of the Primordial Shadow will come to rescue her.

So she’s decided to comply, sharing intel and raising corpses on command.

«And what am I supposed to do if all I’ve got are the corpses of these useless creatures?!» Velune snaps, wounded by Hakuto’s harsh words toward her beloved undead—now reduced to ashes one after another.

Just today, Hakuto has destroyed twelve without even breaking a sweat.

«So what now? Keep training against weak undead like these? It’s just a waste of time,» Hakuto grumbles.

«I suppose you’re right... Maybe it’s time to raise the difficulty a little,» Chris replies.

He rises from his seat and stares at Hakuto from the stands with a challenging look.

Hakuto notices it instantly.

He narrows his eyes and shifts into a combat stance.

Then, massive ice-colored wings burst from Chris’s back. His skin shifts into sapphire-colored scales, and his irises turn pure white.

His right arm becomes coated in sharp ice, forming a deadly lance.

And then...

...with a powerful flap of his wings that sends poor Velune tumbling over, Chris bursts into the air, dashing straight toward Hakuto.

The ground beneath him shatters as he intercepts Chris’s icy thrust using the flat of his blade.

Velune barely has time to get up before the shockwave sends her rolling again.

Chris and Hakuto exchange blows in midair. Chris, kept aloft by his powerful wings, pulls back and rises several meters.

Hakuto reacts instantly—he leaps after him.

He raises his blade, ready to strike, but Chris flaps his wings again, harder this time.

A violent gust slams Hakuto down, but he twists midair and lands on his feet.

From his sword, diamond spikes burst out like nails from a spiked club.

Hakuto twists his torso, swings the sword behind his back, and...

—SWISH!

He slashes fiercely at empty air.

But during that motion, the diamond shards shoot off from the blade, flying like a volley of projectiles wrapped in white flames straight toward Chris.

It’s one of the main achievements of Hakuto’s exhausting and relentless training—the ability to use the diamonds he generates not only to forge melee weapons or defensive gear, but also to launch powerful long-range attacks.

That was one of the weaknesses that Deputy Director Alexia Kendrow’s sharp, analytical eyes had noticed right away: Hakuto’s inability to fight from a distance.

Until now, he had always been forced to confront his enemies head-on, which put him at a serious disadvantage when facing opponents physically stronger than him.

Chris isn’t caught off guard.

A sphere of ice instantly seals around his body like a shell.

The diamond projectiles slam into it but fail to break through.

Then, the ice sphere shatters—hundreds of sharp shards remain suspended mid-air around Chris.

Now it’s Hakuto who’s in trouble.

A rain of jagged ice needles comes his way, far more numerous and dangerous than the ones he had just unleashed.

He has no choice—he expands his diamond armor to cover his face, the only part still exposed.

Until now, he hasn’t been able to maintain it there for more than a few seconds due to the high energy cost.

Even so, it’s a huge achievement.

Not long ago—around his first fight with Chantal—he struggled just to cover both arms.

The ice shards strike the armor but bounce off, leaving no damage.

But that ice storm was just a distraction.

Chris stretches both arms forward—around his hands, a huge sphere of water forms.

From it, a high-pressure jet erupts, sharp enough to slice through thick steel like butter.

Hakuto dodges at the last second with a sharp sidestep, then bursts upward toward Chris.

Under his diamond helmet, a grin of thrill and satisfaction spreads across his face.

Hakuto has fought Chris only once before—on the day he first arrived here.

Back then, he was defeated in the blink of an eye.

Now, even knowing Chris isn’t using his full power, the fact that he can keep up excites him.

His body trembles.

For the first time in his life, he feels strong.

Another shockwave bursts out as Hakuto’s blade clashes against Chris’s ice lance.

This time, Velune doesn’t make the same mistake—she watches from behind a row of seats, safely out of range.

The impact sends both fighters flying in opposite directions.

Hakuto lands on his feet with ease, ready to charge again.

They’re about to launch at each other once more when...

«That’s enough.»

A female voice rings out from the stands.

It’s the voice of Deputy Director Alexia Kendrow.

Immediately, Chris’s blue scales and icy wings retract.

At the same time, Hakuto’s diamond armor and sword dissolve into glowing particles—tiny crystal fragments like glittering sand.

Hakuto turns his eyes toward Alexia—and his eyes widen.

She’s not alone.

Standing beside her is none other than his father—Shin Tendo.

«My compliments, son! I mean it!» Shin says, genuinely impressed.

«I knew coming here would make you stronger, but I didn’t expect this much.

If I still had both arms, I’d be clapping right now.»

Chris smirks at the sight of Shin.

He knew Alexia planned to recruit him for the mission in the Amazon to hunt down the dark elf Eskari.

He was certain Shin would refuse.

And now, he’s glad he was wrong.

«Dad... what are you doing here?! And Rika and Yuzu? Don’t tell me you left them alone?!» Hakuto asks, clearly confused.

Considering how bad Shin’s relationship with HESPARC is, he was the last person Hakuto expected to see here.

«Your beloved sisters are fine, son. I didn’t come here leaving them defenseless. I called Chantal back from France just to watch over them. I’m sure she’ll have a blast going shopping with Rika, Yuzu, and their friends.»

Hakuto gives a nervous smile.

~Chantal enjoying shopping? Yeah, right...~

«As for why I’m here...» Shin begins.

He glances at Alexia—she nods.

«The U.S. Division is convinced that a member of the Cult of the Primordial Shadow is hiding deep within the Amazon Rainforest.

That’s why they’re organizing an expedition, led by me and made up of highly skilled agents, with the goal of eliminating him.»

«Until a few minutes ago, the plan was to keep you in the dark because of the role I’ll have in this mission. They didn’t want you to worry about me. But your progress has been incredible—you’ve reached the strength of a mid-level HESPARC agent in just a few months. That exchange with Chris just now proved it. Until a moment ago, your participation wasn’t even considered. But after what Alexia and I just saw, we both believe you’re ready. Having you on the team would be a huge asset. I won’t lie to you—it’s a dangerous mission, and death is a very real possibility. So think it over carefully. The mission starts in eight days. You have until then.»

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