Mitsuri had been sitting on top of a tall flat boulder alongside Iguro, while the two figures remained unconscious a few feet away. She stretched her hands above her head and fought a yawn. She glanced down to see Iguro's haori placed over her bare legs and she smiled to herself, recalling the tempting dream that she wanted to drown in back at the train.
Shaking herself free from such thoughts, she looked to Iguro.
"I don't suppose we can take them with us and see if the others need our help?" She wondered, her bright gaze on Iguro, who was petting the snake around his neck absentmindedly as he peered at the quiet forest.
"It might be a good idea to regroup. I have an uneasy feeling about all of this." He answered.
Mitsuri tilted her head, her bright green eyes filled with concern. "Let's go, Iguro-kun. I want to make sure they're okay." She agreed.
Without warning, there was a sudden blur of movement and both of them split up and jumped in opposite directions. If they had moved a second too late, they would have been caught as the boulder shuddered before splitting cleanly into two.
Mitsuri coughed at the blast of dust as she prepared her sword.
She resisted calling out to him, in case it would reveal her position to the enemy. She grimly stepped through the haziness, gripping her sword in anticipation.
She jumped away again, a corner of Iguro's haori sliced cleanly as it fluttered to the ground. The haziness cleared and she could see that it was Enmu. Her eyes widened, as she looked to the spot where the God had last been seen and saw ropes had been cut but no body lay on the ground. She gazed back at Enmu, who seemed calmer than before, with dark swirling shapes that now seemed to stain his skin.
"What happened to you?" She murmured in concern, even as she could feel his aura was much stronger than before.
In the corner of her gaze, she could see Iguro standing across Apollo, fresh blood dripping down his forehead.
"Have you ever wondered where the strength of slayers came from?" Apollo revealed, calmly walking towards Enmu.
"Stop right there." Iguro warned, already moving to try and close the distance.
Apollo continued his way until he reached the demon, who bowed before him. Apollo glanced down at the crown of his head, his face expressionless.
"Slayers and Demons are the same power. Just different sides of the same coin." He revealed.
Mitsuri and Iguro watched in stunned silence as Apollo reached out and grabbed Enmu by the throat. Lifting him up into the air, a medium sized blast of silver power from his palm appeared and he immediately pushed it into the demon's body.
Enmu pulled his head back and growled in pain.
Mitsuri gasped, watching as the essence of what Enmu used to be was absorbed into the silver light before making its way back into Apollo's body.
Throwing the body away from him, Apollo glowed a blinding silver. He had closed his eyes, as if forcing his body to accept the absorbed energy into his own.
Iguro reached out to grip her arm, shaking her out of her shock. Without a word, the two escaped into the forest, putting as much distance as possible from Apollo.
Artemis wiped the blood before it could block her vision, a corner of her lip curled into a sneer at the group before her. She didn't expect their strength to be of any significance, but she could feel the ghostly pains from her twin and assessed whether she should abort the mission.
Hyakkimaru stood by Micah, both gazes sharply attentive to her every move in case of a quick attack again.
Artemis glanced to the slayer she had hit with her powers, satisfied to see he was slowly losing the battle of flames.
"Give up now before the slayer is consumed by my powers." Her quick hunter's gaze looked for an opening but found Hyakkimaru shift slightly to block her way towards the girl her brother bade her to bring.
With an impatient click of her tongue, she relaxed her hold on the daggers she held and raised her hands in a mock defeat.
"How about a deal?" She tried instead, buying time as she watched the silver flames slowly but surely absorb the protective flames around the slayer.
Micah grimly raised his staff. "This is senseless. You must realize Zeus has no desire to share his power. Especially not with his children."
Artemis narrowed her eyes at him, even as she estimated it would take another few moments, before the slayer is hers to control.
"And if power is not what I seek, will you tempt me with another offer?" She challenged him.
Before he could answer, Artemis felt a surge of power some distance away behind her. Her own eyes blazed with an eerie silver glow as she pulled back a wolf-like grin.
Changing tactics, she dropped her daggers and reached out for the slayer's neck, another ball of power already appearing in her palm.
"My brother and I are beyond powerful. We have surpassed even our father." She exclaimed, gripping the slayer by the neck and preparing to absorb his essence.