Chapter 31
Mirrors and Sheep
In the dark caves of the Underwater Temple, Noelle roamed aimlessly, hoping to find someone she could pair up with before engaging in a fight.
"What am I going to do if I can't find anyone soon?" Noelle pondered worryingly."It's not like I can just engage in a fight like that. I don't have any attack spells. Why did we have to get separated anyway? At least Asta could have been he-Wait, why am I thinking about that idiot?! I don't need him to help me again or anything..."
"Seems like there's a lot in your mind right now." A voice hollered from in front of Noelle, causing her to yelp due to the sudden appearance of the stranger."Hey there. Finally, I found you." The female with a dolphin mask waved at Noelle.
"S-shoot...talk about bad timing." She swallowed the lump in her throat before adopting what she thought was a confident expression."Well, you want to take on a royal such as me? I'll warn you, it's best if you run now while you can."
"Run away? Now that's an odd request, Noelle."
"Huh? How do you know my name?"
"Oh, right. You can't tell who I am with this mask." Unmasking herself, the young female revealed her cascading red hair and her familiar face to Noelle."I've been waiting for you, Noelle. How are you doing?"
"Kahono?!" Noelle exclaimed in utter surprise."Don't tell me...you're one of the Underwater Temple mages. But then...why did you help me back then with my magic?"
"Truth be told, I wanted to look for people to come to the Underwater Temple while I was practicing on the beach." She explained with a smile."And when we have guests, grandp-I mean, the Grand Priest, likes to host games like these. If I get to win, I can go to the surface and make my dream of being an idol a reality."
"So...you're saying you used me?" Noelle deflated, her chest tightening at the feeling of someone she considered a friend using her like that.
"What? No! Not at all." She shook her head frantically."I genuinely wanted to help you because I wanted to be your friend. But it also helped me out too. So in a way, we're even. But right now, we're opponents, facing off against each other to win this game."
"B-but we're supposed to be friends!"
"That's right. But because we're friends, we're able to clash over things precious to us but keep smiling together even then." Kahono opened up her Grimoire, preparing to use a spell."Let's see if your training has paid off. Song Magic: Mother Lullaby!"
"If you insist on fighting, I'll show you what I can do!" Noelle's Grimoire flipped through its pages.'That's right. I've also been training with Raiden and Asta. I'm not as weak as I was before coming here!'
"Water Creation Magic: Sea Dragon's Lair!"
A dome of water surrounded Noelle, protecting her from all directions.
"Now you're getting serious. Then I'll do the same then! Song Magic: Destructive Beat!"
With a scream, Kahono sent a sound shockwave towards Noelle's spell, which ultimately resisted the attack with ease."Not a bad defense, but you'll never win if you don't go into the offensive."
"Easier said than done." Noelle gritted her teeth, aiming her wand at Kahono and shooting water attacks. Much to her dismay, she still hadn't gotten a full grasp of her magic yet, so her attacks kept missing.
"Come on, Noelle, remember what you've learned!" Kahono told her, hoping to get Noelle on the right track.
'That's right!' Noelle gasped upon remembering her training.
"Listen, Noelle, as someone who has only attack spells, I can give you a pretty good hint to get your mind fixed on attacking properly." Raiden said back when they were taking a break from training and were all sitting around together."You got to be dead set on attacking and hurting whatever is in front of you. Whether it's to protect or to take, otherwise your mind will prevent you from using your magic to its maximum."
"That's right." Kahono agreed."Your mind is preventing you from properly doing any attacks since you don't want to hurt anyone."
"You guys said that but..." Noelle trailed off, gazing to the ground.
"Remember what you're here for." Kahono forged on."You came to make something true, didn't you? For your friends as well. If you don't fight, you'll never get what you want!"
"I know! And I want to be useful to everyone!" Noelle clenched her wand hard, her knuckles turning white."That's why... if you insist, I'll take you down right now!"
This time, Noelle's attack seemed to go directly to Kahono, but the young red-haired was able to jump out of the way with a wide smile on her face."Nice! You almost got me there! But I'm not going to make it easy for you!"
'I have to undo my spell for now.' Noelle narrowed her eyes with determination.'It's true that I'm completely safe in here, but I'm also a big target for her to attack. Not to mention I can't exactly move around much in here unless I'm underwater."
Undoing her spell, Noelle exposed herself to the open, taking Kahono by surprise."So you decided to come out?"
Raising her want, Noelle decided to use her spell to answer."Water Magic: Sea Dragon's Waterball Barrage!"
Shooting a volley of water balls, Noelle forced Kahono on the backfoot."Not good!
As Noelle prepared herself to attack without holding back, she sensed powerful, sinister mana in the distance."What the...?"
"Where the hell is everyone here?" Hazama sighed, his wings taking him fast through the cave and evading the nuisance spells along the way to make sure no harm came to Abel, who was still unconscious."I don't have all day. And I don't know if they'll be able to locate me at this rate. Worst-case scenario I'll just leave him here, but if he were to die, that'd be bad for us."
He shifted his gaze towards the unconscious boy in his right claw, grunting."I used to wonder what made him so special, but now I know. If he's so precious to Mother's plan, why not just take him now? It'd save us a lot of trouble. Letting him grow will only make subduing him harder. I can only imagine how strong the other one is."
Hazama's eyes darted to his claws, cringing inside at how beastly he looked."If Debbie were to see me like this...she would be terrified and possibly hate me for the rest of her life. With everything I've done, I could never look at her in the eyes. But as long as she can have a nice, long life...at least her. I can't lose another child."
His mind began venturing deep into his memories, memories he could not suppress, no matter how hard he tried to dull the pain.
"Dad, am I going to die?"
"Sofia, I promise you that your mother and I will make sure you and your sister make it through this. No matter what it takes. I'll find a way to cure you both."
He shook his head, grabbing his head."Sofia..."
"Hazama, please...this is the only way to save Debbie." His wife begged him.
"No! I can't! Not when it means losing you!"
The red haired's breathing became erratic, sounding like a beast running out of breath due to his monstrous form.
"You have nowhere else to go, don't you?"
He had encountered Baby after the funeral of his oldest daughter. She attended the funeral, sitting in the back by herself, so he hadn't thought much of it. Which made it more shocking when she offered him a place next to her and told him about her plan.
"You have one child left. Seeing as how the other went ended up, you don't have much time or choice. This world turned its back on you and refused to give you, a peasant, a helping hand because you didn't have enough money to cover your daughters' medical expenses. But you can still save the other one. All you have to do is sacrifice. Devote your life to me and I'll give you everything you lack."
Coming back to his senses, the Second CHild gasped when he noticed he was about to crash against a wall since he hadn't been paying attention. Launching a fire spell, he made a hole through the wall before he ended up taking damage. It was a gamble since he didn't know what was on the other side. But much to his fortune, he found a couple of people who were engaging in combat.
"Huh?! What the hell was that?!" Asta cried out as he and Kiato abruptly stopped their fight."Is that another one of those nuisance spells from earlier? It's so weird looking. Is that really a sea creature?"
"No...I've never seen something like that myself. And that mana..." Kiato gaped, his eyes widening."What is that?"
"Hey, that's Abel!" Asta gasped upon noticing the unconscious form of his classmate in the creature's claws.
"Ah, perfect. Seems like I can drop him off him then." Hazama threw Abel's limb body towards Asta, forcing the Magicless mage to leap forward to prevent him from falling to the ground.
"Abel, wake up!" Asta set him on the floor, tapping his cheek."Abel!"
"Let me check him over, Asta." Kiato rushed to his side, kneeling and putting his head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat."He's just unconscious. He's okay."
"What did you do to him?!" Asta barked at Hazama, who shrugged in response.
"I think it's more appropriate to say what he did to me." He grumbled as he recalled his fight with him."Anyway, my job here is done. Good luck, because you're going to need it."
"Like hell I'm letting you go after this!" Asta pulled out his Demon Slayer, throwing it at Hazama's back as he attempted to leave. Due to the sword not having any magic, Hazama wasn't able to react in time to block it, so he reflexively grabbed it with his hands.
"What the-?!" Hazama immediately felt the sword sucking away his mana, causing him to lose control of his wings and force him back to the ground and tossing the sword away."That sword...I just grabbed it and my power was..."
Asta took advantage of his stupor stage, pulling his Demon Dweller and running up to the enemy. Beside him, Kiato made his move as well, following close behind."Kiato?"
"We'll postpone our fight for now. First, we deal with this threat."
"Right! Thanks a bunch!"
Hazama sneered, not liking how the situation had turned out."I wasn't in the mood for another fight. But I guess I won't be getting out of here unless I take you out." Raising his arms, he blocked the incoming blades with his claws."Don't say I didn't warn you."
With relative ease, Hazama swatted them both away like flies. Grabbing his Grimoire, he pulled his sickles by their chains and threw them at each of them, wrapping them around their legs. Before they could move, he yanked the chains hard, slamming them on the ground simultaneously. Using his magic, he ignited his hands with green fire before it turned crimson and spread it across the chains towards his foes.
Kiato and Asta quickly cut the chains with their respective blades before they could get burnt and ran in circles around him.
"You just won't piss off, huh?" Raising his arms, he called back the sickles over to him. The first to strike was Asta, leaping over to him and preparing to swing his sword. Hazama ducked out of the way in time, using his antlers to throw Asta away from him while knocking the wind out of his lungs.
"Malefic Hell Fire Magic: Sunshine Race!"
Four fire projectiles made of crimson fire shot from his Grimoire, each of them with a demonic face. Asta used his Ki-sensing abilities to block them in time with his sword, dispersing the spell.
"Those movements...he read my attack like that Abel kid did."
Behind him, Kiato appeared after taking advantage of Asta's distraction, ready to strike him down. Unfortunately, Hazama flapped his wings, creating a current of air strong enough to push him away from him.
"I can't even get close." He cursed under his breath.
Deciding he had enough, Hazama moved faster than Kiato could even perceive, appearing in front of him and raising his sickles above the mage. Much to his surprise, Kiato managed to evade it at the last second, taken back by how fluidly he had done it. He tried doing it again and again, but Kiato was throwing him off by using his dancing skills. Clicking his tongue, Hazama put his sickles back and opted for using his claws instead."Malefic Hell Fire Magic:..."
He quickly turned on his heel, aiming at Asta who was now a few inches from him."He saw me coming?!"
"Great Breathe of the Netherworld!" Hazama released a powerful blaze of his fire point-blank before he twirled around, scattering his flames around the cave until he made a circle of fire. Asta had managed to block most of the attack with his Demon Slayer, but unfortunately, he still received some of the impacts. Falling to his knees, the Magicless mage winced at the burns around his body.
"Seems like you're the kid with the Anti-Magic." Hazama stood in front of him, glaring him down."How peculiar. I never heard of such a thing before. It's a shame that you don't know when to quit, though."
"Like hell...I'm going to let you just walk away...after what you did to Abel!" Asta began standing up, gritting his teeth."You're one of the Children of Sceva...you're with the people who attacked the Capital and hurt Captain Fuegoleon!"
"I don't know any of that business the Eye of the Midnight Sun took part in at the Capital." Hazama huffed."But we are allied. Though we do have separate objectives."
"Why are you here? How did you even get here?!"
"It's complicated. Let's just say we're very versatile. And besides, we're not here to stay. I was just about to leave before you stopped me. You got your friend over there hurt as well as yourself because you were playing the tough guy. You kids think you're invincible and you can't die. But really, what's stopping me from stomping on your head right now?"
Asta grimaced at his words."Shut up...stop talking or-"
Hazama kicked Asta's hand, throwing his sword to the side and leaving him completely defenseless. With a growl, he prepared to slash him with his claws."Sorry. Nothing personal, kid. But you're dying today."
"I don't think so!" Kiato jumped in front of Asta, blocking his claws with his swords. His heels dug on the ground due to how strong Hazama was compared to him.
"Kiato!" Asta gasped."Why are you-"
"Are you kidding me? I'm not going to let you get killed!" Kiato gave him a smile despite how he was beginning to lose ground."You proved me wrong! You are pretty capable, despite not having magic. I guess that's why I couldn't just lay down doing nothing. I know I stand no chance against him. Maybe you don't either, but you're trying. And if you try, I'll give it my all too."
"Another kid trying to play the hero." Hazama grunted, kneeing Kiato and launching him away."This world isn't that kind. People get hurt by trying to help others and don't get helped back. No one cares if you're suffering or not. You have to do things yourself if you ever want the result to change."
"Don't give me that bullshit." Asta stood up, now wielding his Demon Dweller as well."I never even met Kiato before today. And here he is, protecting me with his life. We're complete strangers, but I don't mind already calling him a friend! So no matter what, I'll help him too!"
"What a naive way of thinking. Fine, then die along with him! Malefic Hell Fire Magic: Great Breathe of the Netherworld!"
Asta ran up to the spell, using the Devil Slayer to block most of the attack while absorbing the fire with Demon Dweller, causing his sword to pulsate and emanate a red aura."The world isn't just black and white! That's humanity's magic! We help each other to persevere! Anti Hell Fire Magic: Heatsoul Overload!"
Sending a slash of crimson fire, Hazama was sent flying towards the wall, feeling the force of his own magic being used against him.
Asta landed on his knees, panting."How did you like that?!"
"No way...how did you do that?" Kiato gaped, approaching him slowly.
"It's a little trick my sword can do. I can absorb magic and send it back to the source." Asta sighed in relief."I'm happy you're okay."
"Likewise. But it's not over yet."
Asta perked up at the shift in the air he felt, sending chills down his spine. Hazama came out of the hole in the wall, a ring of fire surrounding him. He had no visible wounds.
"It can't be...that attacked should have been able to do something!"
Kiato gritted his teeth, not sure what to do to help their situation."This is bad..."
"Why aren't the Captain and the High Priest intervening? No way they didn't notice this guy's mana."
"Thing is, even if they did, no one can come in unless the game is finished. Or have the means to get inside like this guy."
"Maybe if we can get to Finral..."
"I hope that whatever it is you're planning will be enough to save you," Hazama growled as he splayed his arms, releasing unbelievable magic power that pushed back his enemies.
"Woah! I can't feel magic but even I can feel that!" Asta covered his eyes from the gust of wind created by the Second Child.
"No way..." Kiato's eyes widened in shock."He...he's a monster..."
"Like I said, this is nothing personal." Asta could have sworn he saw an emotion he had not expected in his foe's eyes. Sadness."But I have to end you now. Malefic Hell Fire Magi-"
Suddenly, all the mana he had accumulated vanished as if it was never released. Hazama fell on one knee, groaning in pain."Not now...This is my time limit?"
He began to shrink, his antlers and his skull head reverting to human. He scanned his surroundings, making a run for Kiato's mask which had been left on the floor, and grabbed it before flying away.
"Hey, wai-"
"Let him go, Asta." Kiato grabbed Asta's shoulder."We can't let him distract us. We have to go look for the others and group up. Who knows if there are more enemies in here."
"But..." Asta deflated but a glance at the unconscious Abel reminded him of the situation at hand."You're right. I have to take Abel to a safe place. Kiato, could you-"
"No problem." Kiato followed Asta over to Abel wrapping the boy's arms around their shoulders to carry him.
"This is bad." Yami grabbed his head, tossing his cigarette on the floor."They're here. No wonder we couldn't see that screen from earlier. There must be two of them. I got to get out there."
"Lados and Lenny..." The Grand Priest's blood ran cold upon realizing that two of his people had been taken down and usurped of their positions."I...I can't undo the spell and we can't get out of here until the game is over. Those are the rules to my magic."
"Well, shit." Yami clicked his tongue, walking towards the wall and cutting a hole in it in the blink of an eye.
"W-what in the world?!" The High Priest jumped out of his seat once he saw the outside. Not only were they covered by a sphere made of spatial magic which prevented them from leaving, but there was also a person waiting for them outside, flapping her demonic-like wings.
"Well, well. Look who I found." The Mother of the Children of Sceva, Baby, waved at them with a smile."Yami Sukehiro. Just who I wanted to see. Enjoying the show?"
"You're...uh...Child!"
"What?! No!"
"Kid."
"That's not it either! It's Baby! Baby!"
"Right, right." Yami waved his hand dismissively."So, what is such a big fish like you doing here? I thought you sent some of your boys already. Didn't peg you as the type to jump in and get her hands dirty."
"Well, I originally was planning on fighting you. But due to how small our fighting arena currently is...I guess that's not much of a possibility. Unless you want me in there. In which case, I can't guarantee you that old man's safety."
"Shit..." Yami looked over his shoulder.'She's right. And from what I remember, she's incredibly good at long distance with her magic. But unless I go through her I can't get to the others.'
"Will you play nice or...?"
Yami wordlessly turned to the High Priest."Can you get me in contact with those idiots? As it stands they're on their own."
"B-but can they win? I mean, my mages are pretty strong, but-"
"We'll have to trust all of them to do this. Right here and now."
"Where is everyone?! I have to find someone quick!" Grey continued running, despite her legs begging her for a break. After Yami's warning, the pressure had increased significantly. Not only was the Order of the First here, but also one of the leaders of the Eye of the Midnight Sun.
"I-if there's more of them, will that mean everyone else is in danger? And does that mean that maybe they can't help Raiden? Then...should I just go back? Oh, gosh, I don't know what to do! He told me to run, but is that the right thing to do?"
"You're so damn annoying!"
Grey perked up at that distant scream. It was one she was very familiar with. Nodding to herself, she quickly transformed into Gauche and continued running.
The original Gauche was hiding, planning his next move against one of the Eye of the Midnight Sun. He was cornered. He hated to admit it, but he wasn't coming up with any ideas.
"This jackass looks weak and sounds weak, but he's crazy strong." He ran a hand through his hair."And he's just some small fry they got. I don't want to say it, but I might not stand a chance against one of those creeps who can transform. But if I die here...Marie will be all alone. Damn it, I can't let that happen!"
"Gauche!" A voice whispering caught his attention. He had seen his own reflection in the flesh so many times that watching Grey disguised as him didn't faze him at all.
"Grey? What the hell are you doing here?" Gauche flabbergasted, quickly scanning their surroundings to see if their enemy had caught notion of them."And keep your voice down, will you?"
"This is bad, Gauche!" She yelled-whispered, trembling."The Children of Sceva are here and-"
"Yeah, I heard the Captain's message too." Gauche cut her off."Apparently, that beast-looking guy is here too. And now one of their minions is here. I don't want to say this, but he has me in checkmate. Maybe you can help-"
"Gauche, Raiden is in trouble! He's fighting one of the Children of Sceva! I think he said he was the second one. He told me to run to look for help to keep me safe but he stayed behind and I don't know if he's okay!"
"What?!" Gauche nearly rose his voice."Why didn't you say anything sooner?!"
"I tried but you didn't let me!"
"Shit..." Gauche rubbed the edge of his nose."If he's number two, then he's just behind the one Abel and Raiden fought against and barely made it out alive. I don't know if he'll stand a chance on his own. Fine, let's wrap this up quickly. I'll give you a rundown on this guy's abilities. He has some type of chain magic. It reacts to magic being used and attacks immediately. He has great offense and defense. And can block most of my attacks. We'll have to come up with a strategy, using you as the main event."
"M-me?"
"Yes, you. This guy has seen most of my spells by now. Which means we'll need you as our trump card."
Grey swallowed the lump in her throat, but nodded, her face full of determination."Okay. Let's do this. What do you have in mind?"
"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" The Eye of the Midnight Sun grunt smashed his wrecking balls around, laughing."So far, I'm not impressed. Then again, you are mere Black Bulls. I can't comprehend how we haven't disposed of you yet."
"Shut your mouth, you worthless scum." Gauche snapped, catching his attention. He stood close with Grey, putting their plan into motion. As planned, their enemy smashed his wrecking ball near them, causing them to fly in separate locations.
"Again with a trick like that?" The terrorist sighed, approaching the disguised Grey. Unbeknownst to him, he was in checkmate.
"Here's what we'll do. We'll stand close together, and he'll think you're my Real Double. He'll go for an attack and you have to make sure he believes you're the real one. Then when he's close to you, I'll jump him and finish that bastard off."
Gauche smirked once he saw the terrorist go down by his Large Reflect Ray."Finally. Annoying bastard. That's for name-dropping Marie like that in front of me."
"I-is it over?" Grey carefully approached Gauche, her eyes set on the unconscious mage."You got him?"
"Yeah. He went down in one shot." Gauche huffed, folding his arms."Anyway, we don't have time to waste here. Take us to where that idiot is. I wasted a good amount of magic, but I should be okay to continue fighting."
"R-right." Grey took a step forward, but immediately faltered and threatened to hit the ground. Gauche reacted quickly grabbing her before she could hurt herself.
"What the hell was that?" He asked, slightly annoyed at having to hold her."You startled me for a second."
"I'm sorry. I must have twisted my ankle just now when he launched me against the wall. It hurts to walk..."
Rolling his eyes, he turned on his heel and bent on his knee."Okay, fine. Get on my back. I'd suggest turning into a crab or something small, but I need you to talk so you can give me directions."
"I could turn into Charmy. She's the lightest of us all."
"Really? Your real self looks pretty petite, like a gust of wind would knock you down if you weren't careful. But it's fine. Conserve your magic. Who knows if we'll need you to jump into action again."
With that, Grey got up on Gauche's back as the two began their march. Despite having a difficult time carrying his own weight on his back, Gauche did his best to jog in hopes of reaching their friend before it was too late.
"Gauche...do you think I can be useful again?"
"What kind of stupid question is that? You have to be useful. I might be tough, but I can only do so much on my own. As much shit as Asta spouts, he actually said something worth remembering. We're a squad. We got each other's backs. Just now, if you hadn't come, I'd be in a world of trouble. So I'll be counting on you again when the time comes. In exchange, I'll keep you safe too."
"Gauche..." A faint blush appeared on her cheeks.
"But back to the problem at hand...where do we go?" Gauche stopped in the middle of two paths."Which one did you come from?"
"I...I don't remember." Grey confessed, twiddling with her fingers.
"What? What the hell do you mean you don't remember?"
"I had my eyes closed while I was running! But I think I took a right..."
"Never mind what I said. You're completely useless." He groaned, taking the path she had pointed had and continued jogging."Still...you taking advice from Asta? That's...surprising."
"Yeah. I guess it is." He chuckled, reminiscing about their fight in Nean."He defended Marie. So I suppose I did it to repay him. Plus, he was annoying."
"He's very brave, despite his age and the fact that he has no magic. Maybe that's why he tries harder than any of us. Because he has to make up for the lack of magic."
"True. He does work harder. I don't think anyone wakes up so damn early in the morning to go train and be so loud. Seriously, that little twerp manages to wake everyone up as soon as he comes back."
"He is very...enthusiastic to say the least."
The duo remained silent for a few minutes as they continued navigating the caves."Hey...you said we had each other's backs, but will we be able to fight one of the Order of the First? The second one at that?"
"We have to. I don't plan on dying here. Do you?"
"No...But...Huh? Wait, is that?"
Gauche stopped in his tracks, noticing a familiar face snoozing away in the middle of the cave."Charmy? Why is she...what the fuck?! She's sleeping? That damn dome head is sleeping while we're fighting for our lives? Oh, she'll hear me now!"
"Wait, Gauche, I think this is a-"
Gauche stepped on a trap, more specifically, a magic-made trap. Vines came out of a magic circle, tangling around them and preventing them from moving. To top it off, their magic was being sucked by the vines, making them weaker with each passing second.
"What now?!" Gauche grunted, trying to jerk his arms free.
"G-Gauche, what's happening? I can't move and my magic is..."
"Vine Trap Magic: Bind Vine!"
A man wearing the Eye of the Midnight Sun's signature cloak descended with the help of his vines, carrying an unconscious temple mage with him."Two people with the same face. Well, I don't think you're twins, so I'll say one of you is using transformation magic. But still, I managed to catch two. Along with the one I already caught. Don't worry. Soon enough, you'll be feeling nothing."
"No, don't! Please! Let us go!" Grey tried squirming to no avail."Gauche, we'll die!"
"Shut up!" Gauche snapped, feeling guilty for being so harsh to her, but he was feeling stressed out as he was."Let me think."
"It doesn't matter what you try to scheme now. With my magic, not only are you bound but your magic is also being drained. It's the perfect trap."
Gauche gritted his teeth, fed up with the terrorist boasting.'I get it now. Charmy might have been a decoy. She sleeps like a log, so no wonder she didn't notice this psycho setting up the traps. Still, she is being left out. Which means she's our only hope of getting free. Damn it. Now I have to depend on Charmy.'
He shook his head, recalling Asta's words.'No. Despite how useless they are in combat, we're stuck in this together and we'll get out together. For now, I have to find a way to wake Charmy up without this guy noticing. Screaming won't help and if she stirs awake, he'll probably catch her too. Which means we'll need something that snaps her awake in one go. Think...'
"We can't stay here!" Grey tried to sound brave, but she was feeling afraid."If we die here... then..."
"Relax. I got a plan."
Gauche muttered his plan to Grey while their enemy continued rambling on his own.
"Like I said, it doesn't matter how much you try to come up with a plan. Most of your magic is gone anyway, so even if you are set free, you won't be able to fight me properly. You're finished. And so will your friends!"
"You're talking like some big villain, but you're just an underling." Gauche called him out."Besides, aren't you too old to be acting like one of those villains in children's books? The ones with the mustache and everything?"
"How rude! I'll have you know I'm 20!"
"Yeah? Jeez, didn't know being part of a terrorist group made you twice as older. That aside, we don't have the time to stay here and shame you. So why don't we end this, Grey?"
"R-right! There!" Aiming her hand behind the terrorist, she shot a small stream of magic, colliding against a rock and transforming it into a juicy piece of meat.
"What the hell?" The man bewilderingly stared at the meat."Why would you do that? Was that your last effort before giving up?"
Gauche smirked, taking a deep breath."HEY DOMEHEAD! SOMEONE IS TRYING TO TAKE YOUR FOOD!"
"Huh? Steal food? But I'm a vegetarian. I can't eat that-"
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"
Charmy had not only woken up but had released her magic, making it feel like a bottomless pit like her stomach.
"What's going on? How is that little girl capable of having such magic?!" The man gasped, threatened by the glare the smallest Black Bull gave him."Step away from the meat. NOW!"
"W-what the-I will not be intimidated by a child! I'll just suck your magic away too!" Raising his arms, the man commanded his vines to head straight for Charmy.
"Cotton Creation Magic: Sleeping Sheep's One Hit! Two Hit Mega Hit!"
A giant sheep made of cotton was suddenly created behind her, ready to pounce on its target. And pounce it did, as it began punching the crap out of the terrorist, leaving him no room to counterattack. Once the attack stopped, the man was completely out of commission, making his spells disappear and freeing Gauche and Grey.
"We're saved!" Grey nearly cry in happiness."I'm so relieved! Thank you, Charmy!"
"No time! Have to eat!" Much to their dismay, Charmy dived in to eat the meat, only to realize that it was just a rock and almost bit into it."This isn't meat! You tricked me, Gauche!"
"It was a life or death situation, you idiot. I'll get you some meat later. I hate to admit it, but your attack power is insane. But you can do better too, can't you, Grey? I've seen other guys use transformation magic where they transform themselves, but you are different. You can transform other things. See? I told you that we'd have to depend on you again. Good work, you two."
"Huh? Gauche being nice for once?!" Charmy placed her hands on her cheeks."How scandalous!"
"Uh...guys?" Grey looked at her body, her arms shaking."I used up too much mana. I'm about to...lose my transformation!"
"Aw, crap." Gauche rubbed his nape."How do I explain this?"
"Explain what?" Charmy quirked a brow."Wait...you know what she looks like?"
On cue, Grey's transformation came undone, revealing her petite figure for everyone to see. On instinct, she covered her face with her hands, cowering away.
"NO WAY! Grey is a girl!"
"Are you dense?" Gauche deadpanned."We've already established this before, remember?"
"Oh, yeah! I forgot about that whole thing. It's still funny how she bathed with you guys! Hahaha!"
"Whatever, at least I won't have to keep it a secret anymore." Gauche stood up, walking up to Grey.
"P-p-p-please don't stare! This is so embarrassing!" She shrieked when she felt Gauche grabbing her arm."Someone give me something to cover up!"
"Stop talking like you're naked or something!" Gauche pulled her along."We have to go help Raiden, remember? Charmy, come with us. He's fighting a Children of Sceva and needs back up."
"That's bad!" Charmy suddenly turned serious, running in front of them."Well, what are we waiting for?! We have to go help him! We can talk about Grey later!"
"R-r-right...but please don't tell anyone!" Grey, despite wanting to save her friend, was still ashamed of her true form being exposed. But she knew she had to fight the urge to hide."We continue straight!"
"You heard her. I'll carry you for a bit longer so you can rest." Gauche was quick to get Grey on his back."Let's go and help our squadmate out!"
"Well, well. Your captain sounds like such a caring leader." Joseph giggled as he continued observing Raiden being pinned against the ceiling by his own puppet copy."He's leaving it all to you guys. He must really have high expectations."
"Yeah, well, can't say the same about you. You got your beloved fake mother on the outside while you guys are in here. She knows you wouldn't stand a chance against Captain Yami."
"I don't know about that." Joseph's puppet face showed no emotion, but his tone indicated that he was smiling."But that's not important. What's important is that by the end of this...all of you will be set free after experiencing the most agonizing yet wonderful pain. You'll be spared from the end of times that is approaching. I'll do that by adding you to my collection."
"Wait...you mean that you-"
"That's right~!" Joseph sang, his puppet eyes narrowing in response."I can turn people into puppets. And you'll make an excellent puppet after I kill you."
"Still not there?" Gauche asked for what he thought was the tenth time in the past twenty minutes. He disliked doing it, but the situation warranted it.
"I think we're getting close...I was running for a w-w-while, so..."
"Man, all this walking is sure making me hungry!" Charmy rubbed her belly."You better give me that meat you promised, Gauche!"
"Yea, yeah. I know." Gauche fought the urge to face palm. It was during those short seconds of silence before he was about to give a snarky comment when he heard something in the distance.
"I-I-I hope the others are o-" Grey found herself being silenced by Gauche's hand. He placed his index finger in front of his mouth, indicating for Charmy to also keep quiet and listen carefully.
In the distance, a faint humming could be heard getting closer and closer. On top of that, there was also the noise of something scraping against the ground. Something heavy and sharp, like someone dragging some type of weapon along. It was coming from where they had come from as if the noise had followed them all the way here.
"Who is that? Another enemy?" Charmy blinked, perplexed."Why are they singing?"
Gauche set Grey gently on the ground, clenching his fists at the uneasiness he was feeling."This pressure..."
"Could it be one of your friends?" Grey meekly asked, ready to cover her face if that was the case.
"No...no one has this monstrous magic." Gauche felt a cold sweat dripping down the back of his neck.
The faint humming soon turned into a low singing the closer the person got."It's raining...it's pouring...the old man is snoring. He went to bed and bumped his head...couldn't get up in the morning."
Charmy and Gauche stood protectively in front of Grey, both of them feeling the abominable presence approaching and getting to their nerves.
"I've always wondered by the song ends that way. Never asked my momma, but eventually, I put it together. The old man dies alone in his house and his bed is his final resting place. Dying alone in a place you know is one thing, but getting your life taken away from you far from home somewhere you don't know is something that...truly fascinates me. Won't you, three little piggies, show me the faces of terror you make as you die?"
From the shadows, a female emerged wearing a black cloak with a white circle around the hood, carrying an ax. She kicked the head of the ax, now carrying it over her shoulder, staring at Gauche."Hello there, sunshine. Fancy seeing ya here. How's the sis?"
"What? How do you-"
"Well, that hardly matters." Bloody Mary licked her lips."Now...are you ready to be slaughtered?"
Gauche, Charmy, and Grey felt their blood freeze cold, terror suddenly invading their very beings. The Mirror-magic user tried to go for his Grimoire, but his body wouldn't move.'What...is this? Why can't I...?'
"It's okay to be scared." Mary coed as if she were talking to mere toddlers."It's only natural. You are in front of the First Child of Sceva, after all. And you will suffer a slow, agonizing death by my hands."
