Chapter 32
Mayhem in the Temple

Vetto stood triumphantly, his imposing figure intimidating the people watching from outside after his demonstration of power by taking down the strongest temple mage like nothing.

"That wasn't even worth calling a warm-up. I was expecting the insects to at least put up a decent fight, but they can't even defend themselves from the predator." Vetto cracked his neck, his tongue licking his sharp teeth."Well, I hope you two don't go down as fast as he did. Besides, I don't want one of our little "friends" to take the fun away from me."

"This is bad, Luck." Magna hid his nervousness behind a smirk."That's the guy the Captain and the others fought in Nean. And he just beat this guy with one attack. The hell are we supposed to do here?"

"Come on, you're not scared, are you?" Luck shot him a grin."I thought you were better than this, Magna."

"What? Are you stupid? Of course, I'm not scared but I'm being rational!" Magna huffed indignantly."I know we can't just give up and die, but realistically, what are we going to do? Do you have a plan or something?"

"I might have." Luck turned around, causing Magna to sigh in frustation."But I'm not telling you with that attitude."

"You're picking the worse moment to be an ass."

Before Luck could reply, a loud noise caught everyone's attention. A hole had been made in the wall, and a figure landed in front of Vetto, causing him to flinch for a mere second.

"Yo. Finally, I found someone. This place is a labyrinth. Good thing you have such incredible magic power, Vetto."

A shark-like creature standing on two feet hunching its back with scales and sharp claws stood in front of Vetto. It was a mixture of a human with a shark but wearing clothes with its fin sticking out from the back.

"You're...little Levi. Not so little now, I guess." Vetto scowled at the monstrosity in front of him."So this is how you look like with that Brand thing of yours. A total beast."

"Coming from you, that's rich." Leviathan opened her eyes, revealing a black sclera with red pupils and the symbol VI carved in her eyes."I don't like this look any more than you do, but Mr. Number Three is being such a pain in the ass about keeping my identity hidden. It could cause trouble."

"Fair enough. That human's relatives must be looking for her after all. So, did you need something? I was just about to enjoy hunting my prey down."

"These chumps?" She turned around, opening her jaw to reveal a row of razor-sharp teeth."Why mess around with kids when you could go for the bigger fish? Where's their Captain?"

"What, did you not hear his little encouraging speech to them? He can't get in because Diana is keeping him out." Vetto explained, hands on his hips."Shouldn't you be getting out of here already? Your part was getting us in and it's done. You're not ready to be out fighting."

"Who are you, my dad? I can do whatever I want." She rolled her eyes."In fact, let me take care of those two and I'll show you just how tough I really am. Ever since I got this Brand, I've grown so strong. Stronger than I ever dreamed of. And with this power, I can beat any human that comes my way and make them pay."

"No way." Vetto denied her request."They are my prey. They haven't learned the true horror of despair."

"Come on, damn it! Stop being so damn stubborn. Since when did you start caring about despair?"

"Let's just say this new life has been...an eye-opener for me. But if you really think you can take them on, I won't stop you. I am interested to see what you can do with your new abilities."

"With pleasure! As the Sixth Child of Sceva, I have a long way to go before reaching the top."

"You heard that, Magna? We're gonna fight a Child of Sceva! Lucky us! I've always wanted to fight one of those guys!"

"Honestly, me too. But according to the intel, the lower ranks are weaker. So don't expect anything out of this one."

"If that's the case, why don't you fight her first? Since you're talking a big game, you should be able to defeat her so we can take on the real challenge."

"Fine. I've been itching for a fight for a while now. I'm starting to understand how you feel. Leave her to me."

"These punks are underestimating me..." Levi grinded her teeth, a ticked mark appearing on her now blue skin."Fine! I'll teach you to fear me. Malefic Water Magic: Liquid Dome of Doom!"

A dome of water was created around Levi before it turned red as if blood had been mixed with it.

"Don't make it too big, Levi." Vetto told her."Remember I'm not very fond of water."

"Right, right. I forgot you can't swim." She muttered, almost pouting but her shark face features didn't allow her to.

"Damn, she has water magic?" Magna bit his lower lip."This is going to be difficult."

"You're not backing out, are you?" Luck teased him, hands behind his head."I can switch with you if that's what you want."

"Nah, Yami would chew me out if I were to back out of a fight just because of this kind of disadvantage. I'm a Black Bull. I'm not stepping down."

"Great, because here she comes."

And she was extremely fast. She had greater control of her water than Noelle did, so she was able to maneuver her water dome to roll it over to where Magna was. Magna clicked his tongue, jumping out of the way just in time. But something fell off about that little exchange."My magic...what just happened?"

"You shouldn't get so close to me." She haughtily said, her dome increasing in size."My spell can absorb the magic of anyone who comes into close contact with me and add it to my own. I'm unstoppable."

'I can't get close to her? Honestly, that was my best bet. I don't think my spells will reach her inside that bubble of water.' He furrowed his brow, readying his Grimoire."But like hell I'll let you beat me! Asta, Raiden, Gauche, and Abel all fought the First Child. I'm not going to lose to the weakest of the bunch! Fire Magic: Explosive Buckshot!"

Magna swung his arms, firing several balls of fire at his opponent.

But Leviathan didn't seem worried in the slightest."Malefic Water Magic: Hundred Shark Shower!"

Several small sharks of water emerged from the dome and fired against the balls of fire. However, they did not cancel them out. The sharks devoured the fire and increased in size, becoming almost as big as a human.

"How about this?! Fire Magic: Prison Kill Buckshot!"

This time, the fireballs extended in a wider range, outnumbering the sharks.

"It doesn't matter how many attacks you throw at me, my spells can absorb your magic and get stronger!"

"Oh, yeah? And if you never get the chance to do that?!" Magna gave her a toothy grin. His fireballs began exploding before they could come into contact with the water sharks, making them explode and enabling them to absorb his magic.

"His spells are exploding before my sharks can absorb them?!" Levi cried out in shock once the fireballs had finished evaporating the sharks, heading towards her.

"Don't think that's enough to stop me! Malefic Water Magic: Shark Bomb Fluid!"

A giant shark of water emerged from her dome, making it smaller. The shark itself was big enough to take the blunt damage of the fireballs exploding, protecting Leviathan from suffering any damage.

The area was beginning to become full of steam due to the water evaporating, making it harder to see. However, since the water was red, it gave the environment a crimson tint.

Magna pulled out his Grand Slam, backing out slightly and scanning his surroundings. From behind, something sharp graced his back, causing him to be pushed forward where he received another attack.

He swung his bat, barely missing whatever was attacking him."Stop hiding and face me! Is the Order of the First full of cowards?!"

"You can't tell where I'm coming from, can't you?" Levi chuckled sinisterly, maneuvering her dome around and striking Magna while taking his mana, making her spell larger."I know where you are. Not only does the Brand of Sacrifice give extraordinary sensory abilities, but since I have the attributes of a shark, I can smell your blood."

"Smell blood, huh?" An idea gave to Magna's head, but he sure as hell didn't like it.

Meanwhile, Vetto observed from the sides lines, tapping his foot impatiently.

"That Levi...of course, she likes to drag things out. But to go from a little girl into a killing machine, she's come a long way. I knew she had the potential to be strong. And her hate toward humans makes her even stronger. Still, if only we had gotten to her first. I don't like that power of hers, not one bit. And the fact that she's close to Rosemary makes it worse."

Luck was interested in the fight, but he also kept a keen eye on Vetto.'Is he really not going to interfere? I was hoping he would. I really want to fight someone right now. Magna being a jerk got ahead of me. I thought he was for sure going to lose against that shark girl, but he's doing pretty good despite the elemental disadvantage.'

"I'm going to devour you in one fell swoop! Hope you're ready!" Leviathan began circling closer to Magna, brandishing the fins on her arms. Smelling blood in a particular spot, she lunged forward, only to land head first on the ground in a pile of blood."What the hell?!"

'Making a cut in my arm was well worth it!' Magna jumped in the air holding his Grand Slam, blood pouring out of his right arm from a deep cut. Levi gasped once she noticed Magna coming to her. The bat dissipated once he thrust his arm into the water dome, but with pure determination, sparks of fire kept forcing themselves to appear as he tried to reach her.

"Just a little more!" Magna's face was pressing on the dome while he tried to get his arm deeper without going in himself.

"Dumbass human," Levi smirked, jumping back and splitting her dome in half. One half for her and the other one to trap Magna inside. The Fire-magic user covered his mouth, desperately trying to get out of the trap but the dome moved whenever he would move, preventing him from leaving. For good measure, she used her cryokinesis to freeze the dome and by extension freeze Magna as well.

"Hahahahaha! How's that? This magic is amazing! It goes so well with my ice!" She cackled in delight."I can't wait to get even stronger! Once I'm strong enough, I can finally be with my beloved B-"

Her sentence was cut off by Luck, who had stuck his arm inside her dome."You humans never learn, do you? I just froze your friend after he tried the same thing. Were you hoping for a different outcome?"

Luck did not respond, simply giving her his usual smile. But his eyes told a different story. They were cold and set on their target.

"Levi, undo your spell!" Vetto warned, but it was far too late.

Luck used his magic to electrocute the water and focused all the electricity on Leviathan. The girl had no time to scream in pain and was passed out a few seconds in. Her dome was unable to be maintained, becoming simple water that poured all over the ground. The Sixth Child's transformation was undone, leaving her unmoving body back in her human form, landing on her stomach. The second dome also disappeared, freeing Magna from his prison.

"Gragh!" Magna landed on his knees, panting for air. Luck rushed next to him, patting his back to help him spit the water he had swallowed."Thanks, Luck...I owe you one."

"Don't mention it." Luck tried to help him up, but Magna moved his hand away."Magna?"

"I'm such a loser." Magna clenched his fists, refusing to look his friend in the eyes."Look at me. I almost died by drowning and freezing to death. I'm covered in wounds and my spells were pretty much useless. And she's supposed to be the weakest of them, right? I couldn't do anything. Compared to those who fought against the number one, and you...I'm far behind. I'm so far behind that I don't know if I can ever catch up again."

Luck, wordlessly, grabbed his hand and electrocuted him, causing him to fall face-first on the ground."What the hell was that for?!"

"That's how we met, remember? I underestimated you since I thought you were bland looking. But my instincts told me otherwise. I knew immediately you'd be dangerous and interesting. That's why I kept messing with you. Your reactions were priceless and you always kept me on my toes. You struck back with everything you had. You always kept your chin up and faced trouble without hesitation."

Luck crouched next to Magna as he continued."I realized this a while ago but I didn't want to say it to you because it sounds a little cheesy. But you're my very first friend. My best friend. So it really makes me upset seeing you like this. You're the underdog, right? Sure, you might lose from time to time, but you bounce back stronger than ever. Honestly, you kinda brought this on yourself by fighting someone with water magic. Not normal water magic at that. The only reason I won is that I used the same tactic she did and took advantage of the elemental advantage. But if it was any other type of magic, I have no doubt you would have won. Even now, you've still got plenty to go. So let's kick this guy's ass."

"Luck...if we're being honest, when you first joined, I thought you were annoying as hell. Like an annoying little brother. Always unhinged and pulling dumb pranks on me. Even during missions, your craziness was there. You remember when you made me into a typhoon?"

"Oh, yeah! The Crackling Magna Typhoon!" Luck laughed upon remembering.

"Really, despite how ridiculous it seemed, it worked like a charm. Soon enough, I realized that your battle instincts were top-notch. You're my best friend too. And as your friend, ain't no way I'm letting you leave me behind. I'll get stronger too and catch up to you guys in no time. And when I do, I'll get my rematch with Raiden and stand as the strongest of our squad!"

"Not if I do it first." Luck grinned, helping him up."But first, we gotta deal with this guy."

"Right." Both Black Bulls stood side by side, facing their foe."Let's make Yami proud."

"You may have beaten Levi, but she's just an amateur compared to me." Vetto wasn't fazed that Levi had lost."Still, I have to commend you. For being mere ants, you sure worked hard to beat the shark. But do you have any hope in besting the whale?"

"Magna!"

"Right! Fire Magic: Explosive Reheating!"

Luck held his arms out, sending lightning at Magna after he had set himself on fire while. Using his magic, Luck began twirling Magna around, creating a typhoon of lightning and fire combined. Magna jumped out of the typhoon, landing next to Luck as they both fired their combined spell at Vetto.

"Compound Magic: Crackling Scorching Typhoon!"

"Bring it on! I'll sink you to the depths of despair! Beast Magic: Cheetah Charge!"

Vetto jumped over the typhoon, but he was met with Luck, who had already cast his Thunder God's Gloves and Boots."So the prey comes to the predator? I won't say no to that! Beast Magic: Bear Claw!"

Using his spell, Vetto went for a swing, but Luck was faster, already connecting a lighting bolt against his chest."That attack leaves you wide open, though it's for a split second. But it's enough for me!"

"I see. I had taken you for small fry, but you have good battle senses and great speed. I see how you managed to figure out how to beat Levi without much of a problem. However, you'll need way more than that to defeat me!"

Luck jumped back, using his speed to gain some distance away from Vetto."What the-? My attack didn't do anything at all. Then I'll just have to try somewhere else!" Not losing his momentum, Luck kept trying to confuse Vetto with his speed, running from one place to another.

"You speedy little...Got you!" Vetto went for a punch, one that Luck saw in slow motion nearly crushing his face had he not ducked out of the way.

"Now! There's the opening!" Skidding on the ground, Luck charged once against when Vetto had his back turned to him.

"So predictable." Vetto punched Luck's thunderbolt, destroying it and his left glove, forcing him to retreat.

"Fire Magic: Explosive Buckshot!"

Vetto used his Cheetah Charge to avoid the fireballs without much trouble."Can't wait for your turn, can you?"

"He's not your only opponent, you know?! Exploding Fireball!

Vetto lunged at the spell, taking Magna by surprise, and grabbed it with his Bear Claw, tossing it back where it came from.

"Oh, no you don't! Fire Creation Magic: Grand Slam!" Magna used his bat to slam the fireball back to Vetto."Now, Luck!"

"Thunderbolt Destruction!" Luck, who was hanging from the ceiling, shot a giant thunderbolt at Vetto, cornering him in a pincer attack.

"Tch. To think they'd attack me from both sides. Beast Magic: Rhinocerous Armor!" Vetto cried out, manifesting his armor in the nick of time as both spells hit him.

"Did we get him?" Magna asked, squinting his eyes behind his glasses. A shadow approaching from the smoke answered his questions. Instinctively, Magna slugged a fireball, which then exploded into more at Vetto before he came out of the smoke. He took these attacks like it was nothing and continued charging at Magna.

"No, you don't!" Luck appeared just in time above Vetto, firing several thunderbolts. After receiving a handful of those attacks, Vetto had to rush out of danger, allowing the boys a small breathing room.

"That's enough playing around."

Before they could react, Vetto smacked them from behind, sending them crashing against a wall."All prey get eaten, and all they have left is despair. You're about to die. Let me hear you despair."

"Shit...when did he get behind us?" Magna cursed, wiping blood off his forehead.

"He's faster than I gave him credit for." Luck coughed up blood, rubbing his sides in pain."Hey...Magna?"

"What?"

"The next time he attacks will probably be the last. Let's hit him with everything we have. If we lose here, our juniors will be in danger."

"Right. We can't succumb to despair just because we're on the losing end. If we did, we could never face them. I'll follow your lead."

"Are you done strategizing? Come at me. If you don't, I'll end you where you stand!"

Vetto leaped at the duo, but they split up in different directions, firing their spells at Vetto while keeping their distance. Due to the damage, they sustained, plus Magna's magic being stolen from him, their attacks were losing effect more and more. They knew this and decided that their next spell had to count.

As they began firing their spells without holding back, Vetto realized he had forgotten something important. Moving as fast as his spell allowed him to, he scooped up Leviathan and carried her over to a safe spot. Miraculously, none of the spells had managed to harm her in any way.

"Stay here, will you? I can't fight at my fullest if I know you're sleeping around because you got too cocky."

Not expecting to receive an answer, Vetto jumped back into the fray, showcasing his feral teeth. Extending his bear claws, he attempted to grab Luck, but the lightning boy was quick on his feet. He opted to go for the slower one, Magna and changed his spells trajectory.

"Magna!" Luck fired more thunderbolts at Vetto, but this time, they missed their target without him moving.

"Where are you aiming, Luck?!" Magna cried out in shock, realizing the attacks were coming straight for him.'Wait, that's it!'

"Luck, you crazy bastard, you're a genius! Fire Magic: Prison Kill Buckshot!"

The countless balls of fire clashed with the thunderbolts, combining into one and launching back at Vetto. This time, they seemed to have a significant effect on the Beast magic-user, causing him to hiss after feeling a handful of those. Spinning on his heels, he realized that he was surrounded by all angles. Luck kept running around, outpacing Magna, but he made up for it by running in circles and slugging away all attacks toward Vetto.

"Now, Magna!" Luck and Magna stood side by side away from the smoke screen they had created after their incessant attacks."This is it!"

"Right!" Magna nodded, placing his hand next to Luck as they both ran up to where Vetto was, still recuperating from taking their earlier attacks head-on.

"Those damn insects..." Vetto narrowed his eyes at the wound in his hand."Their combined attacks aren't bad. I can't let them get the upper hand. What kind of hunter becomes hunted?"

"Hey, HAIRBALL!" Magna shouted at Vetto, earning his attention."Try this one on for size!"

'Those attacks were just a distraction while they charged up their strongest attack?!' Vetto was baffled, unable to react in time to the spell.

"Compound Spell: Flame Lightning Explosive Cannon!"

Smashing their combined spell against Vetto, the boys screamed, giving it their all to push the beast-man back.

As this happened, Asta and Kiato could see the light at the end of the tunnel their attacks were producing.

"What's going on?" Asta asked, alarmed at the light show in front of them.

"I'm not sure but it feels like two people mixed their attacks together, creating even a stronger spell." Kiato explained as he was forced to stop when Asta stopped moving."What are you doing?"

"It must be my friends. I have to go help." Asta grabbed Abel's body and set him gently on the floor."Don't worry Abel. I'll come to get you when this is all done. Kiato, you're with me?"

"Right behind you." The temple mage nodded, following Asta close behind until they came into the clearing. Only for the worst-case scenario to become a reality. Magna and Luck had lost, both of them passed out on the floor and Vetto standing victorious.

"LUCK! MAGNA!" Asta screamed at the top of his lungs, pulling out his Demon Slayer and heading to battle.


Joseph continued humming to himself as he watched Raiden trying to free himself from being pinned up in the ceiling against the puppet's swords. The boy could feel all the battles going on with his eyes closed, a sense of excitement bottling inside of him.

"Everyone is having so much fun. Even Hazama got a little wild there. But his mana had shrunk down, I wonder if he succeeded?" The Second Child sat on the floor, crossing his wooden legs."I also sensed Levi's mana increased considerably. She must have used her Brand too. The stone should be within our grasp already. Man, how boring. I didn't have to do much other than just sitting here and playing around with this guy..." Joseph attempted to pout, but his wooden body didn't allow him to so he decided narrow his eyes, puffing his chest at Raiden."Hey, Mister! What gives? Mary said you were fun to fight against but you're really boring me here!"

"Shut up. I'm not your entertainment!" Raiden hissed at him.

'Hold up...This is weird.' Joseph glanced down at the strings connecting to his puppet.'I'm not using much power to pin him down. Besides, he fought Mary and managed to survive. He should be able to get out of something like this. So why isn't he? Wait...don't tell me he's trying to stall for time. He's taking advantage that I'm playing around with him and is pretending to be helpless. He probably thinks I'd put his friends in danger. How cute of him.'

With a dry laugh, Joseph addressed Raiden once more."I know what you're doing, but are you really sure you can stay here with me for much longer?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Come on now, you don't want me to meet your friends?" Joseph huffed, hands on his hips."How rude! Here I am, providing you great hospitality and even telling you about my past and you don't want me to meet your friends so I can save them from a world of eternal suffering?"

"You keep saying that but you have yet to explain how you're "saving" them from whatever the Antichrist will do."

"I'll show you soon enough. But you know, instead of being here, you could be out there helping. My comrades are capable people, you know? Plus Vetto is also here and that guy has no self-control. They could be dying."

"I know what YOU'RE doing." Raiden gave him a smirk of his own."I trust my squadmates...no, I trust my friends. They'll be just fine. My job is to keep you here. It's true that the Third Child is here, but you're stronger than him and therefore the biggest threat. Captain Yami is being held off by Baby, but the same could be said about her. So all I gotta do is wait for my friends to beat your siblings."

"Oh, I see. Such a wonderful friendship, really. I'm almost jealous." Joseph rubbed his chest."But you know, I'm not the main threat here, you know? This wasn't planned, but there is someone who just showed up uninvited. And trust me, that person has no remorse for killing. You know who I'm talking about, right?"

"You...you're lying." Raiden's eyes widened in horror.

"Am I? Take a moment to feel the mana in this temple and tell me what you feel."

Raiden closed his eyes, concentrating to feel the mana better. Once he did, his eyes shot wide open, his jaw-dropping."She's here..."

"That's right~! Our elder sister is here! But like I said, she wasn't supposed to be here. I just thought it'd be interesting. So before I found you, I contacted her by looking at my reflection in a pond and saying her name three times. That's the way to connect to her mirrors. Anyway, I sure feel bad for the group that stumbles upon her. She'll recognize their robes and probably try to get information about your whereabouts. Maybe...she'll find that blue-haired woman you were protecting and tear her apart...only to serve her shredded body on a silver platter for you."

"YOU BASTARD!" Raiden roared, his Grimoire flipping through its pages."Inferno Magic: Blaze Control - Black Arms!"

Raiden created two arms of inferno, grabbing at the puppet by covering its entire body and throwing it at Joseph. Moving his strings, Joseph managed to maneuver his puppet around, avoiding being hit by it."Now we're talking. Try hitting me with one of those attacks next time. I love being attacked."

"Blaze Control - Wings!" Morphing his Black Arms, Raiden formed two pairs of black wings, flapping them around and sending a shower of black feathers at his opponent. Joseph continued giggling uncontrollably, controlling his puppet to block the attacks with its swords. Summoning two more puppets, these ones with shields covering his sides, Joseph felt completely secure and free from danger.

'I have to do something about those puppets.' Raiden thought in his head, circling around and avoiding the spears being thrown at him by more puppets Joseph had summoned.'His puppets are connected via those mana strings that come from his fingers. If I can cut them off, it will render them useless and give me an opening to finish him off. Okay, I'll do that!'

Diving down to the ground, Raiden prepared his Grimoire."Inferno Magic: Blazing Cut!"

Raiden moved his hands rapidly, sending slashes of inferno at the puppets. The ones with the shields moved forward, blocking the attacks but due to them wielding normal weapons, the shields were easily disposed of and the attacks cut off their arms. Raiden released his wings, landing behind the puppets and focusing on the strings connected to them."Inferno Magic: Dark Hollow!"

"Shoot!" Joseph gasped when he realized Raiden's plans."I failed to protect my weak spot!"

"You're through!" Raiden swung his blades down, connecting with the strings with the intention of cutting them off. To his shock, the strings didn't budge, no matter how much strength he applied."What...? I can't cut them off?"

"Pfft! Hahaha! You should have seen your face, Mister! Oh, you actually thought that little spell of yours could have worked? My strings are as strong as I am. And due to my enhanced power due to my Brand, they are indestructible!"

"Maybe so, but I didn't approach you unprepared." Raiden ducked out of the way of a blade coming his way, rushing towards Joseph. Before the young boy could send more puppets, his arms came off by two blades. Due to his wooden body, he suffered no pain but recoiled back. The puppets fell lifeless on the floor once the mana strings disappeared."It's true that your strings are strong, but that new body of yours is as fragile...as the rest of these puppets!"

'I have to kill him.' Raiden grimaced, going for the final blow.'If I don't, everyone will be in danger! And besides...'

With no room for doubt, Raiden twirled around and slashed Joseph's head off, sending it rolling around on the cold ground. Clenching his blades tightly, Raiden glanced at the back, his expression cold and distant. Something grabbed him by the throat, squeezing hard and prompting him to start choking.

"You fell for it again!" Joseph's head rolled around to face Raiden, opening and closing his mouth while the sound of laughter came from it. He made sure to keep a tight hold on Raiden's windpipe, causing to teen to drop to his knees while trying to remove the hand. As he did that, Joseph's body parts flew up, attaching each other with strings coming of out his torso."It's true that my body is quite fragile, but that doesn't make me vulnerable. I don't feel any pain while in this form. See? I'm totally free now. No emotions and no pain. And I can't be killed. I might as well say I'm immortal. Why don't you just let me make you experience the same? You'll thank me."

Raiden gritted his teeth, finally removing the hand choking it and stepped on it, shattering it into pieces. He rubbed his sore throat, breathing in the precious oxygen he had been deprived of."But still..you only got one arm now...unless you regenerate..."

"I don't need to." Joseph waved his remaining arm around."I think one hand should suffice to kill you. I see regular puppets don't work on you, and I don't really want to waste some of the fodder since I'll need them for something else. So let's try to kick things up a notch. This might kill you, so try your best to show me your pain, Mister."

"Shut the fu-" A sharp pain caused Raiden to drop his blades on the floor. Wincing, he checked over the holes in his palms, noticing that he was still bleeding and was beginning to feel the effects of blood loss.

"You were running on pure adrenaline, but I guess you're not truly invincible as you wanted me to believe. You might wanna do something about your hands before you pass out on me."

Clicking his tongue, Raiden clutched one of his weapons with both hands, placing the hilt between and igniting the blade with inferno. Much to Joseph's surprise, Raiden pressed the tip of his sword against the wound on his right hand, cauterizing the wound as the teenager bit hard on his lower lips, causing them to bleed."Fuck, fuck! FUCK!"

"Oooooh! That's a great expression! You're definitely something else. Here I was, getting disappointed, but you have so much to offer. I am all too familiar with cauterizing wounds. It was a necessity to learn when I was just a human. My owner would often hurt me so bad and leave me there in the mud. But it was all to welcome me to that delicious pain! I even hurt myself on purpose so I could feel my flesh burning to a crisp! More! Let me hear your agony!"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP ALREADY!" Raiden roared as he finished cauterizing his final hand. Hissing in agony, the young man carefully sheathed his swords back.

"Huh? You're putting your weapons away? Why? Are you accepting defeat?"

"Like hell I'll lose to someone like you. My goal is to eradicate all evil from this world and that's exactly what I'll do by taking you down. Blaze Control: Onyx Swords!"

Just like before, two arms of black fire appeared just beneath Raiden's own arms, but this one formed two swords of inferno in addition.

'I see. He's planning to rest his hands for a bit after what he just did.' Joseph smiled coyly, opening his Grimoire."So as it turns out, you have great experience when it comes to combat. You even know how to treat a wound like that. I get interested in you more and more each second. Now I finally understand why Mary is so obsessed with you. You are no mere Magic Knight. What are you?"

"Just a regular person who is fighting for those he loves," Raiden responded, brandishing his inferno swords around.

"I suppose you are, Mister. I didn't want to use this, but I want to see how you fare against this. You're about to see my salvation. Now, Malefic Pupetter Magic: Third Collection!"

Laughing manically, Joseph spawned three new puppets and connected their bodies to the strings from his remaining arm. There was something off about these puppets, Raiden thought. They looked more humanlike than the previous ones if that was even possible. Their faces look more round, unlike the sharp look the previous ones had. Details like the hair and nails also looked real and not fake. But what was most alarming had to be the eyes. While the previous ones had pretty realistic eyes, these ones looked as if someone was behind those emotionless faces, never blinking. They were also dressed in clothes that any regular civilian would wear on a regular basis, unlike the robes the others wore.

The thing that set all alarms off in Raiden's head was when all puppets manifested Grimoires in front of them.

"What the fuck?" Was all Raiden could utter, his head not wrapping entirely around what he just witnessed.

"Welcome to hell." Joseph whispered, moving his fingers to command his puppets."For you that is. Witness my salvation! Now...Compound Magic: Tornado of Hell!"

Two puppets stood in front of the rest, raising their Grimoires and launching fire and wind spells. The fire was engulfed by the wind, amplyiginh its range and increasing its strength. Raiden gasped, barely avoiding the powerful attack with a panicked expression.

"What was that?! That almost got me! How? How are those puppets capable of wielding Grimoires?!"

"You haven't figured it out yet? Or...maybe you don't want to accept the facts. Either way, I'm not done with you. Earth Magic: Crazy Arm Compression!"

Two stone hands emerged from the earth Raiden stood on, clapping together with him in the middle, causing him to scream in pain.

"Lightning Magic: Thunderbolt Rampage!"

Another puppet, this one in the shape of a woman no older than 20 lanched its spell. Raiden, quick on his feet, used his Black Arms to break the stone imprisoning him. However, he was still in a daze after the impact, causing him to trip on his feet. This was enough of a distraction to make him receive the full impact of the spell, sending him rolling around on the ground until he hit a wall hard enough to make him spit out blood.

"Phew..." Joseph took a deep breath.'As expected, using this spell on top of the others is certainly taking a toll on my mana reserves. Guess I can't play too much this time around. Oh, well.'

On the other hand, Raiden was struggling to get up, his Black Arms aiding him in regaining his balance."Just what is this spell...I heard of people using different types of magic but to have five different Grimoires...? Not only that, but their appearance is awfully close to a human. It's like I'm fighting actual people if it weren't for their grey skin color. He mentioned earlier this is his "Salvation". And after rambling about it for a while, I know he wants to make people experience excruciating pain before sparing them from the end of the world. Saving them...does that mean he kills them? Or is he referring to when they eat people after a sacrifice?"

Analyzing the situation, Raiden examined the puppets and compared their assault to the first wave from earlier.'The other puppets used weapons. Hell, even the one he made of me was using my swords. So there's no way those puppets were made the same way. If they had been, my puppet would have been able to use Inferno magic. Salvation...Grimoires...his ability to wield puppets...turning people into puppets...' Once he thought of those words, Raiden's eyes shot wide open in pure horror."Turning people into puppets...earlier you said you'd turn me into a puppet to use. That means...those puppets..."

"Ding ding ding! We have a winner!" Joseph beamed, clapping and laughing."You're absolutely right! These aren't ordinary puppets. These are people I saved. People who like everyone else were afraid of death and disappearing. I made them into puppets...that's right. That's why they have their Grimoires. They are very much alive and will forever live on for all eternity. With me. They won't know of the eternal darkness that is to come. To save them from all pain and suffering by making them unable to feel so...this is my salvation."

"T-those puppets...are people...?" Raiden couldn't believe what he just heard."You..."

"Now, for the grand finale of this puppet show." Joseph waved his hand forward, commanding the puppets to stand before him."The Great Show is about to begin! The end of your human life, Raiden Zareth!"