Chapter 5
Angel vs Dragon
"Speech"
'Thoughts'
"Magic"
Flashback
Location / Date / Time Skip
Three Days Later
Docodemo Call Center
"An amusement park!?" Rika reclaimed in excitement as Emi changed clothing. "Did you go with Maou!?"
"Why would you jump to that?" Emi asked back. "Yes, technically he was there. But I went with Nate, Chiho and Suzuno, not him."
"Deny it all you want, that shift manager is on your mind. Am I right?" Her friend teased.
"Honestly, Suzano is the one who's on my mind at the moment.' Emi replied, closing her locker. "Even Nate is worried about her."
The Next Day
Maou Apartment
The 'siblings' stood outside of Suzuno's apartment as Emi prepared to knock on the door. "We're busy!" Maou shouted as he suddenly burst out of his room, catching them both off guard. "Oh, you're at that door."
"Why should we help you out with this weird sale?" Emi asked in annoyance. "We don't even live here. We only came by to check on Suzano."
"Speaking of weird, Emi and Nate, I don't recall asking either of you to check on me." The kimono clad girl added from amongst the boxes..
"I'm gonna head back to our room." Hanzo said, reaching for his shoes. "I'm a hermit, remember? I have a strict-"
"You're helping." Maou ordered, dragging him back. "As long as you don't leave the building, you'll be fine."
The group began opening boxes and pulling out all kinds of weird stuff. "Just when I thought our land lady couldn't freak me out any more than she already has." Hanzo mumbled, the giant bikini hanging off his neck.
"I don't know, I think this one's kinda cute." Chiho said, holding another to her chest.
"Yeah, maybe I should buy it." Emi chuckled.
"Doubt it-" Lucifer started before Natsu slapped his back. "The heck, dude?"
"You want a can of pineapples thrown in your face?" He asked back, opening his box and finding a note. "Hey, it says that this food is for us. So what's Guy Lava juice?"
"It's pronounced 'guava'." Chiho chuckled. "I'll get us some cups." Suzuno studied the devil king in confusion, only for the juice to hit her in the face.
Night
Maou wiped sweat off his brow as he turned around. "That's the last of it. Thanks for the help."
"No worries, it was fun!" Chiho cheered. "Feels like the day before my culture festival." She saw Suzuno staring at the festival and tilted her head in confusion. "Something wrong?"
"No…" The traditionally dressed girl replied with a small frown. "It's just been years since I've been able to enjoy a proper festival is all."
"In that case, we have to stick around!" The High-Schooler declared.
"Sounds like fun to me." Nate added, as Emi nodded in agreement.
"Sorry, but I gotta go." Maou spoke up as he started walking away. "I got a shift tonight, so I have to get ready."
"Have a good shift!" Chiho called out as a white feather fell in front of Suzuno's face.
Later
The four walked away from the festival as Suzuno strayed behind them. "Chiho." She called out, making them all stop and turn. "You should not associate with Maou any more."
"What the crap, Suzuno!?" Emi asked back.
"The hell is that supposed to mean!?" Nate added.
"Emilia, Natsu, stay out of this." Suzuno replied.
"Wait, how does she know your real names?" Chiho asked.
"I was right. You do know about King Satan and Ente Isla all along." The kimono clad girl explained before turning the faux siblings. "I know you both have your own agenda, but you must understand I do as well. I should have killed Maou immediately."
"How can you say that!?" Chiho cried out.
"Do you three remember how as soon as Satan decorated the MgRonalds with those trees, the store filled up with people?" Suzuno continued, ignoring the question. "That is because he used magic on them. Those slips of paper were filled with human desires, tied to bamboo to exorcise the evil energy. Satan subconsciously used the whole thing as a medium to cast a spell."
"That's a pretty lame spell." Natsu declared. "Besides, it's not like he did anything evil. I mean, I've done all kinds of things to beat my enemies."
"But that does not mean he will always stay benevolent." Suzuno snapped back. "We have no idea when he may use his magic to cause harm and destruction on this world. The three of us must act now to ensure he never gets the chance to do so. Afterwards, we shall erase everyone's memories and set about returning Natsu home."
"NO!" Chiho shouted back, shocking everyone. "I don't want to forget about all of you! We were lucky enough to become friends, but now you want me to forget part of my life because of Ente Isla!? Well that's not fair, what about me?"
"This is not about you, Chiho." Suzuno replied. "And he might actually be taking advantage of your feelings to sow seeds of doubt and confusion."
"We're talking about the same Maou, right?" Natsu asked. "The same guy who thinks the way to take over a country is through a fast food restaurant? Sorry, but I gotta back Chiho on this. He's not doing anything evil."
"Yet." Emi declared, wrapping her arms around Chiho. "And that's the key to all this. If he does anything wrong in this world, then we will deal with him. But until then, we keep an eye on him. True peace isn't something that only lets a few people be happy while others are left to suffer. The means don't always justify the ends. I will protect everyone my own way, and that is why I am the hero."
A few tears fell from Suzuno face as she clenched her fists. "So you've both forsaken defeating King Satan?"
"Nope. But he doesn't need to be dealt with right now." Emi replied.
Suzuno just stared at the three before turning around and walking away. "Do you think we were a bit harsh on her?" Chiho asked with concern.
"Don't worry." Emi said back. "Deep down, I know Suzuno realizes that we can't help who we fall in love with."
A scent suddenly caught Natsu's attention and he raced over, tackling the two girls to the ground. "What was that for!?" Emi asked before seeing the hedges behind them fall over in cuts.
"That scythe creep is back!" Natsu shouted before he rolled onto his feet.
"Does this guy have a thing for attacking us in the open?" Emi asked as she stood. "Doesn't matter, this won't take long." She held out her hand and her Sacred Sword appeared before her. "Natsu, keep Chiho safe. This might get rough."
"Why do I get to miss out on the fun!?" He cried out before his 'sister' charged into the fight. "Damn it, this sucks!"
"Nate, we have to call for help!" Chi declared as she reached into her bag.
Emi blocked a swing before the stranger's eye flashed, shrinking her blade once again. 'No way. The Sacred Sword is-"
"This is my power: Gaze of the Fall." The stranger said, finally speaking. "It over powers all users of Celestial Force and gives it to me. I've come to release from your burden. Since you don't need the Better Half anymore, I'll be taking it back!"
"Hang on… I know that voice…" Natsu mumbled. "Emi! It's the squirt from Sentucky!"
"The chicken creep?" She asked aloud before dodging another swing. The Hero stood back up to see the man taking off his mask and hat, revealing the mop of blue hair.
"I told you men will always take advantage of vulnerable women." He chuckled before throwing his jacket forward. Emi sliced through the cloth, only to get hit with back side of the scythe, sending her flying into a stone wall.
"EMI!"/"MISS YUSA!" Both onlookers cried out as the wall crumbled and she fell over. The pair ran over to help, only for Suzuno to suddenly appear before them.
"Move it, Suzuno!" Natsu tried to rush past her, only for a heavy force to hit him in the gut. Coughing in pain, he was suddenly launched backwards and crashed through several trees before being dug into the ground by the remaining force.
Chiho gasped in shock as Suzuno stood before her, her hairpin now a massive hammer. "You're just like that awful man Olba!" Chiho shouted. "They're in your way, so you're just going to get rid of them! How can you do this!? Mr. Maou might be a demon, but you're the one betraying the only one who fought for your world, so what does that make you!?"
The Inquisitor held out her hand and a pulse of magic hit Chiho, knocking her out. "I'm sorry." She mumbled as she caught the falling girl.
"You know, you didn't need to launch that poor boy into the next country, Suzuno." The manager said, now flying on a pair of white wings. "We could have studied that boy and figured out how his magic works."
"Sariel, I would rather not indulge your desires." She replied as she picked up Chiho. "Let us just take what we need, kill Satan and go home."
"Oh, you're no fun." He chuckled, picking up Emi before flying away.
"…su!"
"…atsu!"
"Natsu!"
Groaning in pain, Natsu pushed himself out of the ditch he inadvertently created. "Maou?"
"Oh good. I really didn't wanna have to pull any CPR on you." The demon chuckled. "Now come on. Let's go save Chiho."
"And Emi." Natsu reminded.
"If we have to." Maou replied with a shrug.
"Hold on, how do you even know about this?" Natsu asked, shaking the dirt out of his hair. He looked up and down at Maou as he was… less than impressed. "And you think a mop and an old bike is gonna help us… how?"
"Hey, don't insult Dullahan!" Maou shouted back. "Chiho's mom called and said she hasn't been home yet. I had Lucifer check out this Mitsuki guy and it turns out, he's a fake. Now I'm just following the tr-" He suddenly froze in fear, confusing Natsu. "I mean, I just happened to stumble upon you. I have no clue where they went now."
"Don't worry." Natsu sniffed the air and smirked. "I got his scent. Follow me!"
Emi cried in pain as another beam hit her chest. Her arms bound by magic circles, she could do nothing to fight back. "Just… give it up already…" She groaned back. "I'm not even fighting back, and yet the Holy Sword won't show itself to you. If I didn't know any better, I'd say its rejecting you."
"By all rights, the Better Half shouldn't be in the hands of a human." Sariel replied in annoyance. "Therefore, we must take it back."
"Either way, you can let Chiho go." Emi demanded, looking over his shoulder. "Chiho has nothing to do with us."
"Not going to happen." He replied. "She's a precious specimen. A human who loves the Devil King, even after learning the truth about him. She'll serve as our labrat, so we can discover what power the Devil has over the human ecosystem."
"You're sick, you know that?" Emi snapped back.
"It's not your fault." Sariel said as he stepped away from the chair. "If we had kept that boy in this country, we wouldn't need this girl. But Suzano was a bit to overzealous dealing with him. So now we have to make do with what we have." Another beam hit Emi and she cried in pain before something caught his attention. "Everyone, seems like we have an unexpected guest tonight."
"Let's give our very special friend a very special welcome." He turned and glanced over to Crystia, who hung her head. "At Satan's current power level, you should be more than enough to defeat him."
The Inquisitor started walking forward, just as Emi started to stir. "So you're fine with this, then?" She asked, causing Suzano to freeze. "The Hero and the Devil perish in another world, an innocent girl is kept as a lab experiment, an innocent man never sees his home again, and back home nothing changes? That's what you want?"
"Enough chit chat. Do your work!" Sariel ordered.
Chi looked up with disappointment as Suzano undid her pin, transforming it back into its hammer for before jumping off the building. Falling through the air, she kept her eyes on Maou as he pulled his fist back and shattered the barrier. Pulling her hammer back, she swung with all her power and hit the ground.
Maou jumped back and as the dust settled, he saw the damage. "SUZANO! You totally wrecked my bike! What the heck did Dullahan do to you!? Now you owe me for the new bike, the bike registration fee and the oversized garbage disposal fee. And I am not even kidding."
"Shut up!" Suzano shouted as she suddenly charged him. "I don't want to hear anymore nonsense from you!"
The two zoomed around the plaza before Maou finally gained some distance. "Just hold on a second!" Suzano stared at him when he suddenly started taking his clothes off. "There we go."
"What is wrong with you? Put your clothes back on." She begged, a blush on her face.
"You probably wouldn't understand since you've never had a job." Maou retorted. "MgRonald uniforms are loaners. If I damage one in a non-work situation, it comes out of my paycheck. And the devil's castle is running low on funds."
"Give me a break!" Suzano swung her hammer along the ground and the shockwave hit Maou, tearing his tank top to shreds. "Stop taking your clothes off in public, you pervert!"
"That was your fault!" Maou shouted back. "I was willing to overlook since you moved in right next to us and started cooking for us, but now you're trying to hurt my crew! This is something I can't ignore!"
"You knew who I really was the whole time?" Suzano asked in shock.
"Please, it was obvious." He said back. "A sweet young girl wearing a kimono moves next to an all male household and starts cooking and helping around. It just doesn't happen in modern Japan. You sure did a number on Ashiya, I'll give you that. It really is too bad, I thought you showed a lot of promise. Hell, you got along with Emi.
"But in the end, you're just another Olba. You pretend to be good, but you don't care how many people you have to sacrifice to gain power. If your M.O. is to doing whatever it takes to get what you want, how are you any different from the demons you hunt? You buddied up to Emi and Natsu, they were your friends, and you dragged them into this mess. You should be ashamed of yourself."
"SHUT UP!" Suzano shouted as she charged again, swinging her hammer and smashing him into the ground. "What's wrong with you? Why didn't you dodge?"
"Didn't have a choice. I used up too much magic destroying the barrier." He groaned out. "What's wrong? Not gonna fight me?" Suzano hung her head as Maou pushed himself up. "In that case, I gotta go. Chi's waiting for me."
"It's no use. You can't beat him." Suzano muttered in a sad tone. "At the power level you are, you can't win. You struggled to get past me."
"Great, so you are working with someone." Maou complained. "Who is it?"
"The archangel, Sariel." She replied. "The moon is his source. The closer he is to it, the stronger he is."
"Lovely." He said as he stretched his arms. "But I don't have a choice. Chi works under me, and I don't abandon my people and run. I do have some dignity left. And for the record, I wasn't trying to get past you." Maou chuckled as he turned to the building, confusing Suzano. "I was just trying to distract you. Now, you wanna watch us put the screws to Sariel?"
Sariel stared down at Emilia, her head hung over in pain. "If the Better Half won't reveal itself after this level of punishment, then I have no other choice but to use… alternative methods." He walked forward and summoned his scythe, pointing the blade at her neck. "I shall simply take the Sacred Sword out of your very flesh."
"Take your hands off of her, you big perv!" Chiho shouted, having finally woken up.
"Well, look who decided to join us again." He chuckled, glancing over his shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm not lusting after flat-chest over here. She's not my cup of tea."
"Flat-chest?" Emi asked back. "I'd take that back if I was you."
"You, on the other hand, have more of the attributes that I admire in a woman." Sariel said, his eyes trailing up and down her body. "I'll have time for a more through analysis back in Ente Isla, but my initial impression is quite positive."
"Keep your hands off of her, ya bucket of crap!" Emi shouted, head butting the angel.
"I've had enough of you!" Stepping back, he took to the sky.
"You lay so much as a finger on her, and you'll live just long enough to regret it." Emi warned.
"I don't think you're in any position to make idle threats, Emilia." Sariel retorted.
"You misunderstand." The hero chuckled with a smirk. "It's not me you need to worry about. Hurt Chiho and you'll literally have to face the devil AND a dragon."
"Do you realize what you just said?" Sariel laughs in amusement. "The Hero Emila now relies on the devil to save her skin? And your little pet is probably in another country by now, if he isn't already dead."
"You ran a competing restaurant across the street from him, and you still don't get it?" Emilia asked, trying to hold in a laugh. "That girl is a MgRonalds employee, and the devil is her shift manager. If you mess with one of his employees, then it's his responsibility to protect her. And if you think you can kill Natsu that easily, then you clearly don't read any legends about dragons."
"You're putting a lot of faith in those two, Emilia." Sariel chuckled back. "The devil is under no obligations to follow the rules of this world. And how well do you really know that boy?"
"I know he's not bound by them, but he chooses to follow them anyway." She replied. "And I know Natsu more than enough to know that he'd never abandon his friends."
Sariel sat on his scythe and laughed right in her face. "Oh, this is too rich. The Hero, the Dragon and the Devil: the world's strangest odd couple."
The door to the roof was kicked right off the hinges, catching everyone off guard. Walking up the stairs to the roof, Natsu hung over as he panted in exhaustion. "Sorry… stairs…"
"What the hell!?"
"Don't look this way!" Emi shouted, a massive blush in her face.
"Didn't plan on it." He replied, finally catching his breath. Looking up at Sariel, he glared at the angel in anger. "You should have killed me when you had the chance." Natsu declared, igniting his fists. "Now you're gonna regret it."
"Please, what could a human like you do against a being like me?" He asked back. "The divine silver that forms Better Half is Heaven's prized property. I'm merely taking it back. The hero can't hold on to it after all."
"I don't give a damn about what Heaven wants!" Natsu snapped back. "This is because you messed with my friends!"
The angel laughed again, holding up his hand. "Is that little fire show supposed to scare me?" He flicked his fingers and a gust of wind blasted Natsu back before a green orb flew next to him and exploded. "A mere lizard like you is no match for me." More explosions went off around him before Sariel charged into the battle.
He swung his scythe and went for the head, only for Natsu to duck. Blood was pouring from the side of his face before he slammed his fist forward. Sariel blocked it and kicked him back, knocking near the edge of the roof. "I don't know how magic works in your world, but mine increases the closer I get to the moon." Sariel chuckled. "How could you possibly beat me in that state?"
"I… can't." He confessed, shocking the trio. "Not alone, anyway. So thanks for kicking up some fear for him."
Fire suddenly shot at Natsu, who welcomed it with an open mouth. "Sorry for the wait, Natsu. Guess breaking the barrier took more out of me than I thought." Maou confessed, the hellfire shooting out of a seal in front of his hand. "Enjoy the meal!"
Swallowing it all, Natsu wiped a hand across his mouth, embers trailing off. "Now I got a fire in my belly." Fire erupted from his hands and he launched forward, surprising the angel. The flame covered fist hit square and blasted Sariel backwards, knocking off the roof.
"Sadou, break Emi out of that thing! I got this punk." Natsu requested as the angel rose up, scythe shining from the moonlight.
"Why do I always get stuck with the lame jobs?" Maou complained as he rushed over to the two girls.
"You lowly dragon!" Sariel growled before diving at Natsu. "First, I'll kill you! Then the Devil! And then I'll take Better Half back and leave this stupid world-"
A high kick hit his chin before Natsu punched him, turning his orange eye black. "Not gonna happen!" Sariel took to the sky and Natsu jumped after him. "This is for taking McRonald's business!" Natsu delivered a hard punch to Sariel's stomach, making him gasp for air. He tried to slash at Natsu's head, only for the Dragon Slayer to dodge it.
"This is for kidnapping Chiho!" Natsu spun around and slammed his left foot into Sariel's face, sending him crashing to the floor.
"DIE!" Sariel launched more explosions on Natsu, enveloping the teen in the flames. However, Sariel's little moment of joy turned to horror as he saw the flames of the explosions were being sucked up by Natsu, who finished with a burp. "H-HOW?!"
"You wanted to know how my magic worked. Now, you'll see it in full force!" Suddenly, fire surrounded Natsu, along with bolts of lightning. Horrified, Sariel prepared to fly up in the air to get close to the moon. "Oh no, you don't!" Natsu then leaped in the air, easily reaching Sariel from behind. "This is for hurting Emi!"
Putting his hands together, Natsu slammed them on Sariel's head, causing the angel to crash down once again. "And this... IS FOR BEING A CREEPY PERVERT!" Putting his magic into his hands, Natsu created a large ball of lightning-coated flames. "LIGHTNING FLAME DRAGON: BRILLIANT FLAME!"
With a mighty roar, Natsu threw the fireball down. All Sariel could do was scream as the attack collided with him, causing a massive explosion on the roof. Maou quickly brought Emi and Chiho close to shield them from the harsh winds while Suzano was struggling to stand her ground. Soon, the wind died down and Sariel laid in a crater, burn wounds and lightning all over his body. His scythe spun in the air before Natsu caught it, snapping it with his knee. "There. We're done."
"Is… is he?" Suzano started to ask.
"Nah, just out cold." Maou said as he walked forward, his hoofs clip-cloping on the roof. "And Natsu kicked up plenty of of fear, so now I can do this." Holding out his hand, a massive swirling black portal opened before him. "And home you go!" Picking up the angel, he pulled his arm back and threw Sariel into the swirling portal. "Okay, now to fix all this damage. Man, this is gonna take a lot of magic power."
"Well, at least it's over." Emi replied. "Right, Na-" She turned around just in time to see him face first on the roof. "Natsu!"
She rushed forward as the others turned in horror. Emi pulled Natsu up onto her lap, heavy dark bags under his eyes.
Well, how's that for different? Natsu OBLITERATED Sariel into next week and then some. Add in the emotional drama from this story with Suzuno's journey and this cemented why I love Part-Timer. Summer can't get here soon enough for season 2. And if you don't understand what happened to Natsu at the end of this chapter, you will in the next one. See ya then.
Beta read by The 3rd Dragneel and TheExcadrillComics
