Kazuma lay in his bed the next morning, silently mulling over his current situation as he pet Chomusuke idly, the feline all too happy with the attention and purring softly.
"I just don't know what to do, Chomps. I'm at a loss here." He muttered ruefully, lips twisted into a desperate frown. "I mean, I'm sure that something is affecting the girls, but every now and then I can't help but doubt myself. What if they really are just worried? It doesn't sound like them, granted, but people change! I should know that better than anyone…"
Chomusuke suddenly leapt up, hissing angrily and making Kazuma startle slightly. The cat proceeded to bolt out of the room in a mad dash, leaving the young man to his traitorous thoughts and prompting and annoyed sigh.
"I just hope whatever is going around doesn't affect cats as well," he muttered dejectedly.
The previous day had ended well enough, with the girls escorting him back to the mansion after his meeting with Wiz. Sena had left to rejoin the rest of her team, but Yunyun had agreed to stick around a bit longer. The girls didn't really contest the idea, so they allowed the girl to come along without any grievances.
And now it was the end of another day, and Kazuma found himself no closer to understanding what exactly was affecting his teammates and friends. He'd taken as many notes as possible on their behavior, weird habits and happenings he'd noticed, but it still wasn't enough.
I don't even know what the hell I'm doing, he reinforced in his mind. It's not like I'm an expert on magic or anything. I'm just some dude who doesn't know the first thing about mind-control spells. That is if it's even mind-control at all. It could be the work of literally anything at this point. Hell, I'll even accept aliens as a possibility!
Kazuma sighed heavily, before sitting up and moving to get off his bed. His mind was moving too much right now for any coherent thoughts. He needed to relax if he planned on getting some proper sleep tonight. Standing and stretching, he moved to open his door and exited his room, determined to find something to occupy himself.
"Times like this made me wish there was anime in this world," Kazuma lamented to himself while wandering aimlessly. Anime was his primary means of escape for pretty much everything in his miserable life and each day he was reminded that that wasn't possible to do in a medieval fantasy world. What was he supposed to do instead, read? He wasn't that desperate.
Eventually, he made his way to the kitchen, considering making himself a late night snack. He settled for a fresh apple, taking a bite and savoring the sweetness. Well, at least this world had some perks, even if it was just fresh apples.
"Kazuma?"
The boy nearly choked on the bite of apple he'd just taken as his head snapped in the direction of the voice, finding a tired and surprised Megumin staring back at him. After a few seconds of silence, Kazuma found his voice.
"Megumin? What are you doing up so late?"
The young mage rubbed her crimson eyes before yawning, "I could ask you the same thing. But if you must know, I got woken up by Chomusuke being annoying, and I figured now that I'm awake I might as well get some water."
"Huh, she bothered you too?" Kazuma questioned with an arched eyebrow, surprised to hear of the normally well behaved cat's antics. "She freaked out in my room too. Any idea what's got her so skittish?"
Megumin shrugged lightly as she went to the cabinet to fetch a glass. "Dark premonition or something? I don't know, it's too early for the theatrics right now."
"On that, we agree." Kazuma snarked, before clamping up slightly as Megumin drew closer to get her water. He watched throughout the process, mentally warring with himself over whether the "mind-control" was even real or he was just overthinking things again. "...So, how was your day?"
Megumin took a big gulp of water before answering skeptically, "You were with me most of the day, remember?"
"Pssh, yeah. I remember." Kazuma retorted, crossing his arms and averting his gaze. "Just making conversation. I'm told it's what sociable people do."
The Crimson Demon scrunched her face momentarily before realization struck her. "Oh, shoot, you're right! Sorry, I guess I'm more tired than I thought. Speaking of which, how come you don't look sleepy at all? It's 1 A.M. I think."
"Isomina's a helluva drug. You get used to it at some point or another." Kazuma answered, not entirely lying. Of course, he wasn't just gonna air out his concerns and paranoia, even if he was having a few doubts. "Truth is, my sleep schedule has been pretty shit for the last two weeks. Is it too much to just chalk it up as a side effect of Resurrection?"
Anxiety and insomnia? Megumin was mentally kicking herself for being ignorant to Kazuma's personal struggles for so long. Why doesn't he just talk it out with them? They'd be more than understanding about it, not to mention supportive.
"I'm no expert, but I don't think the two are connected." She answered, turning to meet Kazuma's gaze and offering him a gentle smile. "I'm sorry to hear you haven't been sleeping well. Do you have any ideas on how to fix it?"
"Not sure if there's anything to be fixed." Kazuma replied, with a shrug of his shoulders, tossing his apple core into a nearby bin that they had put out for garbage. "Just something I gotta live with. No big deal, right?"
"You sound a little too accepting of that…" Megumin pointed out with an air of concern in her voice. "Are you sure you're just okay with that?"
"...I'm sure enough." Kazuma muttered quietly, before pasting on a small smile and turning towards the hallway, suddenly feeling more tired than before. "Well, I should probably head back anyway. I do need at least some sleep if I'm gonna function in the morning, heh."
"W-wait!"
Halting in his tracks, Kazuma spun around to stare confusedly at Megumin, wondering what she could possibly want this time.
"Yeah? What is it?" He asked earnestly, only to falter slightly as Megumin's eyes dipped away from his own, the young girl fidgeting nervously. "Megumin..?"
"Umm…" she stalled, working herself up to whatever it was she wanted to say. "K-Kazuma, do you remember the day after we killed Sylvia when we were on that hill and I let you decide if I should move on from the path of Explosions? How I put my destiny in your hands?"
"Uh...yeah. I remember." Kazuma answered slowly, a bizarre but not unfamiliar knot of nervousness rising in his chest. "Why are you bringing this up?"
Megumin, unsure of what to do with her hands, began wringing them as she shifted from foot to foot. "Well...I'm grateful you chose to upgrade my Explosion magic for the sake of my happiness. I'll always be grateful for it. But...lately...I've been seriously considering learning some other attack spells anyway."
Kazuma completely blanked. All his previous fear and paranoia came back with a vengeance as his mind screamed at him that Megumin would never compromise like that. She loved Explosion, more than anything else in the world! It was official, something was controlling his friends. There was no other alternative! Right?!
...right?
Before he could respond to Megumin's confession, an ear-splitting screech pierced the air, making both adventurer's jump. That sounded like Aqua! Sure enough, a few seconds later, the useless goddess thundered into the room, clutching a wildly thrashing and hissing Chomusuke and practically chucking her in Megumin's direction.
"Keep that demonic hellspawn out of my room, Megumin!" she harped. "That thing almost clawed my pretty eyes out!"
"I-I'm sorry, Aqua!" Megumin sputtered, now trying her best to soothe the still panicking feline. "I have no idea why she's so upset! She's never gotten like this before!"
More booming footsteps were heard as Darkness barged into the kitchen with her sword in hand. "What's wrong!? Is everyone alright!?"
"We're fine, Dark. Chomps is just causing more trouble than usual." Kazuma answered reassuringly, before turning his attention fully to the troublesome cat in question and frowning. "Jeez, if I didn't know any better, I'd say she was terrified."
Off the last word, a sudden stillness fell over the group. It took a second to even recognize it, a second too long. Suddenly, a thunderous rumble shook the house, cracking a few windows and making the ground shake. It only lasted a few seconds, but it was enough to send the party into full alert.
"Please let that just be a random earthquake," Kazuma pleaded to himself, looking amongst his friends for reassurance. "That wasn't what I thought it was, right?"
"No. That most certainly was." Darkness replied, her expression hardening instantly as her hands clenched into fists. "That was an Explosion's shockwave."
The four looked amongst each other for a few short seconds, before darting towards their respective rooms, hastily grabbing their gear and getting changed into their proper clothes.
"Guys? What's going on?" Yunyun asked at one point, having apparently woken up after the shockwave. "Are we under attack?!"
"I don't know!" Kazuma blurted out as he quickly pulled his boots up before charging out the door. "But be prepared anyway!"
Kazuma booked it towards the edge of the property, spotting a still dissipating mushroom cloud in the distance, as well as a number of fires in the distance. Steeling himself, he charged past the main gate…
...and immediately reappeared in the kitchen.
"...oh, for fucks sake! Not now!" He growled, starting back down the hall towards the front door. He arrived just in time to meet the rest of his party members, only to have them block his path before he could exit. "Guys, c'mon! We need to go see what the hell is happening in town!"
"We are going to." Aqua agreed, before jabbing Kazuma in the chest with her finger and practically pushing him backwards. "You are not. You're staying here, for your own good."
"What?! Aqua, stop fucking around, this isn't the time!" Kazuma hissed, slapping hand away with little care. "You need me out there too!"
"No, we do NOT!" Aqua roared, making Kazuma jump in surprise as she grabbed him by the lapels of his shirt and yanked him forward. "We are not risking your life again! No more! You are staying here until we make sure that it's safe, and that's final!"
Kazuma couldn't find any words in that moment, so surprised by the usually lighthearted goddess enraged that he actually agreed to shut his mouth. Even more surprising, Aqua's expression slipped slightly upon seeing his shock, and she wrapped him into a quick hug, speaking as she did so.
"I'm sorry, but you can't come with us this time. Not till we know you're safe." She whispered hauntingly, before releasing him and trying to paste on a look of confidence. "We'll be back soon. Hopefully, whatever's going on isn't as bad as it looks."
The words didn't hold much certainty, they both knew it. Still, Kazuma nodded numbly, suddenly finding himself in a second embrace with Darkness and Megumin, both of whom looked as worried as he felt.
"Aqua's right. We'll be back soon." Darkness assured him quietly, looking simultaneously determined and cautious.
"Maybe we'll even bring you some breakfast on the way back." Megumin snarked with the slightest hint of spunk, clearly far better at faking confidence than her friends.
Kazuma still stayed silent, allowing both girls to release him and inch back towards the door. Seconds before they stepped outside, Yunyun appeared next to Kazuma, almost making him jump.
"Don't worry, Kazmua-sama. We'll be fine." She promised him, her usually shy tone firmer than normal. Even her eyes glowed lightly, proving that as scared as she was, she was also prepared.
Kazuma tried to find words, tried to say something, anything before the people he cared most about in the world left him behind for what well could have been a warzone.
"Please. Please be careful." He practically whispered, catching the attention of all four women just before they departed. "I don't want to lose a second family."
They all stared at him for a second, before a small, hopeful smile broke out on Aqua's face as she left him with one last, optimistic vow.
"You won't."
Ten minutes passed. Then twenty. It was on the tick of thirty that Kazuma finally snapped, a frustrated growl pushing past his lips as he grabbed his shield and unsheathing Chunchunmaru, stalking back towards the front door.
Before making a break for it, Kazuma whispered a quick prayer to Eris for luck. He still didn't know why she seemingly had so much faith in him to begin with, but he also didn't want to let her down either. One prayer later, and he charged out the front door, screaming all the way down and past the main gate…
...Only to slowly come to a stop once he got a good look at the current state of the outside world. The city was alight in a blaze of fire contrasting the pitch-black sky. Embers licked the street corners as the distant sounds of screams and war cries echoed throughout Axel Town.
We really are under attack! Holy crap, how the hell is this happening?! Kazuma thought to himself, trying his best to steel his nerves before continuing further into the madness before him.
Adventurers and guards alike fought valiantly against obstructed enemies amidst the flames, the odd pocket of civilians occasionally running past as well. Kazuma tried his best to navigate the streets, but the surrounding skirmishes were making it almost impossible to find a clear path.
Thinking outside of the box, the young man ducked down into a deserted alleyway to avoid the congested main streets. He also took this as a brief moment to release a strained breath he didn't realize he was holding in.
"Holy shit. Holy shit." He muttered to himself, his heart thundering mercilessly in his chest. The screams, the clashing of blades, it was all too much. His hands were actually shaking. "Stay calm, it's ok. You've shit ten times more dangerous, just-just fucking relax!"
Slapping himself across the face several times till his cheeks stung, Kazuma got back into the game and focused solely on trying to navigate through town. He rounded the corner on the opposite side of the alleyway...and ended up looking down the business end of a crossbow.
Kazuma...well, he didn't want to say he shrieked...but there weren't that many words that could describe the sound that he made in that moment much better. It took a second for him to realize that not only was the person wielding the weapon not an enemy soldier or monster, but someone he actually recognized.
"Kazuma?" Luna asked, lowering the weapon and gawking at him in disbelief. "What on earth are you doing out here? I was told you were on house arrest!"
"Wha-I-WHY DO YOU HAVE A CROSSBOW?!" Kazuma cried out, his mind still whirling far too fast to properly comprehend the situation unfolding around him. "And why the hell are you not at the guild hall?!"
"The guild's been overrun! The rest of the staff and I were forced to evacuate as the Devil King's soldiers closed in!" Luna explained, prompting Kazuma to look behind her and realize that she was indeed flanked by a number of waitresses and other staff members from the guild hall. "We're trying to get as far away from the fighting as possible!"
"Ok. Ok, uh...follow the path I just took. It's...down the alley, two lefts and a right, then down the main pathway." Kazuma eventually managed, finally pulling himself together enough to focus. "You and the rest of the staff should be safe at my mansion until the enemy is pushed back!"
"Thank you, Kazuma. We'll disembark immediately!" Luna assured him, gesturing to her followers to get moving. They did so, filing ahead down the directed path while the fighting raged around them. Before leaving to join them, Luna leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to Kazuma's cheek, nodding in thanks. "Good luck, Kazuma. I hope to see you again when this is all over."
"Yeah, trust me. I'd like to be around for that part too." Kazuma remarked, half serious, half scared witless. Luna departed seconds later, just in time for a new sound at the end of the street to catch Kazuma's attention.
"Chris, on your left! Bottomless Swamp!" cried the familiar voice of Wiz soon followed by the sounds of slashing. Kazuma rounded the corner just in time to see a horde of monster soldiers sinking into a murky pond and a ring of dead enemies surrounding a bloodstained Chris.
"Damn. Moments like this make me wish I went into the wizard class instead." He remarked in astonishment, inadvertently earning him the attention of both the women, who stared at him in shock. "Oh. Uh...hey guys."
"Kazuma Satou!" Chris hissed, looking about ready to strangle him the second they were out of danger. "What the hell are you doing here?! Megumin said you were still at the mansion!"
"Yeah, well, I wanted to help, so I left!" Kazuma retorted, a distant but approaching roar prompting him to lift his shield. "You can kick my ass later. I think we have more incoming!"
"He's right, Chris. We'll deal with him later." Wiz agreed, hands crackling with power as three new enemies charged at them through the surrounding chaos. "Ogres, three of them!"
"Bind!" Chris cast, catching one of the green behemoths by surprise and making it stumble, which was all the advantage she needed to leap up it's arm and stab it repeatedly in the throat. A few choked rumbles escaped the monster's throat before it collapsed, resulting in the thief rolling off of it's corpse and shouting a quick warning. "Kazuma, on your left!"
The young man raised his shield at the last second, barely deflecting one of the ogre's battleaxe strikes. He swiped upwards, but didn't do half as much damage as he had hoped as the beast leered down at him in rage.
"Oh boy."
High on adrenaline, Kazuma managed to perform a tactical roll out of the way of the orge's battleaxe strike. Thinking fast, he quickly conjured up a small pile of dirt in one hand with Create Earth and subsequently blew it into the monster's face with Create Wind. The combination of magic skills resulted in the beast staggering back from the debris that got launched in its eyes.
Before it got the chance to swing again, a sharp shard of ice pierced the monster's chest, resulting in a final pained roar before it slumped to the ground, dead. Sure enough, Wiz had already dispatched the third orge as well, her ice magic powerful enough to slay them in a manner of seconds.
"Kazuma, are you alright!?" cried Wiz as she rushed to his side and cupped his cheeks, examining the boy for any obvious injuries. "Thank the gods you kept that shield I gave you!"
"Of course I kept it, Wiz. Aside from the fact that it's enchanted and awesome, it's a gift from you!" Kazuma replied with little pause, not really sure what to do about the witch's hands cradling his face and simply deciding to roll with it for the time being. "Where the hell is Vanir? Don't tell me he just slipped off in the middle of all of this!"
"No, he's assisting in the evacuation efforts right now! Chris and I are trying to ward off the invaders so he and the Town Guard can get everybody to safety!"
"Huh. Look at that, the demon really does have a heart...or he just wants to make sure that there'd be people around still willing to buy from him." Kazuma mused sardonically, before shaking his head and attempting to pull his thoughts together. "Have you two seen my friends? Or Sena? Or anyone else we know?"
Chris answered, "They passed us not long ago; they were heading into the heart of this mess. But they also told us that you were supposed to stay put at home." She ended with a small glare.
"Why is everyone so surprised I didn't want to sit this one out?!" Kazuma shouted, throwing his hands up in irritation and returning the thief's glare. "I might have my reservations about some things from the past, but I'm not just gonna sit around and just let a city full of innocent people die! What am I, a monster!? I needed to help, dammit, so here I am!"
The look on Chris' face heavily implied she still wanted to object, however, she ultimately sighed and let the issue go. "Dammit, Satou, we are going to talk about this at length once the smoke clears. For now, you're sticking to Wiz and I like glue. No wandering off, no playing hero. Do you understand me?"
"Crystal clear," he nodded with vigor. Standing up and inadvertently brushing off Wiz's hands, Kazuma hefted his shield and awaited further orders. "So, what's the plan then?"
Whatever Chris answered, Kazuma didn't hear when a new shout of "EXPLOSION!" cut her off, followed by an immense...well...c'mon. Explosion. Suddenly, Kazuma was not only separated from his allies, but also soaring through the air, not that the flight lasted long.
He met the hard brick road with a dull thunk, knocking the wind out of him. After a few seconds of wheezing and squirming, Kazuma was able to determine he wasn't hurt badly, outside of a few fresh cuts and tears to his clothes from debris.
Shakely rising to his feet, Kazuma took in a few greedy breaths of air as he tried to get a good idea of his surroundings. He was near the guild hall, or at least what was left of it. The large building he'd come to known as a sort of home away from home during his time in this world was now burning to the ground, fire having engulfed a majority of it and showing no signs of dying out anytime soon.
"Well...that fucking sucks." He groaned to himself, before a sharp cry pierced the air. He turned, lifting both his shield and Chunchunmaru in preparation, as he saw an adventurer fall dead on the nearby road. He couldn't place the man's face exactly, but he was familiar enough that the dark stab of grief still wedged itself in the young man's chest. The grief was drowned out, however, as Kazuma raised his gaze to the man's attacker...and green met gold.
The armored woman towered high, looking a few inches taller than Darkness. She held a broadsword to match, one stained crimson with fresh and dried blood alike. Her armor was similarly coated in blood and grime, still visible on it's black and chrome plating. After a few seconds of wordless, tense staring, the woman spoke, her voice low and composed.
"Kazuma Satou. We finally meet. Certainly not the way I expected, either." She hummed, scanning him up and down like a predator inspecting its prey. "I'm going to have to have quite the chat with my fellow general on what defines someone as dead, aren't I?"
"Guess so." Kazuma remarked calmly, the strangest sense of calm setting in at that moment. He was afraid, naturally, but whoever this woman was, she had something to say. He'd let her say it before he did anything rash. "I'd also recommend passing along the fact that her coat looks pretentious. Just my two cents."
"Hmph. Fraught with witticisms, just as your stories ensured." The Daughter mused, relishing the brief look of surprise that crossed his features. "Yes, I've heard all about you and your escapades. Quite the riveting saga, I'll readily admit, and here I thought I'd never get the chance to meet you myself. Yet here we are."
"I take it you're the ringleader behind all this?" Kazuma asked, gesturing to the burning cityscape that surrounded the two. The woman smirked and nodded, even throwing in a lazy bow.
"Guilty as charged. Axel has been quite the problem for the Devil King for decades now, so I decided I do something about it." She replied, an almost smug twinkle in her blazing eyes. "Any thoughts on the show thus far?"
"If you're looking for vindication, you aren't getting it from me, lady." Kazuma growled, pulling his blade and pointing at her while taking a fighting stance. "I don't know who you are, but I know that I'm not gonna let you kill anyone else tonight. So if you're done running your mouth, are we gonna do this or not?!"
A beat of silence, as though the woman was mulling over Kazuma's words, her expression briefly dipping to what almost looked like disappointment, before shaping back up into that vicious but subdued smirk.
"Very well, if you insist on dying today, I'd be more than happy to send you to hell myself." She assured him, drawing up her own blade and assuming her own stance. "I am the Devil King's daughter, his strongest general, and soon to be your executioner. Pray if you must, for any mercy you receive from the gods will not be passed on through me!"
"...wait, what?"
The Daughter faltered briefly, not expecting the look of surprise that had crossed Kazuma's face as he lowered his blade, now gawking at her in disbelief.
"...do you not serve a goddess?"
"Oh no, that's not the problem here." Kazuma retorted, waving his hand dismissively. "It's just...you're the Devil King's daughter?"
"Yes, I am." The general confirmed pridefully, some of her usual bravado returning with a vengeance. "His own flesh and blood, his instrument of destruction! I shall-"
"So he actually fucked someone?"
Again, The Daughter faltered, completely unprepared for Kazuma's questioning. She glared at him angrily, her patience wearing thinner by the second.
"You dare speak so freely about my father's potential proclivities! I shall-"
"So he did bone someone! Huh! Didn't even know that was possible." The young man cut her off once more, cupping his chin with his free hand. "Honestly, I don't really know how the devil stuff works, so you'll have to forgive my ignorance when it comes to stuff like this."
The Daughter stomped her foot in irritation, her anger rising to fury as brandished her blade in Kazuma's direction, now fully intent on skewering him like a pig.
"STOP BABBLING, YOU INSOLENT FOOL, AND FIGHT ME ALREADY!" She thundered vengefully, so completely and utterly thrown off by Kazuma's purposeful distractions that she was fully unprepared for the young man to do just that.
With unexpected speed, Kazuma launched forwards and drew up Chunchunmaru for a surgical strike against the center of her chest plate. He lunged, with his aim striking true-
And his blade bounced off the plate like it was made of rubber.
There was another, final pause, as the ramifications of what just occurred took hold for both parties. Kazuma brought his gaze upward, meeting the cold furious golden eyes of the woman he just royally pissed off as her own sword was drawn up, her lips now twisted in an amused smile as she growled her next words.
"That was a mistake."
The only reasonable thing Kazuma could think to do in that moment was to put his shield up and brace for impact. Like clockwork, he predicted the incoming blow but failed to take into account the sheer power it carried as he was sent flying backwards, crashing into the steps of the ruined guild hall behind him.
The air was knocked out of him as his back roughly collided with the brick steps, leaving him with little time to recover as he barley rolled to the side in time to dodge The Daughter's next swing, bringing up Chunchunmaru to block her next strike and leaving him pinned against the brick wall next to the stairs.
"Your defense is better than I expected. Impressive." The Daughter praised, increasing the pressure and pushing her blade closer to his chest. "But you will not hold out forever."
In a flash of sheer desperation, Kazuma decided to get out of this situation in the most surefire way he knew how: by kicking his opponent in the crotch.
Gearing his right leg up, he swung it upwards with all the power and force he could possibly muster…
Only to realize too late that that particular area was also well-protected...
"AHAHA, MOTHER FUCKER!" Kazuma hissed as his foot ached with pain, before an armored hand suddenly shot under the locked blades and grabbed him by the throat, lifting him to eye level with The Daughter.
"Please tell me that wasn't the best you could come up with. It'd be a shame to embarrass yourself worse than you already have before your untimely demise." She jeered mockingly, increasing the pressure on his neck and relishing his muffled croaks of pain. "I could be willing to make it quicker, of course. All you'd have to do is beg."
Figuring he was done for anyway, Kazuma decided to get one last little jab in before he went to see Eris for the eighth time. "Y-your...dad...fucks…"
The jab was just enough to irritate The Daughter, instead choosing to wind up and throw Kazuma back down into the steps of the guild hall, using her free hand to properly aim her sword directly above his chest.
"So be it, Satou." She growled, before plunging her blade down...and meeting enchanted steel. She glanced down upon realizing her sword hadn't pierced the man's chest, and released a growl of frustration. "Oh, you must be joking."
"What? You having...a lil' trouble there?" Kazuma croaked, angling his shielded arm perfectly to block her blade. "Y'know...we can take a rain check...if you're getting frustrated. I really won't mind."
The Daughter was livid at this point. Seeing red didn't even begin to describe the hate flowing through her. Without pause, she stomped on Kazuma's arm with all the force she could muster, relishing both the crack of his breaking bones and the scream of pain that followed. Wordlessly, she then kicked the arm aside, sending the shield skidding out of reach and leaving Kazuma fully exposed.
"Never...never before have I faced such an immensely irritating foe." She huffed with an irate scowl, keeping the writhing man in place with her other foot as she leveled her sword on his chest once more, no more obstructions. "Well no more. Tonight, Kazuma Satou, you will die by my blade."
With this final declaration, she drew up her sword, ready to strike him down once and for all in righteous fury...only to be interrupted by a blast of heat.
"Fireball!"
Kazuma's senses were dulled due to the excruciating pain he was in, but he could make out just enough of his surroundings to see that it was none other than Megumin who launched that spell. And she was being backed up by a furious Aqua and Darkness to boot.
After dusting her armor off from the incendiary attack, The Daughter looked to her new visitors with disdain. "Oh. Well, if it isn't Satou's little harem I've heard so much about. Come to rescue your precious boy toy, I presume?"
Kazuma clung just enough to consciousness to mutter a weak, "I resent that," before his head met the brick steps and he felt his eyes flutter close. A shame, too, he probably would have loved to hear Aqua's retort.
"The only woman who's allowed to step on him with his consent is me, so back off, bitch."
The Daughter laughed, "Ohohohoho, I cannot believe what I am hearing! I was merely joking about the harem remark, but I can see now that you're serious, aren't you? You three really have fallen for this worm!"
Darkness' grip on her sword tightened as she took a step forward and said, "If you value your unholy existence, you shall refrain from insulting the man we love, demonic blight…"
"Or what?" The Daughter challenged, stepping away from the unconscious Kazuma to boldly approach the girl. "You'll wave your blade at me only to miss and get off from your own embarrassment? I've heard the stories about you; about all of you. You three are nothing more than an incompetent trio only left alive due to dumb luck and the efforts of your moronic friend here. I have no doubt you'll put up a better fight than your weakling 'leader', but what do you honestly hope to accomplish, hmm?"
The Daughter wasn't expecting Darkness to lunge forward suddenly, locking blades with the general and even forcing her a few steps back before she found her footing.
"Under most circumstances, I prefer to protect instead of attacking." The crusader snarled, her expression fearsome and eyes full of rage. "For you, however, I shall make an exception!"
With an unprecedented surge of strength, Darkness pushed forward, continuing to fight one on one with The Daughter, who blocked each strike with ease before lashing out in an upward strike and knocking the crusader's blade from her hands.
However, this did little to stop her, as Darkness proceeded to grab the armored general by her shoulders and retaliate with a vicious head-but, which was more than enough to make even The Daughter stumble and falter.
This momentary shock and pain of the unexpected strike was amplified as a sharp shout of "GOD BLOW!" was followed by a searing strike to The Daughter's armored chest, followed by another, and then another. The woman, who had long since lost her own sword, was forced to take the beating from the vengeful Aqua, strike after strike denting her armor further and further before a final, wrathful shriek of "GOD REQUIEM!" that resulted in the general being thrown backwards by a tremendously powerful punch.
She collided with a far building, faltering further as she fell to one knee, ragged breaths escaping her throat as she desperately tried to call upon her dark magic...but receiving nothing in response.
"What...what the hell did you do to me?!"
"I nullified your dark abilities. Looks like you're out of tricks." Aqua snarked coldly, before turning to Megumin and nodding with a sadistic smirk. "Finish her off."
Megumin nodded, brandishing her staff and taking aim at the still weakened demon general. Before she could even begin her spell, however, she found herself distracted by the sudden appearance of two new enemies as they teleported in nearby.
"Surrender now, fools, or face the wrath of two demon generals on this day!" Serena declared confidently, branding her mace in preparation before noticing her wounded comrade nearby. "Ma'am! What the hell happened you?!"
"Save it, Serena!" The Daughter roared, managing to rise to her feet and balling up her fists in preparation. "Wolbach, don't just stand there! Destroy them!"
The dark mage didn't acknowledge her fellow general's demands, far too preoccupied as she stared down Megumin. Neither wizard looked away as a silent conversation seemed to occur, one that ended as Wolbach bowed her head momentarily, and muttered a string of profanities under her breath before turning to The Daughter and biting out a single, long overdue response.
"No."
The response seemed to prompt a shocked silence from both the demon generals and Kazuma's friends alike, allowing Wolbach to steel herself further, her hands heating up with the resonance of her Inferno spell as she continued to speak out.
"I have bent to your will, and to your father's will for far too long." She growled, eyes shimmering with long restrained anger and reserved power. "I refuse to be your pawn any longer. Leave this city now, and take your forces with you, or there will be no inch of this realm that I will not traverse in order to wipe you from existence."
The threat was anything but hollow, and apparently The Daughter was aware of this, because she stalked over to Serena's position and grasped her shoulder, passing along her own silent message before her gaze flicked up to Wolbach, gold eyes filled with untold fury.
"My father will hear of this betrayal, and he will come for you." She ground out venomously, before motioning to Serena and teleporting away, leaving a turncoat wizard and a band of confused adventurer's as the fires of war raged around them. Eventually, Aqua found her voice, and spoke the one question that was on all four of their minds.
"What the hell just happened?!"
