"A summoning?" Fleaux nearly yelled.
His answer came quickly as he was swooped up by Negi.
"Not quite," the man informed the elder, carrying him over his shoulder, "You need to call for the retreat!"
"It's no use, the telepathy's jammed," Fleaux responded.
Negi set the elder down a few hundred meters from the battlefield.
"Then do it the old fashioned way!" Negi yelled, returning to the fray.
"Retreat!" Fleaux's magically enhanced voice boomed over the battlefield.
The bird tribe seemed to believe the nine tailed demon had appeared to assist them and chased after the retreating humans. They couldn't be more wrong.
The demon's tails were writhing furiously as though they had been bound for an eternity, and with every flick came a violent wind. Many of the pursuing bird tribe members were killed on contact and many more were thrown to their deaths by the gales the beast was releasing…but the bird tribe wasn't the only side feeling the power of the beast. While many of the bird tribe were being demolished by the nine tailed demon's tails, many humans were as well. To its rear were humans and bird tribe members alike, being thrown in countless directions by its tails, and in its front were many more of both sides, waiting to be demolished like those before it. Not much could be made out of the demon's twisted visage. Not much could be seen of its body at all…as though it were translucent. But the one thing that both sides could see…the one thing that inspired fear even in the hearts of Negi Springfield and Setsuna Sakurazaki was the look on its face…a look of twisted glee.
"Retreat!" Negi heard Fleaux call out again. It was as if everything were slowing down…moving against the tide that was the nine tailed fox demon. He felt as if he were being pulled towards it instead of away…as though it were a center of magic. Negi opened his eyes wide; he understood.
"Setsuna!" Negi called out. She nodded her head and began her trek towards the demon.
The nine tailed fox seemed to sense something coming, and turned its massive hulk to face Setsuna. The way it moved was much more than anyone could have imagined. Surely for something so massive, its agility would be very low…again, something that seemed to defy the laws of nature itself. The demon faced Setsuna with the speed of lightning, almost making it look as though it were a glitch.
"Pactio!" Setsuna yelled, unfolding her wings. The heavens seemed to light up and even the demon paused for a moment to see its attacker for what she truly was.
Setsuna's pactio card was unlike anything Negi or the others had ever seen. Instead of forming a weapon, it formed an entire suit. Setsuna's body was covered with a golden armor. The helm of the armor concealed everything on her head except her face, with miniature white wings protruding from the sides. Her long white hair billowed behind her and, as her wings unfolded, she took flight.
While there were many stunned faces, there were no sounds of awe coming from the battlefield. Now even the bird tribe was retreating…and the nine tailed fox did not pursue.
"What have we incited?" Shenmei asked as he joined Fleaux and the others on a cliffside a few hundred meters away, "That the forces of heaven and hell should engage in our battle?"
Negi and the others remained silent. It wasn't the forces of heaven and hell at all…but two of their closest friends engaged in the battle for life and death. Kotaro was barely alive and laying behind the group, Konoka in tow, still casting her healing magic on him. Chisame and Haruna were missing and Negi had no idea what had happened to Chamo. One moment he had been on his shoulder and the next he was nowhere in sight. All their faith on ending this battle was now left in Setsuna.
The first strike was quick and flawless, but had the nine tailed demon thought Setsuna to be no worry, it was proven wrong. Setsuna's sword sliced straight through one of its legs, and the beast howled as red energy came flowing out of it, only to be reabsorbed.
Setsuna flew high to a safe distance and called out, "Yue! Yue, I know you're in there! Take control!"
The demon was unfazed and quickly began its counter. The first few strikes from its tails missed horribly, it hadn't anticipated Setsuna's speed, but the next few were nearly dead on. Setsuna had to block a few of them with her sword to keep from being torn in two. The final strike from the fox came as a surprise to Setsuna: it attacked with three of its tails and both of its front claws at the same time.
It was too much for Setsuna and she was thrown back into the surrounding forest. The onlookers hadn't anticipated what happened next. Not just one Setsuna came out of the forest, but twelve of them. They quickly moved in and surrounded the fox. This time, it was her turn to bite back.
The attacks came to all of the normal vital spots: the inside of the legs, the neck, lungs, and even the stomach. But no matter where Setsuna hit it, the beast regenerated. It was as though it was made of pure energy. The thought crossed Setsuna's mind again: pure energy.
"Fine, if I can't cut you up, I'll have to dispel you," Setsuna thought aloud.
Negi nodded his head; he'd been in telepathic communication with Setsuna for a few moments, hoping to come to a conclusion about what to do. The two agreed that it had to be dispelled; reaching Yue was too difficult.
"I'll be back shortly," Negi stated, removing his cloak and shirt.
"Where are you going?" Asuna asked. She paused for a moment as she saw Negi's chest begin to glow with magic. "Be careful about using those…" she finished.
Negi began to levitate and flew into the sky above the nine tailed fox. His chest began to show clear signs of tattoos…magical runes that he had engraved into himself: a last resort. Even if he were tapped on magic, these runes would draw the magic out of his very core.
"What are those things on his chest?" Fleaux asked the group.
"Magical runes…they give him an almost unlimited amount of magic…but the cost can be very great," Konoka responded, taking her place with the group, "Kotaro will be fine; he should wake up in a few minutes."
"You know how we said that he was the most powerful mage in our group?" Asuna reminded the elder, "We weren't particularly lying…but that's not the whole of it either. He's not just the strongest mage in the group…"
"He's the strongest mage in the world," Nodoka finished for her.
Fleaux's mouth dropped, and he looked up in time to see Setsuna hovering in front of them.
"Get out of here, now!" Setsuna commanded, "This attack's going to be deadly, even at this distance, so get out of here!"
The group quickly gathered up and set out, Asuna carrying Kotaro.
"The rain…falls…" Negi whispered, "The lightning…sounds… The fire…reigns… The earth…remains… And all that should see the spirit…shall bow before the heavens."
Negi started glowing a bright white and held his hands out in front of him; as the energy began to collect in his hands, the nine tailed fox finally noticed him…too late.
"Gods of heaven and earth, thunder and lightning, rain and sleet, fire and magma, come forth and form a spear to render my enemy!"
As Negi hurtled his magic blast towards the nine tailed fox, he felt Sestuna appear above him to add the final blow.
"Shenmei Ryu Style! Ultimate Thunder Clap Blade!"
The earth below the fox was incinerated and the fox itself began to melt away…little by little it began to dissipate until the only thing left was Yue…completely unharmed and covered in the white armor that she was wearing when she turned into the fox.
"Yue, are you all right?" Negi asked, shaking her to wake her up.
What came next was a total surprise; Yue swiped at Negi and jumped to her feet, growling.
"She's still the fox?" Setsuna asked, pulling out her sword.
"I don't know…" Negi responded, "Yue?"
Yue lunged at the group, but as Setsuna made to slash, another beast jumped out from behind her and connected with Yue. The two were rolling around on the ground, biting at each other…clawing at each other for several minutes before there was a proclaimed victor. Yue was pinned to the ground by the transformed Kotaro. He held her there for a few minutes until finally she stopped squirming.
Slowly, the armor on Yue's body began to fade away and after another minute, Yue was laying on her back, pinned by the now untransformed Kotaro.
"You had us scared for a minute there, Yue," Kotaro mentioned, still pinning her to the ground.
"Kotaro? What happened? I think I blacked out. I had this dream that I was fighting an angel actually…" Yue responded. She looked around her at all the destruction and then realized that Kotaro was forcing her down, "Kotaro…you're hurting me…"
"Oh, I'm sorry," Kotaro let her up and embraced her.
"The thing is, Yue, you really did turn into a monster and that angel you fought was Setsuna. Her artifact makes it look like she's a Valkyrie," Negi informed her.
"Oh god…what's happening to me Kotaro?" Yue begged, pulling into him closer.
"I think I know," Negi replied, "But let's get out of here first…and back to the village. Hopefully Haruna, Chisame and Chamo will be there as well."
The group began to make their way back to the village, leaving the decimation behind them…hoping that they would be able to avoid the Bird tribe for the next six months. They didn't want to have to face another battle like this.
