Chapter 9: A Demon fought

Tear couldn't believe this. He had finally found someone other then Licht who possessed similar features to him and it turns out the bastard is working with Licht.

"Well? You gonna say something?" Zenith inquired smugly. Tear just growled, dragon energy crackling out of his mouth.

Tear's eyes had long since fully turned and Zenith was no different, assuming that the bright orange eyes and cat like slits weren't natural.

"Alright, if you're not gonna add anything to this conversation then I gu-" Zenith tried to continue before getting socked in the face. "How the hell did he get to me so fast?" Zenith thought as barely managed to catch himself before smashing against the ground.

"I'm extremely tired of the fact that all you Midnight Suns are still breathing." Tear informed, a condescending glare on his face. "So I'm the gonna fix that problem, starting with you." With that dragon energy surged around the dark skinned mage's wing edges as he immediately rushed towards the stunned terrorist.

However right before Tear could rend him in half with his wings, he had just barely managed to get out of the way. Causing Tear to leave a large gash in the earth.

Tear smacked his lips in annoyance before pursuing the white haired mage. Zenith at this point knew that Tear was a much faster and more agile flyer then he was, so he needed to take this to the ground as fast as possible.

Zenith waited till just the last moment as Tear was about to catch to suddenly whip around with his tail, knocking him off course and using the momentum to tackle him midair.

"Get Off Me!" Tear yelled as he struggled, trying to get out of his grasp, however Tear stopped as he realized something was off."what is holding me right now?" Tear thought. He could feel something hard and bony fully wrapped around his torso, but last he checked, Zenith never pulled out a weapon, and he could feel where his arms were as well.

CRASH!!

Sadly Tear didn't have much time to think about it as the two banged into the ground. Tear stood up and wobbled a little, looking around for his newly aquired foe.

He didn't have to look for long as a familiar wing blade was flying at his face. Tear had just barely managed to parry it with his own wing before going for a claw strike at Zenith's face.

The tanned mage ducked out of the way and went for a rising slash with his wing blade. Fortunately Tear was ready and parried it again with his left wing, going for another claw strike.

Zenith tried to duck the other direction, but he hadn't noticed that it was a feint; Tear's tail coming in to impale his face.

Luckily though, Zenith over-committed to his dodge and just barely got away with a cut on his cheek. Tear sneered before throwing a punch at the back of his head, retracting his tail.

Sadly Zenith was already in the middle of dodging back, a couple powerful wing beats were enough to send Tear sliding a few feet.

"I'm definitely faster than this guy, but he's stronger than I am. He probably wants to keep this to the ground to take advantage of his brute force." "He's not as strong as I am, but I can't keep up with his speed. I can't let this go to the air unless I want to get torn to pieces." The two strategized.

Zenith tried to reengage before Tear could take to the sky but it was too late. Tear was simply too fast for him to get there. Zenith snarled and looked up at the flying mage, bracing for any possible attack.

Tear thought about using a spell, but he didn't want the melee fight to end just yet. Despite how mad he was, he couldn't deny how much fun it was to be able to use every weapon he was born with.

So instead of the safe option Tear decided to recklessly dive bomb the terrorist wing edge first.

Zenith hadn't been expecting a reckless charge, that was something more along his style, but he wasn't gonna complain. So he brought a wing back and with a loud crack! the two appendages clashed, black and red sparks flying off the contact point.

The power struggle was dead even due to Tear's gained momentum, until their wings slid apart, causing Tear to land in a squat, almost jumping as he went for an uppercut with both his hand and wing edge.

Zenith narrowed his bright orange eyes at the attempt. Catching the fist and deflecting Tear's wing with his own. Tear just glared at him before his fist ignited in his dragon element, forcing him to let go.

Zenith didn't give him the chance to fly away though as he went for another slash with his wing which Tear parried. "He's not letting up." Tear observed, blocking another wing strike.

After a couple more blocks, Tear had finally found his chance. Zenith had took slightly too long bringing his other wing for another slash and Tear had immediately flew away to Zenith's outrage.

Tear flew quickly in circles around him, getting closer and closer before stopping on a dime and crashing into him while his back was turned, pinning him to the floor.

"MASTER ZENITH!" A familiar voice screamed in panic. It distracted Tear for only a second, but a second was all Zenith needed.

Suddenly the wing blades had elongated, creating a two chains that Tear was too late to avoid.

The chains wrapped around the Black Bull's neck, pulling him off of Zenith and slamming him on the ground. Red energy flowing out of Tear and into the chainblades.

Tear tried to blow him back with his dragon magic, but he found that it was almost impossible. That red energy was his dragon magic, Zenith was somehow absorbing it.

And it Hurt.

The only reason Tear wasn't screaming out in pain was because he was too stunned to even open his mouth. It was like his very mana pathways were being forcefully torn out of his body. If he let this continue it would without a doubt kill him.

So in a desperate attempt, Tear used most of his remaining mana on a spell. "Dragon Magic:Stygian Flash!" He barely croaked out. A massive red bolt struck the area, sending Zenith flying off of Tear's downed form.

Tear tried to stand up but he was too mana exhausted. It felt like despite his inhuman amount of mana, there just seemed to be too many opponents where that just didn't matter.

Tear saw where Zenith landed, he seemed like he had taken a lot of damage from the spell, which wasn't the death he was hoping for, but in his situation, he would take what he could get.

"Master Zenith!" Tear heard that same familiar voice which had caused him to be in this situation in the first place.

Right after that, a black portal opened right beside the downed as someone Tear vividly remembered rose out of it.

"Of course it was Valtos." Tear growled to himself. While he wanted to kill every Midnight Sun, Valtos was at the top of the list of people he wanted dead.

The only problem was that Tear was a sitting duck. If he didn't get up Valtos would be able to kill him just like that. So Tear redoubled his efforts to stand, but no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't. It was impossible.

He didn't know how Zenith had done something like that, but it had left him defenseless, and would've left him dead if he hadn't taken that risk like that.

But it was all for naught. He was actually going to die, on what was supposed to be a nice, exciting hunt for a Tobi with a possible Anjanath mixed in.

"Fuck This! Fuck Everything! I Don't Care If I Die Here! I'll Find A Way To Come Back!" Tear tried to will something into existence in his presumed final moments.

But after making sure Zenith was still alive, the ugly bastard just looked at him, not moving a muscle.

"The hell is wrong with this guy? Just kill me already!" Tear thought, barely mustering up the strength to glare at him.

But, no moves toward him were ever made. Valtos just looked at him, looked back to Zenith, and made another portal. The two disappearing, leaving him alone in a monster inhabited glade.

"Just what the hell is going on? This entire week has just been a nightmare. At least that Anjanath turned tail and bolted after Zenith hit him." Tear thought, utterly flabbergasted. He wouldn't be able to move for at least another thirty minutes so might as well get comfortable.

"How did he even manage to do that? He was literally sucking the mana out of me. And what was up with his wings? It was like he had chains growing out of them. What kind of magic would even cause all of that?" He continued to question.

Tear's dragon magic could drain the mana out of mana based emissions. With enough power behind it could even drain the mana out of a being after prolonged contact.

But Zenith's absorbed it immediately. It was like his attribute was made the absorb magic for himself. He had only seen a glimpse of it, but his attribute seemed similar to Tear's. Same color, same special trait, only his was like fire, Tear's was more like lightning.

"Why does everyone seem to have my gimmick?" Tear thought childishly. First it was Asta who took his magic nullification gimmick, and now this guy was trying to take his magic draining gimmick? This just wasn't his week.

"When I recover enough mana to move, I'm going straight home. That Anjanath isn't worth this." Tear decided before closing his eyes, drifting into a half sleep.

"Master Zenith! Are you ok?" Valtos asked worriedly. Zenith had been pretty much out cold when he portaled to him, now he was awake but slightly groggy.

"Yeah Valtos I'm good. In fact, I feel great!" Zenith dismissed his concerns, an even crazier grin on his face than when he had first met Tear.

Zenith, despite his obvious similarity with Tear and Licht: lacked the unmatched amount of mana. He was way above the average noble, but a royal could rival and could even surpass his mana amount.

But his lack of magic power was compensated for. His chainwings had the ability to absorb magic power from others and convert it to his own. All he had to do was wrap them up and that energy would be absorbed and stockpiled.

With a sudden, crazed cackle, Zenith's chains had suddenly lit ablaze in black and red fire. The single chain on each wing splitting into two, creating four chains altogether.

Valtos quickly hopped back, a scared expression on his face as saw the insane look on the white haired boy's face. "What's got you all spooked Valtos? It wouldn't happen to be my power now would it? If so then you probably just need a firsthand experience with it. It's awesome, not scary." He told him, his chains reaching for Valtos.

However, before he could grab him, Licht had appeared, restraining Zenith with his Bright Judgment Whip.

"Calm yourself Zenith. Don't let those urges from your magic control you; you're much better than that." Licht lectured, a caring yet hard tone carried in his voice.

"Come on, just a little magic power won't kill him! I'm sure Valtos would love to donate some mana, right Valtos?" Zenith replied.

The only problem was that, if he absorbed too much, he'd temporarily lose it, becoming addicted to mana and would attack anything to try and get it.

Valtos shrunk back in fear stammering nervously before Licht just sighed, deciding that it was best to just knock him out as he chopped the back of his neck.

Zenith immediately slumped, eyes turning back to a familiar gold before closing. Licht dispelled his whip and turned to the still cowering Valtos, a disappointed look on his face.

"I thought I ordered you to look after him and make sure that this exact thing didn't happen. So what happened Valtos?" Licht said ominously.

Valtos immediately got down to both knees, forehead touching the floor before explaining himself. "Please forgive me master Licht! Master Zenith had already started fighting that magic knight boy before I could even attempt to stop him!" He explained.

Licht gained a somber and slightly regretful expression on his face. "All is well Valtos. I know that you tried to the best of your abilities to fulfill my request. And for that I thank you, you may stand." Licht said softly.

Valtos took an extra second in his bow before standing up, bowing at the hip before saying his departing words. "I thank you for your benevolence Master Licht. It it more then someone like me could ever deserve." He said before turning away to leave.

If he had taken a second longer, he would've seen the poorly hidden look that screamed "I agree"

Tear had actually recovered his magic power faster then what he expected, he was back up on his feet in twenty minutes, ready to fly straight home and go to sleep.

RAUUG!

And now was a great time as the Anjanath had come back, and this time Tear was not in the mood to fight it to the death.

"Oh Shit! Oh Shit! Oh Shit!" Tear panicked as he stood up and released a series of powerful wingbeats quickly leaving the ground. The Anjanath tried to pursue him but Tear had just enough mana to fire a mana bullet at it, stalling it and giving him enough time to get the hell out of there.

"Thank God, that was way too close." Tear breathed out heavily; the mana exhaustion still affecting his stamina.

Tear had only encountered the Eye of the Midnight Sun three times. And to say that he was tired of every single one of them was an absolute. So with a sigh, Tear just kept on flying, though it was very wobbly due to the exhaustion.

"Does anyone know when Tear is supposed to come back?" Asta asked. By this point it had been four days since he left and he was starting to get worried that something happened.

"Who knows? Depends on the monsters he's hunting. Sometimes he's gone for more then a week, other times barely a few hours. He pretty much just leaves without warning and comes back whenever he feels like it." Magna explained.

"But what if he gets injured in a hunt? How will we know?" Asta worriedly asked. Magna just shrugged at him.

"He's kinda like a cat now that I think about it. Just comes and goes as he pleases, sleeps for long periods of time, and have you seen how he reacts to being surprised? It's so cat like it's adorable!" Vanessa chimed in.

Asta seemed satisfied at that little explanation, but didn't lose that slight concern for his squad mate and rival.

But Vanessa wasn't done just yet. "And you just have to see the way the kid sleeps, he just curls into a ball and wraps his tail around himself. It's why he keeps his door locked all the time, so nobody can see him like that." She finished.

Noelle stifled a chuckle at that. This new information would be perfect for any arguments she got into with the boy.

"Well, as long as he's still alive, and not crashing through the roof into me; I'm good." Magna said with a bored yawn.

CRASH!!

And in a cruel twist of fate, Magna had jinxed himself.

"What the-OOf!" Magna cried out as a shower of splinters and dust spread through the area, covering the crash site.

"What The Hell Was That?!" Noelle screamed in a panic. What if it was a wild monster? Or an enemy mage? Or worse!

But her worries turned out to be for naught as the dust settled. And it revealed a blacked out Magna, with a familiar, winged figure atop him.

"Oh, it's just Tear." Noelle said relieved, before she fully comprehend what just happened. "Wait Tear! Why did you just come through the roof!? And what is wrong with you?! That stunt could have injured me you know!" Noelled screamed.

Tear just looked annoyed and covered his sharp ears. "Okay I get it damn! Would you please shut up?!" He screamed right back. Noelle almost looked suprised by the crude reply, before remembering who she was talking too.

"Well maybe I wouldn't have to scream if you didn't come crashing through the roof like a maniac! Like seriously what were you thinking! You could've-huh?" Noelle was about to finish her rant when she noticed the absolute look of exhaustion on Tear's face, and soon after that; he passed out.

"Hey! I Was Talking To You! You Can't Just Go To Sleep On Me!" Noelle screamed, a comical anger plastered on her face.

But all that screaming did was get the attention of their captain, who was certainly not happy.

"What The Hell Are You Idiots Doing Now!? A Guy Can't Take A Dump In Peace With You Freaks?!" He shouted. Gaining a bunch of weird looks from the conscious.

But the foreign captain quickly calmed down upon noticing the hole in the roof, and the two passed out bodies in the center of the rubble.

With a sigh the captain turned right back to what the squad could only assume was the restroom; not a single word leaving his mouth.

After that Asta had quickly ran up to the downed mages, making sure they weren't injured. Asta tried to turn Tear over but his arm was quickly caught.

"I'm up, and I'm fine by the way. Just a little tired from flying so far." Tear reassured. Though to his annoyance, Vanessa had something to say about that.

"That's odd, you can normally go a lot farther before breaking a sweat. And you're mana exhausted, Asta wouldn't be able to tell but you're mana presense is nowhere near as strong as it is normally." She said, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"Yeah, that Anjanath just wouldn't go down. Took more spells than I had hoped." Tear lied. There was no way he was gonna tell them he had given up a victory against one of the Eye in the way he did.

"Yeah sure, an Anjanath was durable enough to completely exhaust you of all people? You don't have to lie to us Tear; we're your family." Vanessa called him out.

Tear groaned in frustration, she wasn't gonna let him go without an explanation, and she was right, the Black Bulls are his family. Even Noelle and Asta. Besides, it wasn't like he actually lost the fight, it was more like a tie.

"Fine, I'll tell you the truth." Tear relented to the drunkard's satisfaction.

"It had started when I was hunting the Tobi." Tear began, explaining all the way up to his short confrontation with the Anjanath.

"That's when someone from the Eye of the Midnight Sun showed up." He said, a gasp escaping all of the squads lips.

Tear then explained the fight he had with said member. "He had an attribute similar to mine based off the little I saw of it, and his magic relied on wings and even made a tail for him as well." Tear told them.

"In fact, that similar attribute is why I'm so tired. His wings had these blades just jutting out, that he had elongated into chains. I had him pinned at that point and got distracted by Valtos calling out his name-"

"Valtos was there?" Asta interrupted. "Was it just him? Or were there any other of the Eye that showed up?" He questioned. Tear just gave him a look before continuing."If you had let me finish, no there weren't any others of the Eye that showed up. Anyway, since I got distracted, I didn't notice these chains and he was able to wrap me up with them." He explained.

"But that doesn't explain why you're mana levels are so low." Noelle interrupted this time. "If you'd just shut up and listen, you'd know already." Tear remarked to her. Noelle just looked indignant at that, but she didn't say another word.

"The chains were able to take the mana out of my body. It's like when I put a lot of mana into an attack, only his was much better at it then mine." Tear said.

"Anyway, before he could kill me from absorbing all of my mana; I was able to use a spell and knock him out. After that, Valtos came in and teleported away." Tear finished.

"since you probably couldn't move, why didn't that Valtos guy just kill you while you we're defenseless?" Luck asked in that same cheery tone he got his title for.

"Hell if I know. He just looked at me weird and teleported away. All I know is that the next time I see him, he won't get the chance to teleport away." Tear answered, eyes glowing an ominous scarlet, red energy cracking around him.

Chapter End

AN:This chapter was short as hell. Imma be honest I had crazy writers block after the fight. I used to think writers block was the dumbest thing ever but I understand it now. Speaking of the fight if you've played MH wilds then you'd probably notice the similarities between it and the fight with Rey Dau and Arkveld. To be clear, Zenith, if he has mana already absorbed is slightly stronger then Tear, but Tear is an overall better fighter and his spells are more potent. Also similar to the monsters they are inspired by. Also fuck Arkveld, Rey the best monster from Wilds, he'll get a win in the G-Rank expansion I just know it. Anyway, despite how far you think you've strayed from God, know that he'll always love you and is waiting for you to accept him. Salvation is already at the tips of your fingers all you have to do is take it.