"Sebastian, I've caught it." Esdeath's voice was calm as she held the entity of the Mist Demon, a swirling, cotton-candy-like orb, in her hand.
"As expected of you, Miss Esdeath!" Kikyo exclaimed, admiration bright in her eyes.
Moments ago, Sebastian, Kikyo, and Esdeath had vanished into the fog. At Sebastian's command, Esdeath channeled her Teigu's power, freezing the air and ground around them into an icy cage.
He knew all too well the nature of the mist demon: ethereal, immune to physical attacks, and impossible to pin down, unless the environment betrayed it. The cold, however, could strip the demon of its evasiveness. Under the creeping frost, the mist demon began contracting, its form shrinking and wavering.
"Fascinating, a creature that can gasify itself," Sebastian mused quietly.
"Sebastian, shall we finish it off?" Esdeath asked, squeezing the orb gently enough to obliterate it.
"No," Sebastian answered. "Leave it alive, it will serve as an experimental subject."
At his words, Esdeath's hands grew colder still, and the mist demon solidified into a small ice cube. She handed it to Ram, instructing her to store it aboard the Battle Fortress.
From a distance, Tsubaki watched the exchange in silence, visibly stunned by Esdeath's power. Her gaze, however, remained riveted on Sebastian and the girl beside him, someone she thought she recognized.
"I've seen her somewhere… could that be her?" She whispered to herself.
Tsubaki's recognition wasn't due to any unusual talent in Kikyo; it was her humble origins: born in a mountain village, unlike the prodigies from superb families. There was something uniquely ordinary about her.
Above the river valley, Miyatsu and Miroku, who had been observing silently, exchanged glances of surprise tinged with regret. They had journeyed here hoping to eliminate demons, and gain honor for it, but Esdeath had already solved the problem without their intervention.
"We were beaten to it," Miyatsu ground out.
Miroku shivered. "So cold… no ordinary technique can do that."
"What manner of power is that?" Miroku asked. "Does she seal… or purify it?"
Would that all demon-killers were so powerful. In the entire valley, every eye followed Sebastian's group. Who was this man? Where had he come from? What power did that girl wield?
A wealthy merchant from the Village, who had commissioned the hunt, hurried forward, awe evident in his bowed posture.
"May I ask your name?" he inquired.
Before Sebastian could answer, Ram stepped forward. "His name is Sebastian."
Miyatsu and Miroku shook their heads; no one had heard the name before.
"His strength is extraordinary… He must hail from a renowned family," One whispered.
Sebastian inclined his head, expression unreadable. "I'm just a traveler."
The merchant blinked, then smiled. "Well then… please, come with me."
They followed him back into the village, where curious exorcists eyed them with a mix of respect and wariness. Everyone could feel their intimidating presence, everyone except Tsubaki.
Tsubaki had known Kikyo. She had seen the ordinary, so why did Esdeath stand by her? She had never heard of the man either, yet Esdeath's power was undeniably extraordinary. With cautious steps, Tsubaki followed them.