It was an entrance that demanded attention, an aura that exuded confidence, and a voice that incited caution.
"My apologies, but this is where your journey ends," Naki, amid black flames, addressed the 3 magicians ahead of him.
The female mage was unsettled, her grip on her grimoire unsteady. The black flames were terrifying, like an unseen unknown.
"Irauki, wha-what d-do we do?" the girl muttered, taking a couple of steps back.
"Tsk! screw this!!"
The boy recklessly charged forward, equipping a red-steel wand
"GET OUT OF OUR WAY!! PHOENIX BREATHE!!"
The boy raised and swung his wand in one quick swipe, unleashing a spread-out intense fire breath from the tip.
Naki smiled as a golden shield made of ceremonial bell steel patterns shielded him from the flames. It was made by Habiki, as she watched from on top of her staff like a hawk from the skies.
"Hmph! Such a lacking and unimaginative cast. I should've gone for a weaker shield."
"Wha!" the boy, stunned by his most powerful ability shielded effortlessly, left his guard wide open.
Naki didn't let that slide as he slipped through the cover and leapt behind the boy.
"You're open!"
"How did you-"
With acrobatic movement, he landed a roundhouse kick on the boy's jaw, cutting off his inquiry and sending him crashing into the carriage.
The wheels of the carriage flew off.
"AARGHH!!!" the driver yelled, barely escaping the impact to cower behind the trees.
Legs vibrating, body coiled into a ball of fright.
One of the wheels rolled forward, stopping at Naki's feet.
"Grk...to think even his phoenix's breath was easily countered..." her voice laced with disbelief, she turned to Irauki.
"Irauki! Let's get out of here! This guy is bad news!!"
Naki smiled cunningly, "You should listen to her, Irauki, there is no place for you in Listeria now."
Naki smashed the wheel and turned around, making his intentions clear.
"Should you persist, I will not end well for you," he frowned, putting on his best villain impression.
Irauki tensed up and then sighed, "Look after him, I'll handle him," he ordered the girl.
"Irauki!" she tried to call him to reason
"The more you delay, the more his life is at risk! Go!"
She gritted her teeth, clenched her grimoire tight. She was reluctant to let Irauki go through with his plan, but in the end, had no choice.
"F-fine! You better not die!"
She rushed to their incapacitated colleague.
"Hmm? Is he actually trying to engage Naki?" Habiki whispered, watching Irauki make his way forward.
Her bell earring glowed, "[It's a good opportunity for the devil child to take control of the situation. Should you help him too much, the mercy system might not recognize the deed as his own]" Keifa added
"You're right. Well, it's not really Naki I was worried about."
"[Hoh! You seem to have developed a fondness for the boy Habi.]"
"What can I say. I have always had a soft spot for the strong," she smiled
Naki watched as Irauki approached him
"I don't know who you are, or what you are planning."
His pupils dilated and slit like that of a serpant's.
"However, I am to be an instructor of Listeria. As such, it falls to me to ensure there's no threat to the well-being of my students or the citizens of this kingdom."
His next step met the earth with ferocity, which prompted a black giant serpent to rise from the ground and coil in front of him.
"I have 2 words for you - Begone! Demon."
"*hiss*, *krreee*" The giant snake hissed and screeched.
"(He thinks I'm a demon...is the black flame so peculiar?)
Naki's hand reached for his short blade subtly.
"(A giant snake, familiar or a magic summon. Either way, it's nothing I can't handle)"
Naki grinned then, as if he was about to lose balance like a drunkard, his body swayed to the side.
"Heh, you asked for it", he used the swerve movement and made his way forward with pace.
"Orochi!!" Irauki commanded as the serpant attack
With a ferocious bite attack incoming, Naki rolled to the side as the serpent's fangs chewed on the earth.
Then, using the momentum of the roll, he pushed forward, feet screeching on the ground, lifting stone particles.
His target was Irauki as he unsheathed his short sword
"Heh! You're through!" he leapt forward.
Irauki stretched his hand forward, directing Orochi to use its tail to body slam Naki
"Huh?" Naki used his short sword and hands to guard the incoming attack. he couldn't dodge mid-air,
but the force of Orochi's tail slam landed a heavy slap and forced him to crash to the ground
"Urk!!" he spits out blood.
"Nice going, Irauki!!" the female mage rejoiced from the sidelines, shouldering the unconscious boy.
Habiki frowned. "What is he doing?"
Orochi retracted its head and coiled around Irauki once again, teasing its tongue out hissing.
"(That was a heavy hit, is he still standing)" Irauki tensed up, narrowing in on Naki
He stood up, holding his chest, breathing heavily
"(tsk, that was careless.)"
He examined the situation, Orochi coiled around Irauki, providing a staunch defense.
"(The giant snake makes for good cover and counteroffensive)"
Naki recalled the claw attack he used back in Ampha as an option
"(The Devil's claw could probably do the trick here, but that might lead to casualties. The plan is to scare them away not murder them)"
His sigil started vibrating relentlessly. He gripped his short sword tightly and let out a cheeky smile
"I suppose I'll just have to improvise."
Naki dashed head-on once again, "Heh, let's commence round 2!"
Irauki frowned and directed Orochi once again, "OROCHI!"
Orochi unleashed another tail slam, but Naki side-stepped to dodge, maintaining forward momentum. The serpent followed up with a bite attack.
"Heh" Naki lightly slit his hand as the blood suspended mid-air, his sigil absorbed the offering as he casted
"Black flames, Gehenna's Sphere!!!"
With a flick of his hand, black flames contracted into a fire sphere
From this fire sphere, now acting as a core, burst forth multiple arcing black flame bolts colliding in random, spontaneous directions.
"GREEH!!"
Most of the bolts concentrated relentlessly on Orochi's head, pushing back its attack and causing multiple injuries.
"KREE!!!", it cried out in pain as the bolts rendered it blind.
"What!? (His attack stunted Orochi!!)"
Habiki, watching from above, smiled, "Now that's what I call imagination. To think he'll center the energy source of his black flames in a contracted space."
"[Indeed, and from this space, an almost endless bolt of flames would be supplied. The ensuing chaos is something he can make use of]"
Naki used the chaos of random bolts burning every loose leaf and standing tree around the area to slip away from Orochi's attacking range, Irauki now within touching distance.
Irauki panicked as Naki was gaining ground.
"Tsk, Stay back! OROCHI!!!"
Irauki nervously called out. A second head reared itself from Orochi's body and was elongating towards Naki in a predatory fashion.
"(Damn it! It had a 2nd head!!!?)"
Naki was close to Irauki and readied an attack with his sword
"(I just need to get close enough for a strike!)"
"AAAHHHH!" Irauki screamed
"IRAUKI!!!" the girl mage cried in fear as Naki was about to go for the slash.
Orochi's second head will make it, they thought it would; it was close enough to chew Naki's head off.
"YAAAARGGHHH!!!!" Naki let out a battle cry, a desperate cry, he knew he might not make it.
But,
BAAANGG!!!
Another gold-plated shield - courtesy of Habiki's intervention - deflected off its fangs, allowing Naki to go through with his attack.
"NO, IRAUKI!!!!" the girl mage cried, tears building up in her eyes already.
However, Naki did not go through with the attack, as his short sword hung just an inch away from Irauki's neck.
Irauki was rooted in the position, his life now on the mercy of a blade's edge, or Naki's loose hands.
"Hm, checkmate!" he said, and stopped the sphere from blasting fire bolts.
The girl mage watched in surprise to find Naki hadn't gone through with the attack.
The same surprise laced Irauki's face.
However, he, wasn't without an ounce of fear.
"I-I surrender," he said, voice shaky.
Naki smiled, his eyes homed in on Orochi, demanding a release.
Irauki obliged and called off the serpent. He wasn't in a position to make demands, only to adhere to them.
"Good. Now, return to the kingdom city."
"Let them know what happened here."
"Do this, and your life is spared," Naki said
Then frowned as the sphere flickered, foreshadowing the thread of burning wildly again.
"Otherwise, I will find you once again, and this time, your soul will burn!"
It was a threat, and the bulging Gehenna's sphere a visual reminder.
Irauki nodded.
"Very good. Now, leave!"
Naki said and pushed him to the ground.
He shamefully picked himself up and ran back to the girl
"Irauki!" she called out in relief as they met.
"Are you okay?" she asked, concerned
Irauki nodded, exasperated.
"I am. We have to go back and get the kingdom guard to handle this."
"You're right- huh? Where did he go?"
Irauki and the girl looked ahead of them and could not find Naki anymore, only the dying embers of the black flames he had perpetrated.
They stared in disbelief, a mysterious 'demon' had appeared, defeated them, spared their lives, and vanished just like he came.
Only it was a teleportation cast from Habiki, as they now stood at the top of the hill they had spotted the carriage from.
From there, they watched as Irauki prepared his colleagues for the return trip.
"Phew, it seems they're turning back."
Naki removed the pointed hat and sighed.
Habiki joined him, jumping off her staff gracefully.
"Huh, mission accomplished, I would say."
"Yeah." Naki let out a deep breath, "That was scary. Appreciate the assist in the end there."
"Hmph! What would you do without me?"
"Heh, you just had to brag about it, too. But really, thanks."
"...don't mention it"
Naki nodded, then his sigil stung, "aarghh!!" he held his hand.
"Huh? What is it?" Habiki asked, concerned
"Tsk, the sigil, it stings!!!"
"Activate the interface! Quickly!!!" she shouted
Naki obeyed and put up the sigil, there was a new pop-up.
-- DEVIL'S GAME RESULTS --
Vice - CRIME!
Activity - The demon of black flames on the road
Execution Rating - B
Mercy Recovered - 300 [Updated Mercy: 378/700]
Reward- Lohki's Path Unlocked!!!
-> -> -> Swipe right to confirm procedure
--------------
Naki and Habiki read in shock and excitement, this had just confirmed all they know about Lucille's system
They stared at each other in amazement, for a Trickster, was about to be born.