Chapter 8 – Solar Arcanist
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the high windows of the Sun God Society's grand hall. Only two teams existed within this order—one was already away on a mission, while the other, freshly formed, sat in a slightly awkward row of chairs, still smelling of new beginnings and untested egos.
Kazuki leaned back in his seat, crossing one leg over the other, his tone casual yet sharp.
"So, Aven. I hear you've contracted with Sephiroth."
"Of course! Hahaha!" Aven puffed up his chest as if the world should bow in applause.
Kazuki's smile thinned. "Be careful. That legendary sword attracts attention—from the Secret orders from both the underworld and the upper world.
Aven waved him off with a laugh. "Relax, Elder. Huf—if they come, I'll cut them all down!"
"That confidence of yours will either save you or bury you." Kazuki smirked, then gestured for silence. "Now, listen carefully. Today, I've gathered you to hunt a fugitive Bounder. The Association has given us three missions. But since our order is… well, not exactly ranked among the finest, we only get contracts targeting Bounders of two stars or lower."
Xie Yufan, who stood by Kazuki's side, adjusted his glasses and explained flatly, "The bounty for a two-star Bounder isn't high. They've already reached the first stage of Ascension, but not enough to become expensive prey."
Aven groaned loudly. "So basically, we're hunting discount villains? Ugh, I thought I'd be raking in gold by now."
Alya rolled her eyes. "Then what's the mission?"
"We'll take the contract on a man named Wataru Jojo," Kazuki replied. "He's joined a criminal syndicate of Bounders. The reward is two Pureblood Chalices and ten thousand yen."
Aven quickly did the math, his face falling. "Split four ways, that's only twenty-five hundred each. Arghhh, I'm going to starve…"
Priscilla smirked from the corner. "Good, maybe hunger will finally shut you up."
"Excuse me?!" Aven snapped, but Kazuki clapped his hands once, silencing them.
"Ranmaru will accompany you. If things get out of hand, he'll step in. From what we know, Wataru Jojo has already ascended and become a Solar Arcanist."
"A wielder of light, then," Alya muttered, frowning.
"Be cautious," Kazuki said. "Light manipulators are tricky. But don't worry—Ranmaru is far stronger."
Matteo added from the side, "Yes. He could cut the man down in a single strike."
At that, Ranmaru exhaled a slow plume of smoke from his kiseru pipe. "Huff… Don't rely too much on me. Fight your own battle. But if you're truly cornered… I'll intervene."
Gran finally spoke up, his voice calm yet firm. "Where do we find him?"
"The Association believes he often conducts illegal trades behind the abandoned building near Murayama Park. Find him. End it. And don't let the civilians know."
They boarded a bus soon after. The ride was cramped, the air heavy with silence—at least, until Aven decided silence was unbearable.
"So, Priscilla," he began with a mischievous grin, "since we're on the same team now, how about you cook me dinner when this is over?"
Priscilla's glare could have frozen fire. "How about I cook you instead?"
Alya snorted, covering her mouth. "Careful, Aven. She sounds serious."
Gran sighed. "Can't you go five minutes without inviting someone's wrath?"
"Hah, it's a gift," Aven declared proudly—just as the bus hit a bump and nearly sent him tumbling into Priscilla's lap.
Her scream shook the entire vehicle. "GET. OFF. ME!"
Even Ranmaru chuckled low, puffing another cloud of smoke.
By the time they arrived at Murayama Park, the group spread out, scanning the quiet greenery. Ranmaru, true to his words, lingered at a distance, half-hidden behind trees, watching them like a silent shadow.
"There!" Alya suddenly pointed at a hooded figure loitering near the swings.
Without waiting, Aven charged forward. "Got you, criminal scum!"
"Wait—!" Gran's warning came too late.
Aven tackled the man to the ground, only for a horrified old grandpa to shriek, "I WAS JUST FEEDING THE PIGEONS!"
The entire park turned to stare. Alya facepalmed. Priscilla covered her mouth, laughing mercilessly.
"Smooth, Aven. Very smooth," she teased.
"Shut up! He looked suspicious!" Aven defended himself while helping the poor man back up.
Gran shook his head. "This is embarrassing…"
But then Alya's eyes narrowed, spotting movement near the derelict building behind the park. A different figure in a dark cloak slipped inside.
"There. The real one," she whispered.
The four of them moved quickly, cornering the cloaked man within the abandoned building. Dust hung thick in the air as they encircled him.
Aven pointed his sword forward with a cocky grin. "End of the line, Wataru Jojo. You're surrounded—no more running!"
The man's hood tilted back slightly, revealing a faint smirk in the dim light.
Gran folded his arms, grinning wide.
"This guy's supposed to control light, yet he runs into a shadowy dump like this? What a genius."
Aven barked a laugh. "Exactly, smoky lungs. Guess the sun fried his brain!"
"Kekekeke—hahahaha!" Both of them doubled over, laughing like hyenas.
But then, the cloaked man joined in—his laughter louder, darker, echoing across the broken walls. It was so unnerving they stopped.
"You children… do you really think I'm that foolish?" His voice cracked like glass. Slowly, he spread his arms wide.
And suddenly—flash!
The entire building blazed with light. Lamps hidden in the rafters, floodlights rigged to walls—every corner exploded in radiance until the shadows vanished completely.
"Welcome," the man said, his grin sharp under the hood, "to your graveyard. I prepared it just for you."
With a dramatic motion, he tore off his cloak. His chest bore a twisted sigil, glowing faintly like a miniature sun.
"I am Wataru Jojo—Son of the Apostle."
"Tch." Alya's hands tightened around her bow. "How do we even fight him like this?"
"Relax," Priscilla muttered. Her crimson eyes gleamed. "Leave it to me."
Without hesitation, she sliced her palm. Blood flowed freely, swirling into shape until a crimson pistol solidified in her grasp.
Wataru's eyes widened. "Blood Queen… from the Pillar of Death and Empress?!"
Priscilla smirked coldly. "Correct."
"But light will always outshine blood!" Wataru roared, thrusting both hands forward. A storm of searing beams erupted from his palms, slicing across the air like whips of fire.
Priscilla moved first.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
The blood bullets streaked through the air, each one chasing Wataru as if hungry.
"Disgusting things…" Wataru scoffed. His body blurred into the glow of the neon lights above, flickering in and out like a living strobe. The bullets smashed into walls instead, leaving wet, hissing holes that bled vapor.
Gran inhaled from his long kiseru, eyes narrowing. "I hate flashy types." He exhaled thick smoke, which coiled and hardened in his grip, resonating with the grim hum of his Pillar—Death. In an instant it became a blade of condensed haze, edges trembling with menace.
"Let's see if light can cut through fog," Gran sneered, charging forward, sword sweeping toward the shimmer of Wataru.
From the backline, Alya drew her bow, Kazuki's special arrow glowing faintly between her fingers. "You like light? Then choke on this." She loosed, the arrow whistling across the hall.
Meanwhile, Aven clenched Sephiroth with both hands, sweat soaking his back. The sword vibrated violently, its blade glowing faintly as if resisting him.
"Damn it—stop shaking! Just let me swing you properly!" he hissed, trying to steady the legendary weapon.
But Wataru only laughed. His form flashed away, reappearing by a pillar. The arrow embedded itself in stone.
"I'm faster than all of you," he boomed, his body scattering prisms of light. With a flick of his hand, the room's neon lamps flared, splitting into spears of radiance. "Witness the beauty of a man-made sun."
Dozens of lances tore through the air.
Priscilla darted, her blood pistol firing in sharp bursts. The scarlet rounds exploded against the incoming spears, splattering gore-like mist. "Don't underestimate me!" she shouted, though her breathing grew ragged.
Gran swung his smoke blade again and again, slicing shafts of light only for two more to reform each time. "Tch—what is this, playing tag with lamps?!"
Alya fired rapidly, arrows streaking one after another, but Wataru slipped between the flashes, as if the room itself bent to his rhythm.
The neon glow pulsed harder, bathing everything in feverish brightness. The three of them faltered. Priscilla's blood couldn't track something faster than sight, Gran's fog was shredded by unending brilliance, and Alya's arrows never touched their mark.
Wataru's laughter echoed. "Children. You still don't understand? Without light, I'm nothing. But here…" He pressed a hand to his chest, neon burning wild around him. "Here, I'm a god."
Priscilla gritted her teeth, blood streaming as she shaped another weapon. "Damn it… too fast."
Gran coughed, smoke seeping from his lips. "We can't even scratch him…"
Alya's voice trembled, sweat trickling down her face. "If this keeps up, we'll break before he does."
Their words proved true. One by one, the light spears struck, shattering concrete, throwing them against the walls. Dust rained down. Priscilla, Gran, and Alya collapsed, bruised and gasping for breath.
At the center stood Wataru, radiant, eyes gleaming like a predator savoring the inevitable. "Your little game is over."
Leaving only Aven—standing alone with an unsteady grip on Sephiroth.
Wataru's smile widened. He raised his palm, gathering light into a spear of searing brilliance.
"Die, boy."
Aven froze. His sword pulsed wildly in his hands, burning with heat.
"Not… like this…"
And then—
SHHKK!
A razor-thin slash carved through the air. Reality itself split like fabric. Wataru's attack dissipated instantly, his eyes widening in horror.
Smoke curled in the corner of the room, and out of it stepped Ranmaru. Calm as ever, pipe in hand, his eyes half-lidded.
"Huff~… I leave you alone for five minutes and you already look half-dead," he muttered.
With a lazy flick of his pipe, the smoke solidified—crack!—slamming into Wataru from the side, hurling him straight toward Aven.
"Now's your chance, kid."
Aven's heart pounded. The Sephiroth quivered—but this time, it moved with him, as though answering the moment. With a roar, he thrust forward—
SHLUNK!
The blade pierced through Wataru's chest.
Silence.
Aven stood panting, then threw his head back with a laugh.
"Ha! Did you see that?! I finished him! The killing blow was mine!"
Gran groaned from the floor. "Oh, shut up…"
Priscilla rolled her eyes. "Unbelievable."
Alya muttered weakly, "He's insufferable…"
But Aven only puffed his chest out, still holding Sephiroth high.
"Clearly, I'm the most valuable member of this team. Surely the bonus belongs to me, right?!"